Self-Publishing Editors Jonathan Goodrich & Owen Everard James Discusses OUR STORY: Jamaica’s Visionary Experimental Secondary Classes 1954 – 1960

Editors Jonathan Goodrich & Owen Everard James are taking their latest book, OUR STORY: Jamaica’s Visionary Experimental Secondary Classes 1954 – 1960 on tour – a Virtual Book Tour, that is, with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home. Join Jonathan Goodrich & Owen Everard James and OUR STORY: Jamaica’s Visionary Experimental Secondary Classes 1954 – 1960 as they appear in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!


Luckily for us, Jonathan Goodrich & Owen Everard James were kind enough to answer a few questions as the tour was getting started so that we can give you a sneak peek into the minds of the Editors of OUR STORY: Jamaica’s Visionary Experimental Secondary Classes 1954 – 1960.

 

OP: Tell us a little bit about OUR STORY: Jamaica’s Visionary Experimental Secondary Classes 1954 – 1960. What is it about?

Owen: The most visionary intervention in the policies & practices of secondary education in the history of Jamaica. Its purpose was to provide the children of poor families equal opportunity for access to secondary education. Children from selected elementary and all-age schools were allowed to sit the internationally recognized Senior Cambridge/GCE examinations while attending their elementary schools.

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

Owen: Although the success rate of the intervention surpassed that of nearly all of the traditional, elite secondary schools, the narrative of the history of secondary education in Jamaica does not reference either the existence or the remarkable success of the visionary Experimental Classes.

OP: How did you get your book published?

Owen: After much investigation, Outskirts Press was chosen to publish the book.

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

Owen: Those generally interested in education but more particularly readers with an interest in developing countries as well as policy makers in universities and government in such countries.

OP: What is special about your book?

Owen: It is the only documented history of the existence and outcomes of the visionary, experimental intervention in Jamaica’s system of secondary education. The book uniquely reveals the fact that the intervention of 70 years earlier instigated what has become known as Jamaica’s New Deal in Education.

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category?

Owen: The book tells the previously unknown story of an important aspect of Jamaica’s system of secondary education while simultaneously presenting insights into Jamaica’s socio-political climate and its relevance to education policy & practice immediately preceding and following national Independence in 1962.

OP: Have you published any other books?

Owen: Goodrich has published three books; James has published four books.

OP: Do you plan to publish more?

Owen: Perhaps!

OP: Thanks for your time, Owen! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!

For more information or to contact the author, visit https://www.outskirtspress.com/ourstoryjamesc

This author purchased the Virtual Book Tour marketing option, which allows self-publishing authors to connect with bloggers and harness the power of the blogosphere by taking their book on the “virtual road.” Learn more about this service by visiting your Publishing Center and reviewing the available marketing options.

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Self-Publishing Author Kevin Vachna Discusses OBSOLETE: A Teacher’s Tale (of tomorrow, today!)

Author Kevin Vachna is taking his latest book OBSOLETE: A Teacher’s Tale (of tomorrow, today!) on tour — a Virtual Book Tour, that is, with Outskirts Press! Technology has created a wide variety of ways to reach audiences all over the world. All it takes is a little thinking outside the box, and nowadays you can market a self-published book in a variety of affordable and impactful ways. Virtual book tours, for example, are a great way to connect with readers from all corners of the globe, all from the comfort of your own home. Join Kevin Vachna and OBSOLETE: A Teacher’s Tale (of tomorrow, today!) as they appear in features and interviews (such as the one below) in the weeks and months ahead!


Luckily for us, Kevin was kind enough to answer a few questions as the tour was getting started so that we can give you a sneak peek into the mind of the creator of OBSOLETE: A Teacher’s Tale (of tomorrow, today!).

OP: Tell us a little bit about OBSOLETE: A Teacher’s Tale (of tomorrow, today!). What is it about?

