| Robert |
I’m Robert Jelenic, the Global Marketing Director at RWS Moravia, and I’ll be your host today on Globally Speaking. Today we’re speaking to Ann Friedman. She’s the founder and CEO of a Washington DC based museum called Planet Word. Her connection to literacy and language began with a lifelong love of reading, early work as a copyeditor and translator and a later career as a reading and writing teacher in the Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland’s Largest School District.
We’ll get into how she sees literacy and the barriers to literacy in the United States and how she rolled up her sleeves and is tackling them with an amazing team around her.
I also of course couldn’t help but ask her to walk us through some of the most brilliant exhibits at this amazing new museum and we’ll chat about ways you can enjoy Planet Word even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ann, welcome to Globally Speaking.
I was wondering if you could introduce yourself and Planet Word in a nutshell? |
| Ann |
I’m happy to. I’m happy to be here. I’m Ann Friedman, as you said, the founder of Planet Word, which is a museum of words and language in Washington DC. It’s a new kind of museum. We don’t have a collection of artifacts. We’re based on an idea, ideas about the power and beauty and fun of words. And the idea that we’re all curators, collectors of our words from the day we are born. There’s never been a museum of words and language and we think it’s about time that exists. And we approach the subject through experiences and you’re always doing something at Planet Word. You’re participating. |
| Robert |
And you opened your doors in October, if I’m not mistaken? |
| Ann |
Yes, our first day of operating was October 22nd. We had originally planned to open on May 31st but then when the pandemic hit, we really couldn’t have our museum designers and other subcontractors on the scene. It was too unsafe for their staff to be there. So, we demobilized and that caused a delay in our opening date. But we did feel that it was safe with the precautions we were taking to open on October 22nd and I also thought that it was important for a museum of words and language to be open before the elections in this campaign season when there had been a focus like never before on words and language and the words that the President used and candidates used. And so, we made that date and I’m really glad that we did. |
| Robert |
Yeah, an impressive feat, given a really difficult 2020. So, congrats. So, I was wondering if we could kind of dive into the mission of, you know, what drove you to launch this amazing place? The crisis of literacy in the US. And I was really curious if you had a view on that in terms of like… A, what’s really going on? And then, are there some root causes that you feel are contributing to? … I’m not sure if it’s a declining level of literacy, but certainly still a gap between where we are in 100%. I’ve been thinking about this myself recently. Is this sort of smartphones? Is it demographic shifts? I mean, there must be so many factors that play into it. But as a former teacher, I was wondering if you had a take on what is it that is keeping us or holding us back from extremely high levels of literacy that we’d like to see? |
| Ann |
Yes, I, think you’re right in one sense, that there are so many ways for us to entertain ourselves that pull our eyes off of books, for instance. And so, I think that reading, which I see as the foundation of a literate society that’s necessary for a strong democracy, has a harder task ahead of… You know, it’s harder to get people to read. And, and why that’s important is because what do we learn when we read widely? We learn critical analysis. We widen our vocabulary. We learn empathy. We learn how characters act. And we also learn about shared values and a shared heritage of stories and narratives that, you know, bind us together as a society and as a culture. And so, that’s what we’re losing by not reading as much as we used to.
