Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental

Welcome to Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental.

I'm your host, Dr. Erin Bailey.

This podcast celebrates the power of books and the joy of reading.

In each episode, we talk with educators, librarians, families, authors, and literacy champions to explore one big question: What does reading inspire for you?

Through stories, research, and real-world experiences from classrooms, libraries, and homes, we explore what literacy looks like and why it matters.

Whether you're nurturing young readers, shaping learning spaces, or simply love a good book, we're glad you're here.

Be sure to subscribe to get the latest episode.

Let's get inspired.

Erin Bailey: Today I am sitting down with Mrs. Abby Quammen Conrad , who you'll all recognize as the former Miss New York in 2024.

Abby has a long-standing passion for children's literacy, and she's worked with Rift in the past, hosting our Rally to Read event in New York City.

Welcome, Abby.

Abby Quammen Conrad: Thank you so much for having me, Erin.

I'm so excited to be here

Erin Bailey: So to start, we'd love if you would tell us a little bit about yourself because most people know you as Miss New York, but your passion for children's literacy started long before the crown.

What brought you to that?

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah, absolutely.

Well, first of all, yes, I am a former Miss New York.

That's just one little notch in my belt.

I love to say that I am a lifelong learner.

I love to read.

It's always been the most exciting place for me is within a book, but also the most calming place.

So the dichotomy of that is, has had such an anchor in my life.

But I first really discovered my passion for literacy when I was a child.

My parents read to me every single night from before I could even remember.

They read to my older sister every single night, so we would have story times together, and that was such… Honestly, I would have to say that was probably my favorite part of the day growing up.

Through high school we would read together or even just share stories from the day.

I would read articles that I'd read in school.

So literature in and of itself is such a cornerstone in my family.

But really the turning point for me when I realized literacy and, and reading in general was such a huge part of my life was when I was 12 years old, we lost our home.

And that was, you know, a time in my life where things had shaken up a little bit to say the least.

And at 12 years old, I was so used to consistency, the same routine, the same place I was sleeping every single night.

And in the blink of an eye, that changed.

And the one consistency in my life, besides my incredible parents and my sister, they were always there, and I am so blessed to have the family that I have.

But besides that, the one tangible consistency was books.

And I had a pile of books that came with me everywhere, all my favorites.

But my number one favorite is Little Women.

And specifically, I love the character of Jo, and I always related to her and how she stepped outside of the bounds of the life that was created for her.

And during, during that period of inconsistency in my life at just 12 years old, a 6th grader in middle school, and I had to change schools, and I ended up being homeschooled and, and things were always changing.

But I was always testing the boundaries of my life during that point in time.

And, and so I would have to say that's definitely where my passion for literacy blossomed.

And then from there on out, I can't even tell you an exact moment where I decided that I was going to make this one of my life's missions.

But from there on out, I, I can't remember a day where books, reading, literacy, championing childhood literacy hasn't been a part of my life

Erin Bailey: It's such an incredible story, and thank you for sharing that with me and with our listeners.

I mean, I think I hear a lot on Reading Inspires about how books open doors and takes you places, but I love the way you phrased it as books also h- help create consistency.

It's like the one constant that you had, and the visual of the pile of books that you were able to take with you, even if you were moving around houses.

And moving, I, I wanna say, like, adolescence is just a time of movement in, in general.

A lot of things are changing.

Middle school are such complicated years to begin with.

So I love that books were consistent for you.

Can you share a little bit about how this… your experience with resilience, how that influenced your Read Lead Succeed initiative?

Maybe start, what is Read Lead Succeed, and how did your life experiences help shape that?

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah, absolutely.

Well for starters, books really became my refuge and books were, gave me a place that I could go that no one could take from me.

And so kind of skipping forward to Read Lead Succeed, I have been a part of the Miss America organization since I was 14 years old.

I'm now a coach and I run my own coaching and mentoring business because it played such a huge role in my life in, in creating Who I am today.

Zation, you have to have a community service initiative.

It used to be called a platform.

And it's something that you are passionate about that is one of your missions in life a cause that you care about.

It can be anything under the sun.

And so for me, when I started competing, there was no question that literacy was going to be my community service initiative.

It just had to be.

And so that's where Read Lead Succeed really began.