Kevin: OBSOLETE is a thrilling adventure about the future of school, technology, and society. Crime, Disease, and Poverty are all but extinct. Democracy is decided in real-time with lightning-fast ease. Holographic projections are at everyone’s fingertips, swallowing them in in a world of constant entertainment and communication. There’s just one problem: the kids are all becoming hyperactive, disconnected screen-addicts. The America Learns Initiative, a federal program under the Department of Restructure, has a solution: The Success Spheres! Championing the mantra, “Do nothing and learn!” this state of the art technology promises to save the failing school system, its students, and teachers, once and for all. After an unauthorized history lesson, Professor T is reassigned to one of the worst performing schools around. There, unlikely allies and hidden threats lead T to revelations about a conspiracy with sinister roots. What T discovers could threaten to overturn the ALI’s Success Sphere program and the very foundations of society, itself.

OP: Why did you decide to write this story?

Kevin: I wrote and drew this graphic novel after being inspired by what I saw in the schools every day. There were never enough resources and they were always pushing for something that wasn’t in the students’ best interest but their own. And that’s when an over-reliance on technology infected our schools. I watched teachers replaced by screens. Education stagnated and the children suffered most of all. Over the past decade I have been witness to, participant in, and victim of this drastic transformation inside the New York City public school system. They’ve embraced detrimental practices under the guise of technological reform. There are computers in every classroom, but students enter through metal detectors and undergo body-searches. More often than not, teachers are encouraged to use media such as YouTube to entertain and pacify students while passing them through to graduation. Like parts in a machine, these overworked teachers are replaced by younger, cheaper ones. Students graduate into a world in which they are wildly under-prepared to participate let alone prosper. The What-If, nightmare scenario of where this path might lead and the underlying dangers for society are realized in the world and characters of my graphic novel, OBSOLETE.

OP: How did you get your book published?

Kevin: As we shifted to screen learning during the pandemic, the relevance of what I wrote seemed increasingly important, so I was encouraged to publish OBSOLETE and share my story. Outskirts Press accepted my manuscript and has been incredibly supportive throughout this process.

OP: What types of readers would be interested in this story?

Kevin: Parents, teachers, and students (ages 15+) will benefit from reading this book and will connect with its important lessons and themes. People involved in school and education will connect with this and hopefully re-examine the effects technology has on education and their lives. For high school students and teachers, this book offers confirmation of many unspoken frustrations and fears they may have. The visual nature of this graphic novel creates avenues for reluctant readers to reach places of comprehension and introspection. Additionally, lovers of science fiction and/or dystopian fiction will enjoy this, as well, due to the major conflicts and tensions with technology in this book. Anyone who has attended (or is attending) High School will be interested in this graphic novel. There is some violence, so I wouldn’t want to give it to anyone under 15.

OP: What is special about your book?

Kevin: I spent the last decade working as a teacher and eventually an administrator in several NYC public schools. Slowly, but surely, I found myself experiencing what F. Scott Fitzgerald called “Emotional Bankruptcy.” It was emotionally draining, and I felt like I was continuously being forced to make ethical compromises for the sake of data. The stress of this time period was like nothing I had ever felt before. I started to reflect on the plight of the students and teachers around me. I needed a way to process these experiences. I also felt like there were a lot of sinister decisions made “behind the curtain” of which most people were oblivious. I’ve always written as a way to process and make sense of my own experiences, but my writing career has truly been a search for an appropriate medium. I’ve written stories, poems, novels, scripts, but this time I decided I’d experiment with a graphic novel. I love graphic novels, use them in my teaching, and found them influential in my own literacy development. So I began the 3-year process of learning to draw, and finally finished my graphic novel, OBSOLETE: A Teacher’s Tale (of tomorrow, today!). As we shifted to screen learning during the COVID pandemic, the relevance of what I wrote seemed increasingly important, so I was encouraged to publish OBSOLETE and share my story.

OP: What differentiates it from other books in the same category?

Kevin: As a teacher with over ten years of classroom experience, published author, and frequent media expert on themes involving technology and culture, my life has centered on pedagogy, analysis, and storytelling. I believe the characters and setting are unique among other science fiction books, dystopian fiction books, and graphic novels. The setting of the school is a location most readers will have intimate knowledge of and experience with, despite there not being many dystopian, science fiction stories that take place in school. The characters also are relatable due to their interactions with and dependency on technology like cellphones and computers. In a time of distance learning and increasing screen-time, many individuals (including teachers, students, and parents) are beginning to seriously contemplate the impact of technology in the classroom and on our lives. While technophobia is an emerging mood in fiction, OBSOLETE focuses heavily on these themes and moods in a way I believe has not yet been explored and discussed, prior.