And there’s evidence that that’s true. Data that, you know, young people don’t read a single book for pleasure in a year often. That, you know, newspapers and magazines are folding. Yes, there’s probably some case to be made that people are still reading. They’re just reading short, you know, posts and internet articles, but not the lengthy books that help you learn about motivation. |
| Robert |
I think it’s kind of maybe… So, in marketing, there’s this idea of making content snack-able. And I think maybe part, part of it is when everything becomes a snack, your whole diet consists of snacks. You know, you’re consuming a tweet and you’re consuming an Instagram photo and you’re constantly checking your messages. You’re probably reading quite a bit, but you’re not really doing meaningful deep reading. |
| Ann |
Exactly. |
| Robert |
Yeah. That’s interesting. And I was also intrigued by the sort of, the changing definition of literacy. I believe I read somewhere that it used to be the case in the US that sort of reading a moderately-sized sentence in English was considered literate. Whereas that definition has really been nuanced recently in more types of literacy, whether it’s pure reading or being able to balance a checkbook. Obviously, reading a single sentence in English is not sufficient to, to really thrive in today’s world. |
| Ann |
There’s functional literacy and that means being able to read a recipe or the label on medicine. And that’s a minimal level of literacy. But what I’m talking about is the deeper level of literacy, of a literate person who has a wide vocabulary, has understanding of motivation and it builds empathy for people who don’t look or sound like us. You read about them. You explore the world. That’s the kind of literacy that I’m talking about. But, yes, we refer nowadays to financial literacy and all sorts of literacies, which means being conversant in the topic, but it doesn’t really have anything to do with actual reading. |
| Robert |
I was really intrigued by the idea that a museum is an experience for kids where they’re going with their schools or they’re going with their parents. And especially parents, I did a lot of learning about literacy before our talk today and I read somewhere that actually the single biggest lever you can pull to address childhood illiteracy is educating the primary caregiver, which is typically the mother.
And I was really intrigued by the fact that the, like, the museum experience is actually built for kids to enjoy with their parents. |
| Ann |
Our idea is a little bit different. Planet Word is not a children’s museum. It was designed to appeal to 10- to 12-year-olds and we had that target audience in mind for a specific reason. That 10- to 12-year-olds are the age group when kids stop reading for pleasure and if we could do something to make books and reading an exciting alternative to all the other forms of entertainment that are pulling and, you know, working to get your attention, then we might have a shot at making reading sort of cool again. Also, 10- to 12-year-olds are capable of doing the kinds of thinking, of having empathy for others, the social and emotional development that we need to be active in our democracy, to care about others, to be tolerant. So, we chose that age range specifically when we designed the museum.
But it’s a museum for all ages and we want to renew and inspire a love of words, reading and language and books for all ages. So, we’ve been really excited in the few weeks we were open to see the wide range of visitors we attracted. And yes, it’s great when young kids come with their parents and explore together, but I think that adults can benefit just as much from a visit to Planet Word and understand or maybe discover for the first time how fun words can be, how powerful they can be. So, you’re right that it’s probably a good thing for kids and parents to attend together, but this is a museum that has a message and can have an impact on someone no matter what age. |
| Robert |
That’s almost what I was alluding to, in the sense that sparking fun for a kid to read is fantastic. When I reflected on the different factors that can be addressed in childhood illiteracy, I was really intrigued by the fact that helping parents directly and making Planet Word accessible and interesting for adults is as or almost maybe more important than specifically for the kids. |
| Ann |
You know, when I was a teacher, there was a time in the day called DEAR time: drop everything and read.
And you were all told, as a teacher, “Be sure that you’re sitting there reading too. Be a great role model.”
Because when children see adults reading, it sets a good example for them to follow. So, you’re right in that regard. |
| Robert |
So, Ann, I know you are a language learner yourself and I know that some of the exhibits, at least at Planet Word, are multilingual in nature. And a lot of our listeners today are from the language industry. They are either multilingual themselves and it’s probably on a lot of people’s mind. Maybe your take on multilingualism and literacy, how those two things interplay? |
| Ann |
One of our largest galleries is devoted to the diversity of the world’s spoken languages, probably over 6,000 of them. And we’ve chosen 28 languages to spotlight at Planet Word and two sign languages. So, what we’re trying to show with that gallery and those experiences is that languages are all unique. They all have really interesting characteristics. And the way English works, for instance, isn’t the way things have to be. We’re celebrating the vitality of language. We’re not afraid by the evolution of English, in particular.
We’re not frightened by the changes in our language. But we celebrate them. And just look at the innovation and the inventiveness that you see in song lyrics, in rap now. You know, all of these ways that people are playing with our language, we think are just great. And you’ll see them throughout Planet Word, in our poetry gallery, in our songwriting gallery, in our humor gallery. So that’s how multilingualism really fits into what we’re doing at Planet Word. We’re trying to send this message that there are lots of ways to talk, to organize a sentence. It doesn’t have to be subject, verb, object, you know? Really interesting characteristics of languages that we want to share with our visitors.