And honestly, when I, when I think of Read Lead Succeed, and the title kind of transformed over time because I realized that Read Lead Succeed is the order that everything actually happened for me.

Reading gave me the tools to lead my own life, and that's what built everything after it.

Miss New York, I'm an MBA candidate at NYU.

And I would not be able to do those things if I hadn't had the skills that literacy gifted me.

And from, from the moment I created the community service initiative, I wasn't sure what that was going to look like, but it blossomed into more than I could have ever imagined.

I run book drives across the country, I guess, because I've, I've moved to three different states within my life and I've… That's been a constant in my life.

I started an after school program at Title I public schools in New York City, specifically in the Bronx, and those have been running since the fall of 2023.

And on average we've seen a 28% jump in third grade attendance.

Again, it's kids are showing up excited to read, and they're finding belonging in reading.

And I think the key that I have really discovered there through my own story, but also just watching so many kids over the past, I guess, like 14 years of me having this initiative is that it's not that kids don't want to read.

They may think they don't want to read, but it's they're not being given materials that excite them

Erin Bailey: Mm-hmm.

Abby Quammen Conrad: And of course, there are always going to be books that you have to read in school that maybe don't pique your
interest, but having something to balance that out that is just so cool to you that you can't peel your eyes away from, that's so fun.

And these kids have found that reading can be fun, and it can be something they do with their friends, and it can be something they bond over or make silly games out of.

And so I think I've, I've probably reached upwards of 20,000 kids K through 12 at this point in my life.

I've tutored one-on-one.

I've tutored I think about 20 kids one-on-one.

Thousands of books donated nationwide, the after-school programs, and that, that honestly is something that I don't think I could have ever
imagined would have come from me just starting this initiative at 14 years old because I wanted to be a part of the Miss America organization.

But I think that's also the beauty of organizations like Miss America and how they champion education and pushing yourself towards a better future, no matter what that looks like for you.

And that better future, for me, is literacy, and I think or I know that better future for children across America, across the world is literacy as well.

Erin Bailey: It's really incredible.

I'm gonna share this statistic for our listeners.

Through your efforts, you've put more than 10,000 books into the hands of children to create literacy-rich opportunities for students.

I, I can't think of something … o- o- of a bigger accomplishment, you know, for a young person.

So thank you for the work that, that you've done.

It's, it's truly incredible.

But then you also shared, you've also tut- … You work directly with children.

It's not just getting them books, it's working with them.

You've tutored around 20 students that you just shared.

Can you share what you've learned from working directly with young readers, and what maybe surprised you the most, and what inspired you the most?

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah.

Well, something that I've definitely learned is that it, it really just takes one positive adult connection to change a child's whole path, and sometimes it just takes someone new to shake up their routine.

I have worked with so many in- incredibly bright kids who just didn't know that they had the skills, the ability the education to dig into a piece of material like a children's book and fully understand it and comprehend it
until they had someone new there recognizing their worth and championing them and empowering them to work hard, do their homework after school, but also remain focused when they're working on a piece of work with an individual.

And there is actually, there's a student that I would love to discuss who comes to mind, and her name is Sophia.

And she was one of the first students I ever tutored, and is the reason why I continue to work with kids one-on-one because it was just so inspiring to work with her.

But she was very quiet and very shy, and her teachers told me that sh- she didn't really interact a ton with the kids in her class.

She had one or two friends that were, like, her comfort friends, and we all have that in school, our, our comfort people.

But outside of that, she was very quiet and she never spoke up in class.

And every time they would go around the room and do popcorn reading, I'm sure your kids probably do that in school or you remember doing that in school.

I know I do, and you, you have that feeling when it gets to you, like, "Okay, it's my turn," and your heart kind of drops to your stomach and you get nervous.

And they were telling me that every time they popcorn read and it gets to Sophia, she just can't form the words.

And so I started working with her one-on-one and came to find out that she couldn't read.

She could… You know, she knew letters and pronunciation of, of certain vowels, but she couldn't string together a full sentence, and she was in the third grade.

And she was in such an overly populated classroom that I can't help but think that part of that was probably that she just wasn't getting the one-on-one attention that she needed.

And of course, I never know what a student's home life looks like, but I do know that my parents really instilled in me how important it was to read and make that a part of my routine.

And some kids unfortunately just don't have that, and I don't think she had someone in her life to help her hone in on those skills and point-blank learn to read.