OP: Have you published any other books?

Kevin: In 2009, at the age of 21, I published a short novel, Summer of the Fall.

OP: Do you plan to publish more?

Kevin: Absolutely! I currently teach English at a private high school in Westchester, NY, host a film discussion series on television, and use any remaining time to work on the next volume in the OBSOLETE series. In addition to all that, I’m hard at work, developing a new graphic novel, End of the World, where two college students must team-up with the Antichrist to prevent the Apocalypse.

OP: Thanks for your time, Kevin! We look forward to learning more about you as you visit other bloggers!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

In the spring of 2009, at the age of 21, Kevin published a short novel, Summer of the Fall, through Outskirts Press. He spent the next few summers editing a second, experimental novel, Not All Vampires Suck Blood and a screen play, titled End of the World. For ten years, Vachna was employed as a high school English teacher at a New York City public school in the Bronx. In 2012, Kevin completed an English Literature MA at Lehman College. In 2016, he received a Masters in School Administration. The completion of Kevin’s latest project OBSOLETE in 2019 came on the footsteps of his exit from the New York City Department of Education. Neither parties elected to comment on any meta-narrative connections between art and life. Currently, Kevin teaches English at a private high school in Westchester, New York and hosts a film discussion show on television.

Press play to watch the book video for OBSOLETE: A Teacher’s Tale (of tomorrow, today!)

For more information or to contact the author, visit https://www.outskirtspress.com/obsolete

This author purchased the Virtual Book Tour marketing option, which allows self-publishing authors to connect with bloggers and harness the power of the blogosphere by taking their book on the “virtual road.” Learn more about this service by visiting your Publishing Center and reviewing the available marketing options.

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Amazon Featured Book of the Week

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Leadership by the Letters: Stories, Thoughts, Approaches from a Leader

by Rodney Ratcliff

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Price: $24.95

Rodney Ratcliff’s “Leadership by the Letters: Stories, Thoughts, Approaches from a Leader.” Here’s your roadmap to successful leadership. Great leadership skills are only achieved by hard work, learning from mistakes, staying grounded, and persevering. This book lays out a long-term, sustainable framework for a successful leadership style to help you manage and motivate your staff to share your vision! An enjoyable and thought-provoking read, these leadership strategies will help you lead other individuals successfully!

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Please note that product prices and availability are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of this posting; however, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.com.© Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.

 

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Teachers Have 9 Lives: An Underground to Surface Exposure

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Hannah Hope’s “Teachers Have 9 Lives: An Underground to Surface Exposure” is a uniquely visionary book. While other books by educators focus on “super teachers” or how to be a better teacher, 9 Lives captures the intense battle taking place in our public schools for the future of America’s children. What was learned for more than twenty years of teaching in inner-city schools is brought to light and the behind-the-scenes plight of America’s teachers is exposed. Truly, this battle has a far-reaching impact on American society.

 

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Please note that product prices and availability are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of this posting; however, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.com.© Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.

 

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The Votes Are In! The Winner of Our 2019 “Show Us Your Love” Contest Is….

Each year, we at Outskirts Press are impressed — and overwhelmed — by your entries in our annual “Show Us Your Love” contest which celebrates Valentine’s Day and Self-Publishing. The level of interest we see affirms our dedication to providing a rich and varied range of self-publishing services to authors looking to take the next step toward publication … and it inspires us to outdo ourselves, year after year, in making your dreams a reality. Thank you, one and all, for the love you’ve shown. Your success is our success.

And without further ado, the first-place winner is … Peter Springer, author of They Call Me Mom.

In his video, Peter shares his positive experience publishing with Outskirts Press and some valuable book marketing advice. “One thing I’m finding throughout this process is you can’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”

Peter not only recorded a 10 minute video but submitted a selfie sporting his custom book t-shirt and displaying his promotional posters and bookmarks. For his efforts, Peter received the most votes and wins a brand new, HP Touch Screen Laptop Computer. Congratulations, Peter!