Maybe I’ll just give you one example. In the Spoken World Gallery, we have language ambassadors representing native speakers of all those 28 languages. One of them is Quechua and we bring out in mini-lessons that are participatory, the interesting traits of those languages. And in Quechua, one thing that we discovered and that we were sharing with visitors is that their concept of the future is that it’s behind you, because you can’t see the future. And similarly, the past is in front of you, because you’ve been there. You know what’s happened. And, you know, in English, obviously, the past is behind you and the future is ahead of you.
So, what we’re just trying to do is expose visitors to these different ways that a culture can treat a concept. It’s not right or wrong, better or worse, it’s just really cool and interesting. And we think people might enjoy learning about that. Thinking and challenging them, their assumptions that this is the way it is and this is the way it has to be. No, that’s not true. |
| Robert |
I can quite personally relate to that. I mean, I learned a second language when I was an adult and it really made me reflect on English, my native language. And I think if you can give people that sort of feeling to be able to reflect on the concepts and the constructs of other languages and how they’re affected by how just the language is formed and how some maybe concepts you don’t think about every day…
But, like, yeah, really sparking the joy of language and making it fun again. So that feels like really one of the key things of motivating people to improve literacy is to make it not a chore, but to make it something interesting. |
| Ann |
And I use the term mini-lesson, but I just want all your listeners to know that what’s happening in that gallery, in the Spoken World Gallery, is that it’s voice-activated. We have in the middle of the room, hanging from a 22-foot ceiling, a 12-foot diameter globe that is covered with 5,000 LEDs and they respond to your voice. So, surrounding this big sphere are 15 iPads and each one has at least two ambassadors who are voice-activated. You walk up to the iPad on a stand and you say, “Hello,” and you discover which country that ambassador on that iPad is coming from and you engage with them using voice recognition technology in the mini-lesson. And then, you actually respond to the ambassador. You try saying words and phrases in their language. And at the very end of the mini-lesson, the large globe lights up in a design that reflects the lesson that you just learned.
So, for instance, Hebrew. Our Hebrew ambassador is teaching a lesson about the glottal sound, ‘heh’. And one of the words that you’re, the visitor is encouraged to repeat is L’Chaim, you know, the toast to life that has that ‘heh’ sound in it. And when you do that, the globe lights up with two champagne glasses clinking, so you have this positive reinforcement for trying to say something in a foreign language. And that’s repeated in different ways for every single one of those 28 languages. And so, the globe is lighting up in different designs and sounds are appearing in front of you and so it is a very exciting way to get a little, you know, taste of a language. And we hope that you’ll enjoy that and be intrigued and go away and maybe sign up for language lessons. And who knows? You’ll at least have learned a little bit about another language. |
| Robert |
I’d love to see that. What, what’s going right now? Can people somehow be involved with Planet Word, given the current circumstances around COVID? |
| Ann |
Well, we quickly had to pivot to do a lot more programming, online, virtually. And, you know, that was never our intent. In fact, the reason we’re in a physical location in Washington is because I strongly believed that a museum of words and language should be in a place where people gathered and use their words with each other. So, that shifting to the virtual realm was difficult for me. You know, it was a whole new way to think about Planet Word. But, the good side of that is that we can have a global reach.
We can have audiences for our programs all over and one of our really successful programs has been virtual field trips. And our education coordinator has been offering lessons about words and language that are tied to our galleries to hundreds of school children already, just in the…you know, a couple of months. And so, there is demand out there from teachers and even teachers of English as a second language for adults who are interested in our virtual field trip about idioms and double meaning. So that’s one of the things we’re doing to sort of get beyond the walls while we have to be closed. |
| Robert |
And that’s all accessible at planetwordmuseum.org, is that right? |
| Ann |
Yes. |
| Robert |
Okay. I think I’m actually going to do that with my son sometime this week, because I want to get on there and experience this somehow. Sounds incredible. |
| Ann |
We also have programs. Last week we had a program that featured the poet, Naomi Shihab Nye and James Crews. And they talked about anthologizing poetry and, you know, Naomi wrote a poem about words for our opening on October 22nd. And it’s a beautiful poem about words, just perfect for our museum, but she also, for over one year, edited and curated the New York Times Sunday magazine poetry segment.
