In FREE PERIOD, 8th grade besties Helen and Gracie decorate t-shirts, bake punny sweets, and crochet uteruses with their friends to advocate for maxi-pads in all school bathrooms for all students who menstruate. A major theme of the book is that advocacy doesn’t have to be fancy or formal; it can be fun, and we can use whatever we already love to do in life to create change. In this workshop, we’ll discuss these themes within FREE PERIOD as well as some fun examples of craftivism in history, how art can help people connect to issues beyond facts and figures, chat about how the young readers in attendance can tap into their own interests, and finally MAKE SOME ART to get their messages into the world! The first 15 registrants will receive a FREE copy of Ali's book, FREE PERIOD. Additional books will be for sale after the presentation. 

Funding for this program has been made possible by the Philadelphia Funder Collaborative for the Semiquincentennial.

About Ali

Ali Terese is a middle grade and YA author who writes funny and heartfelt stories including FREE PERIOD (Scholastic), VOTE FOR THE G.O.A.T. (Aladdin / Simon & Schuster), and THE NOTETAKER (Henry Holt 2028). Her work has been longlisted for the National Book Award, received starred reviews in School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, an Audiofile Magazine Earphones Award, a Kids’ Indie Next selection, and spots on the American Library Association’s RISE list, the Chicago Public Schools Battle of the Books, Texas Lone Star Reading List, Garden State Teen Book Award List, and DC Three Stars Book Award List. Visit Ali online for book bonuses, giveaways, and resources like discussion guides, recipes, and craftivism projects at aliterese.com.