Dear Indy,
Eight-year-old Chelsea Yeakey loves to read, so much so that her mother signed her up for a summer book club at Frederick Douglass Park.
But in this book club, the children like Chelsea are the authors. Tevin Studdard, a local musician and author, created Literacy Entrepreneurship and Dreams — called LEAD for short — to help children write and self-publish books from their ideas.
Now, 80 children who participated in the program have books listed for sale on Amazon.
That includes Chelsea, who wrote a book called “Exercise Time with Rosie” about having fun exercising with family and friends.
“This is my first time doing it, and I am really happy that my book is finished,” Chelsea told eastside reporter Darian Benson.
Read more here from Darian.
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In other news
- Butler University is hosting a free movie series starting Aug. 27 at Schrott Center for the Arts. Here’s what’s on the schedule.
- Purdue continues to shape its Indianapolis campus. The university’s board approved a $28-million, five-year lease for 159 apartments starting in 2026 in a massive new private development along Indiana Avenue and the Central Canal.
Today’s weather from WTHR
Miserably muggy again today with highs in the 90s and peak heat indices of 100°+. Potential of a quick burst of potentially strong storms this evening before less humid air arrives for Wednesday.
What’s going on around the city
- Friday, Aug. 9: From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, the Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., will host “Walk the Block,” a program centered around “redLINES,” a 426-foot quilt created by local artist Lashawnda Crowe Storm. Walk the Block will allow visitors to engage in conversations about the history of redlining in Indianapolis and its impact on neighbors and communities. The activation is included in the price of museum admission.
- Friday, Aug. 9: Starting at 5:30 p.m., the Indy Pride #TRANSGLAM panel and resource fair at 10 East Arts HUB, 3137 E. 10th St., will provide resources on transition support, mental health care, legal support and more. Free.
- Friday, Aug. 9: Local band Sarah Grain and the Billions of Stars will perform at 7 p.m. at the Indianapolis Propylaeum, 1410 N. Delaware St., as part of the Porch Concert Series. Doors open at 6 p.m. The show is free, but a donation of $15 per person is suggested.
— Breanna Cooper, arts and culture reporter
Looking for other things to do? Check out Mirror Indy’s events calendar.
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What else we’re reading today
- Indiana Capital Chronicle: Indiana’s living governors will participate in a keynote address at the 2024 Harvest Dinner at the Indiana State Fair. Gov. Eric Holcomb and former governors Mike Pence, Mitch Daniels and Evan Bayh will give their thoughts on leadership, their time as governor and their impact on the state.
- WTHR: A woman is facing charges after police say she failed to stop for a school bus in June on Washington Street near Irvington and hit a 13-year-old girl attempting to board.
- IndyStar: Columnist James Briggs says Indianapolis needs to install cameras to ticket reckless drivers, which probably seems like a reasonable position to anyone who’s driven around here the past several years. Briggs also points out a startling number: Indy only has 30 traffic cops.
Resources
Joy Barr has opened a community closet on the far east side called BarrCode5 open to families with children under 18 years old. Families can browse BarrCode5 privately to find new, donated items free of charge. The community closet is modeled after a fashion boutique.
“I wanted the children to feel like they’re actually at the mall shopping,” Barr told eastside reporter Darian Benson. “I didn’t want it to feel like they’re somewhere like a clothing closet behind a congregation or a shared space.”
BarrCode5 is located in suite H13 at Plaza Urbana, 3827 N. Mitthoeffer Road. For more information, call 317-699-7366 or email info@barrcode5closet.org. Appointments are made through referral only.
We have more resources on our website. Find them here.
Reflections
My 9-month-old daughter, Riley, has hit that baby puppy stage where she’s crawling all over the house trying to get into as much trouble as possible.
I can’t turn my back on her for a second or she’ll find some new and unique way to put herself in danger. She also just crawls onto and dives headfirst over anything in her way rather than going around.
So that’s been happening.
Chris
P.S. If you liked something about today’s newsletter, or didn’t, let me know at chris.sikich@mirrorindy.org. It helps us serve you better.
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