And so, it was interesting to learn about how she chose poems and what she was looking for. And so, we have programs about all different aspects of words and language, not just poetry, but humor and we’ll take you all over the world to meet different practitioners. And I think all of your listeners would enjoy looking into what we offer and then logging on. |
| Robert |
Well, I will be for sure, So, on the whole shift online that we see, COVID-related, what’s your feeling on how this pandemic is going to affect literacy? |
| Ann |
Well, for young children learning to read, it’s not a good thing. I’ve been a little bit heartened to see that there’s some statistics that kids are not losing as much in the language arts, as much progress as you might’ve expected. That they’re actually doing worse in math, based on test scores. But, as a former beginning reading and writing teacher, how someone could teach beginning readers without being right there with them, hands-on, is just beyond me. And of course, you know, it’s children of color and less-advantaged children without good access to the internet who are losing the most. And so, you know, we can have a generation of kids who really are losing out.
And if you don’t have books in your home and you’re relying on school libraries for reading material, you won’t have that, you know, if you’re not attending a physical school. So, this is, I think, probably a terrible time for literacy. Some people, I guess adults who already love reading, they’re home, they’re probably ordering books online and… or listening to audiobooks and maybe doing more reading, but it’s the young children, the beginning readers that I’m really worried about. |
| Robert |
Yeah, I really share that sentiment. My son has had to stay home from kindergarten a few times because of school closures and it’s just… you try your best to really read more to them and play with them and I can’t match what, you know, an educational institution can do.
I can imagine especially kids in disadvantaged situations fare much worse and that’s really worrying. |
| Ann |
Another feature of Planet Word is that we have supplemental interactive videos throughout the museum on topics that are interesting, such as branding and naming. And I think that your audience would especially be interested in that particular interactive experience because we talk about how choosing a name for a product has to be done with a great deal of care. That a name for a product, it might be perfect in one country, isn’t so great in another language or country. For instance, the laundry detergent that’s called Barf in Iran, which is Farsi for snow, wouldn’t go over so well in an English-speaking country. And, and so this interactive exhibit goes into all, all sorts of considerations that go into naming a product. But having to think about the linguistic aspect of it is something I thought your audience would be especially interested in. |
| Robert |
Is there any sort of online program related to that, or is that something we’ll have to wait to come to DC? |
| Ann |
Not yet, but we have… |
| Robert |
Okay, okay. Well, I vote for it, if that’s worth anything. I would love that. That sounds fascinating. So, tell us about the restaurant you’re planning? |
| Ann |
So originally, I thought we would run our own restaurant and I even trademarked the name Table & Contents. And there would be word play on the menu like “Synonym buns,” and “Pasta, present and future.” But it turns out, if you know about museum finances, which I didn’t because that wasn’t my area of expertise— |
| Robert |
I, I don’t, for the record. |
| Ann |
Running your own restaurant is very risky. And so, it’s much more usual and sort of profitable to lease your space out to an experienced restaurateur. |
| Robert |
Okay. |
| Ann |
So, we have signed a lease with Immigrant Food, which has one restaurant in Washington and it’s seeking to expand. And so, their second restaurant will be inside Planet Word. And they will continue… They’ll, you know, have total control over their menu. But our missions are very aligned. They’re sort of a social justice restaurant and their cuisine combines the foods of different immigrant groups to America. And so obviously that can easily be related to languages and different, you know, menu vocabulary. So, we think it’s a perfect restaurant to be inside Planet Word. |
| Robert |
Perfect. We’ll have to visit when we come to DC.
So Ann, on your website in the intro video, there’s this really amazing section with this exhibit outside; it looks like a tree. What can you tell us about that? That looks really stunning. |
| Ann |
I wanted visitors to have an experience with words and language before they even stepped foot inside the building. So, we commissioned a piece of art for our courtyard and that’s Speaking Willow. It was created by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, who is a Mexican-Canadian artist. And he proposed a Willow Tree that talks to you, that creates a babble of language from all around the world. It’s motion-activated, so when visitors enter the courtyard and they walk under the branches of this metal sculptural tree that’s about 14 feet high, they start to hear the sounds of 364 languages that he collected, that come out of the motion-activated speakers at the end of each branch.