And so we would sit down with each other twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, and we slowly worked through children's books together.

By the end of the year, she was reading almost at grade level.

She was incredibly smart and very bright.

She just didn't know where to start and she didn't have someone- To be by her side and cheer her on and really give her the attention that she needed and the attention that she deserved, quite frankly.

And now she is in college.

She, I think she's going into her junior year it would be at this

Erin Bailey: Wow

Abby Quammen Conrad: and she has an English degree

Erin Bailey: Oh my gosh.

That is a full circle moment if I have not heard one.

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah, so that, I mean, that's, that's probably my favorite story, and it's so inspiring because I think it's also just a message of when you put your mind to something and you work hard, great outcomes can come from it.

Extraordinary outcomes can come from it, and it just takes one person.

And I'm not saying that I am the reason she is where she is today.

I'm just saying she impacted me in so many incredible ways, and is the reason why I continued to tutor children because, I mean, just watching her flourish in the way she did was really, really, really special

Erin Bailey: And I think that y- you're right.

It does come down to an adult that the child could trust, and it doesn't always have to be a teacher.

I mean, the classroom setting kind of that you're describing, and I don't know the teachers, but they clearly had other obstacles that they needed to overcome and weren't able to reach that student.

And kind of even the fact that they must not have even realized the d- extent to which she struggled with reading before she came to you, and sometimes it does just take that one person to open that door for you and start you on your reading journey, you know?

Abby Quammen Conrad: Absolutely.

I completely agree

Erin Bailey: So many families worry about helping their children become confident readers.

The story that you

just shared illustrates that a lot, especially when reading doesn't come easy to them.

What advice would you give to families about how to build a love of reading at home?

I mean, maybe even like what did your family do to help you grow in your love of reading at home?

'Cause clearly they did that for you.

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, there are five things that I have always spoken about on the issues of a parent or a caregiver dealing with a reluctant reader.

And something else that I like to point out here is you don't have to be a perfect reader to raise one, you just have to show up.

And so those five things are read aloud.

Like I said, my parents read aloud to me every single night one chapter, a few pages one book a day, even to kids who already read.

I mean, I think the stat is one picture book a day is more than 78, 79,000 words a

Erin Bailey: It is, yeah

Abby Quammen Conrad: And kid from book-rich homes hear about 1.4 million more words before kindergarten than kids who aren't read to, which is also an insane stat.

So even one book moves the needle.

Always let kids reread their favorite books.

I mean, my parents probably read Ella Enchanted to me more times than they would have liked to, but it was what I loved to hear.

And then it, it got to the point where I was reciting it and we had to move on.

But you know, kids wanting to hear the same story over and over again isn't stubbornness, it's just how the vocabulary sticks.

Letting kids choose what they want to read whether it be comics… I've worked with so many kids who just love comics.

Graphic novels.

Graphic novels are great.

I mean, even the back of a shampoo bottle.

I mean, interest beats reading level every single time for me.

So any book, yeah, any book, any piece of literature a kid loves is, is the right one.

And then actually talking about the story out loud, that's where the comprehension of it all comes in.

And in, in the afterschool reading programs that I run, it was really interesting for me to see when I first started them, how many kids had not sat down and just talked about what they had just read before in a casual conversation with their friends.

And it's like light bulbs going on when they talk about what is the conflict what was learned at the end of the story.

Those little things make such a huge difference.

And then taking the pressure off, because the reluctance is usually about fun or confidence, and not actual ability.

So it has to be made something that is inviting, and warm, and cozy, and not a chore like a piece of homework

Erin Bailey: Yeah, I, I agree with all of those.

Those are wonderful tips that I hope everyone will learn from.

I mean, yeah, I couldn't agree more.

So as Miss New York, you've had a unique platform to champion literacy across schools and community.

What role do you think community leaders, businesses, organizations can play in ensuring children have access to books and, to your point, have positive experiences reading?

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah, I mean, every adult and every business in a community can be the one connection for a child.

And something that sounds cheesy, but I have always said it and I continue to say it, especially to the women that I work with today, you don't need a crown to do it.

You don't need a crown to make a difference.

And when it comes to community leaders and businesses and local organizations, something that we have to remember is that schools cannot do this alone.

Literacy is a community project.

It's a bipartisan, a non-partisan issue, quite frankly.