As an elementary teacher for thirty-one years in grades 2-6, Pete Springer has always been passionate about mentoring and supporting teachers. After spending a year in Cynthia Van Vleck’s classroom as her student teacher, he knew that he had discovered his true passion. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2006 and served as a master teacher to four student teachers of his own. He is married to another lifelong educator, Debbie, who was a preschool teacher and director. They are the proud parents of a son, Ryan, who is doing his teaching as a college football coach.

Who Will You Inspire Today?
Teachers face this challenge and responsibility each day, but in the process, the author discovers that his students can also have a profound influence on him. Pete Springer takes you on his memorable thirty-one-year journey in education as an elementary school teacher and offers the many valuable life and teaching lessons he learned along the way. Get ready to laugh out loud at some of the humorous and memorable experiences that all teachers face, feel inspired by the inherent goodness of children, and appreciate the importance of developing a sense of teamwork among the staff. Learn valuable tips for working with children, parents, fellow staff members, and administrators. This book is ideal for young teachers, but also a reminder to all educators of the importance and responsibility of being a role model.

 

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Classroom Boredom Busters

by Donna Malone

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Price: $14.95

Donna Malone’s “Classroom Boredom Busters” will spark student curiosity and increase student participation with classroom activities that won’t add to your busy workload. Teachers of all content and subject areas in grades four through twelve can make every lesson come alive and become more memorable.

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Please note that product prices and availability are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of this posting; however, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.com.© Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.

 

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Amazon Featured Book-of-the-Week

Here’s this week’s Featured Book-of-the-Week available now on Amazon.com!


Dr. Curly’s S.E.N.S.E.S. Workbooks for Youth & Young Adults

by Curlane Jones-Brown, M.D.

(5 Stars – 1 Customer Review)

Price: $64.95

Curlane Jones-Brown, M.D.’s “Dr. Curly’s S.E.N.S.E.S. Workbooks for Youth & Young Adults” contains important concepts and skills for youth and young adults to overcome adversity, turn your life around and prevent you from becoming yet another sad statistic. Dr. Curly identified six principles that she unwittingly used to survive an early life of poverty and powerlessness.

 

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Please note that product prices and availability are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of this posting; however, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.com.© Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.

 

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Amazon Featured Book-of-the-Week

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The Retention of First Year Black Male Students at Predominately White Private and Public Universities and Colleges

by Dr. Sandy Woodrow Yancy, Sr.

(5 Stars – 1 Customer Review)

Price: $23.95

This book provides evidence that the retention of first year black male students can be achieved based on the experiences of six students at a predominately white private university. This book explores recommendations for High school counselors and Universities administrators to consider for the education of black men in the United States.

 

 

Please note that product prices and availability are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of this posting; however, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.com.© Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.
 

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Amazon Featured Book-of-the-Week

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Learn English The American Way

by Okie Quillin

(4.5 Stars – 3 Customer Reviews)

Price: $49.95

Okie Quillin’s “Learn English The American Way.” This book is written for ESL students to help learn English faster and have ability to carry conversation the American way. It is a dictionary and a text book combined in a unique way. They are those most commonly used in every day conversation and then, arranged in alphabetical order. The main purpose of the book is to help you build vocabulary, understand the meanings and learn how to utilize them in a full sentence.

Please note that product prices and availability are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of this posting; however, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.com.© Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.

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Civil Rights Investigations Under the Workforce Investment Act and Other Title VI-Related Laws

by Seena K. Foster

Price: $59.95

Seena K. Foster’s “Civil Rights Investigations Under the Workforce Investment Act and Other Title VI-Related Laws.” Equal Opportunity is the Law. Whether you are a novice or expert, this book is truly an exceptional resource that takes you step-by-step through the investigative process.

Please note that product prices and availability are subject to change. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of this posting; however, they may differ from those you see when you visit Amazon.com.© Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Amazon, Amazon.com, the Amazon.com logo, and 1-Click are registered trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon.com, 410 Terry Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98109-5210.