Our Community of Readers
Reaching Rural Readers is a virtual book club created by two passionate education professors at Bemidji State University, Kathrina O’Connell, EdD, and Danielle Kubasko Sullivan, PhD. Each summer, high school students from rural Minnesota can join the fun as we explore one exciting young adult book each month.
Our teen participants connect with other readers from across rural Minnesota and join in engaging in book discussions led by English Education majors. Plus, they get the chance to chat with the authors themselves during our monthly book talks!
Thanks to generous donations and grants, we’re able to provide all the books for free! Every penny goes toward getting these amazing reads into rural students’ hands, and our fantastic facilitators and authors volunteer their time to make this program a reality.
“You don’t always have access to the library, so it was kind of cool to meet other kids who were interested in reading. I liked the variety of books you chose and that we got to meet and talk to the authors.”
Since launching in Summer 2024, Reaching Rural Readers has brought the joy of reading to teens in 20 rural Minnesota communities—and we’re just getting started!