And they also light up with little LED lights, so it’s twinkling and speaking while you walk under it. And if no one is walking under the tree, the speakers shift to bird song, so you’re hearing birds chirping in our courtyard, in the middle of Washington DC. |
| Robert |
Wow. |
| Ann |
And many, many different types of birds and not, not just one song. There are three and a half miles of cable that connect the tree speakers to computers on the lower level of Planet Word. The cables go through the trunk of the sculpture, down into our basement. And so, it’s a complex engineering feat, as well as just sort of awesome and beautiful and fun. You know, to wave your arms under the branches of the tree and, and hear different languages being spoken. We have samples of poems and songs and just people talking in their language. And it’s just fun and it represents the world, the spoken word and the experience you’re about to have when you go inside the doors of Planet Word. |
| Robert |
This is the tree in the video on your website, right? There’s like a really big video on the homepage. |
| Ann |
It is. You’ll get a good idea of what that experience is like by looking at that video at planetwordmuseum.org. |
| Robert |
That looks amazing. Yeah. Well, what can you tell us about the building that the museum occupies? I know it’s, it’s quite a special place historically. |
| Ann |
We are in the Franklin School, which is a National Historic Landmark Building, twice over. So, the first reason is because when the Franklin School was built in 1869, it was a co-ed public school, so that in and of itself was innovative. The architecture was innovative. It has high ceilings and very large tall windows, because the architect, Adolf Cluss, believed that a lot of light and air circulation enhanced education. And so, here we are, 150 years later and we know that that is actually true. The building is quite ornate inside and out with cast iron trim and… So, there were a lot of restrictions on restoring the building when I got the lease from the District of Columbia, which owned the building and still does, really, technically.
I got a 99-year lease for $10 a year in exchange for restoring the building. But I couldn’t just restore it any way I wanted. It had to adhere to these strict preservation requirements. And some of the features that had to be preserved were the large windows, the arches that are featured inside and out, the double grand staircases inside the building. Boys went up one side, girls went up another. The cast iron stair railings, those are all really beautiful features. So, people coming to Planet Word cannot just have fun with the exhibits, but they can also marvel at this amazing building, which was closed for a decade and just sort of left to deteriorate. And in fact, when I got the lease in 2017, it actually was raining inside the building.
There were floors rotting and black mold and lead paint flaking everywhere and pigeons flying in the attics. So, guano dripping over the rafters. All of that hazmat had to be cleaned up and abated before we could even begin the restoration work.
But the second reason that the Franklin School is a National Historic Landmark is because in 1880, Alexander Graham Bell sent a message using light waves from the rooftop. We’re not quite sure where, but somewhere on a roof in the school, he sent this message. And that is considered the first wireless communication in history. So, it’s not only a landmark in education and in architecture, but also in the history of telecommunications. It happened there and how perfect that Planet Word, that is a very high-tech museum, is located in this building that brings together education and technology. |
| Robert |
Yeah. I mean, really amazing feat you pulled off, with a very modest team and really dedicated people. So, hats off and I’m personally really looking forward to the day I can come to DC and, and come visit. Because it’s fascinating, it’s fun and the way you describe it’s really captivating, I have to say. So, how can our audience learn more? |
| Ann |
Definitely go to our website at planetwordmuseum.org and you can see our programs, you can have a virtual tour. There’s a short video that we created for our grand opening on October 22nd. |
| Robert |
Well, Ann, thank you very much for joining us on Globally Speaking. It was a pleasure to have you and to learn about what you’re up to and generally about literacy and how, how it connects to multilingualism. Thanks very much. |
| Ann |
You’re welcome. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. And I think your listeners are definitely our audience. So, I encourage them, as soon as they’re in Washington, to come visit. |
| Robert |
And in the meantime, online. |
| Ann |
And in the meantime, online, for sure. |