But it is an economic one.

And I mean, people see it as charity.

It isn't charity, it is economics.

Low adult literacy could be costing the United States up to $2.2 trillion a year, and about 10% of GDP, and getting every adult to a sixth grade reading level would generate that, which is quite an alarming statistic when you think about it.

And I think it's something that we need to remind ourselves of, because I think we forget how privileged we are that we have the ability to read

Erin Bailey: Mm-hmm.

Abby Quammen Conrad: And investing in a child's reading today is ultimately investing in the workforce and the economy tomorrow.

And, you know, funding book drives so kids can own books and not just borrow them, sponsoring little free libraries.

Adopt-a-school partnerships are so great, where a community or a small business can adopt a school and give them all the supplies they need to thrive for that year.

Or maybe it's just the third grade classroom, since that's one of the most pivotal points in a child's education.

Y- you know, giving employees paid hours to be reading buddies, I think that is so incredible, and I have worked for organizations that do this, and it makes a world of difference.

Like I said, going back to sometimes it just takes a new adult in a kid's life to encourage them and make them wanna do something.

But also just keeping libraries strong as neighborhood anchors.

We don't go to the library as much anymore.

We don't go as often as we should.

I, I think I could probably count on one hand how many of my friends have a library card, and that will trickle down to their kids.

And I remember going to my grandmother's house in the summers and walking down the street to the library because she quite literally lived on the same street as the local library.

And now my parents live in that house, and seeing kids walk into that library kind of brings back those feelings of, for me, of the warmth and the adventure that existed within that space.

So we need to keep funding our libraries.

And- You know, I, I ran something called Book Buddies with Reading Partners New York, and I think this is a, a great example of involving community leaders and businesses and organizations.

Because social media is such a huge… I mean, it's a huge thing to put it plainly.

It, it is at the root of everything we do these days.

And so Book Buddies is a social media challenge in which I partnered with a local organization, Reading Partners, and we partnered with Title One public schools across New York.

And we would assign buddies to kids, and they would pick a book together, and then they would comprehend the book together by telling their favorite stories from the book or what they learned.

And with permission from their parents, they would be recorded and posted on social media.

And then that started a chain reaction of kids seeing their friends on TikTok or Instagram Reels and wanting to do the same.

Erin Bailey: So fun.

Abby Quammen Conrad: yeah, it was so fun and it was so cute, too, s- seeing the wheels turn in these kids' heads and what stuck for them from each story they chose to read.

I mean, I was hearing of children's books I had never heard of in my life, and then adding them to my personal library, so that was also really cool and fun.

But they were all based on their unique interests, and I think that's why it was so exciting for them.

But yeah, I mean, circling back, it, it really does take every adult and every business in a community to keep literacy thriving, keep our libraries open put resources and materials in the hands of our kids.

I could talk about this forever and ever and ever and ever, and we may need to set up another time to talk about it, because I have so much I could say.

But at the end of the day, literacy is a nonpartisan issue, and we all need to remember that.

Erin Bailey: I could not agree more.

I, I mean, I can feel your passion.

I share your passion.

I am known as a children's literacy advocate and expert, but at the heart of it, you know, to add to the statistics that you shared, approximately 21% of the adults in the US are functionally illiterate.

I do not want to live in an illiterate society.

And if you know an adult who is part of that statistic or if you yourself are part of that s- statistic, it's not your fault.

We have failed you as a community.

Like, you have not failed.

We have failed you.

And I think that's, to your point, Abby, of this is a community effort

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah.

I mean, I can't think of a better call to action than that

Erin Bailey: Reading and you shared you know, the power of books.

I love that social media challenge.

That, I mean, that's truly what we mean when we say meeting kids where they're at.

It's bringing the social elements, the social media elements, the new books that they got exposure to.

Ch- the best thing about children's literature is that it keeps expanding and expanding.

There are the c- timeless classics that we always return back to, but then every year there are new books that are produced, so that's why social media is a great way to share about that.

If you could recommend one children's book that every family should read together and one book that has had the biggest impact on your life, what would that be and why?

Abby Quammen Conrad: Well, I shared the book that has the biggest impact on my life was Little Women.

I think that is a great story for girls to read specifically because it really does just teach you that you can step outside the bounds that have been created for you within
your own life and go after your dreams, even if they do seem like the non-traditional path that your parents or the society that you were growing up within have paved for you.

But oh, the book that I think all parents should read is Diary of a Worm.

Have you read

Erin Bailey: Oh, yeah.

Abby Quammen Conrad: I love it.

Okay.

Diary of a Worm, I think it's, it's by Doreen Cronin.

Erin Bailey: Yep

Abby Quammen Conrad: Also the author of Click Clack Moo, which I loved.

But it's, it's hilarious.

I always get laughs out of kids when we read that together, and it keeps them engaged.

But it also at the end of the day, teaches the, the gentle story.

I mean, it like sneaks it in very gently that everyone is different, and that's okay, through the eyes of a worm, mind you.

And I think that's such a great message that just never goes out of style because we are all different.

We're all different.

We may have similarities or we may have no similarities at all, but we all deserve kindness and respect, and that is a message that children and adults alike need to be reminded of, I think on a daily basis, especially in the world of social media.

But that book is also special for me because I remember we had a book fair, which I love the Scholastic book fair.

I wish that we had an adult version of it.

But we had a book fair at my elementary school, and the illustrator of Diary of a Worm came.

Erin Bailey: Oh, wow.

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah.

And so I have a copy of it with his signature, and he wrote, "Dream big," the cla- classic message to share with a child.

But that stuck with me, and I remember locating it in my shelves when I started visiting classrooms as a title holder, and then it just never left my side every classroom I visited.

Just as Abby, I've always had it too, and it is, it is a hit every time

Erin Bailey: Oh, I love it.

And you know, I- we at Reading is Fundamental, we bring a lot of authors and illustrators to our events.

We know about the importance of children seeing authors and illustrators.

It gives them the ability to see that as a aspiration for themselves, that they could be a writer, they could be an illustrator.

But the fact that now I've spoken to a grown adult who has als- who has had that experience as a child and carried it with them I think that brings even more power to some of the work that we do with our authors and illustrators.

So thank you

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yes, of course.

I, I forget just how much I love that book until I get the chance to speak about it.

Now I need to just go sit on my couch and read it

Erin Bailey: Yeah.

So I always end the show by asking this very challenging question, which I know you've highlighted throughout our conversation today, but what does reading inspire for you?

Abby Quammen Conrad: Reading inspires possibility for me.

Going back to the story I told at the beginning of the episode, when I was 12 years old, it was the first thing that showed me a different future actually existed, and it was one that I could shape.

I had the ability to shape my future.

I had the ability to follow my dreams, and the possibility of me following my dreams, and going for the gold, and reaching for the distance, and stepping outside of the bounds, like I've said was a future that I could create, and I had the ability to create.

And it really inspired a way out, and then it inspired a way up.

And I've gained so much freedom just from the words in a book.

when I couldn't change my circumstances, in which there have been many times in my life where I couldn't change my circumstances, a book has let me imagine past them.

And then, when I had the chance, handed me the tools to completely change them.

So literacy is so much more than just words on a page.

It truly is a path to empowerment, and that, you know, that has always been my goal, to show every kid in New York, Alabama, Kentucky, any state I've lived in, and really across the country to feel that.

And to remember, which is something that I always had to remind myself, and I still have to remind myself as an MBA student, that reading is not just homework, but it is a door to your future

Erin Bailey: I'm sure especially now as an MBA student, it feels like homework and a door at the same time, right?

Abby Quammen Conrad: Yeah, it is simultaneously the same thing

Erin Bailey: I love it.

Thank you so much, Abby.

I mean, that kind of acknowledgement that you can't always change your circumstances, but reading provides you the opportunity to see beyond the circumstances that you're in, to imagine a possibility, and then when there is an opportunity, to seize the moment.

Abby Quammen Conrad: Exactly.

Exactly.

Moment.

I'm a musical theater nerd, so Seize the Day, Newsies is always something I think about.

But yeah, seize the moment

Erin Bailey: Incredible.

Thank you, Abby, for joining us.

And for those of you listening, if something resonated with you or you wanna share this episode with somebody in your life, please do

Abby Quammen Conrad: Thanks, Erin

Thank you for listening to Reading Inspires by Reading Is Fundamental.

I hope today's conversation sparked new ideas, meaningful connections, and a renewed love of reading.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, share it with a fellow literacy champion, and join us next time as we continue exploring what reading inspires