Unfolding Stories: Anmarie Paul Takes the Helm at Behind the Book

November 19, 2024

Please join us in welcoming Anmarie as the Executive Director. For the past two years, Anmarie has served as Behind the Book's Director of Programs. During her time in this role, she has significantly improved the evaluation of the organization’s programs and has designed professional development focused on the importance of intrinsic motivation in addressing the literacy crisis in New York City. Anmarie's dedication and decades of experience in youth development and education programs have proven to be invaluable to Behind the Book. It is safe to say we are in good hands!

To better get to know Anmarie, we have decided to sit down with her for an interview to find out what she has brewing at Behind the Book and what she thinks makes Behind the Book so special.

A Conversation with Anmarie Paul, Behind the Book’s New Executive Director

What do you like most about your job? 

“I love the community I've joined. I’m in bookworm paradise.”

Where do you want to take BtB?  Any changes you would like to implement or practices you would like to keep at BtB?

“I have so much admiration for our work. I truly believe we should be sharing our approach with educators and youth development professionals everywhere. I’m taking us everywhere. We’re working with more schools, and more community-based organizations, training educators to meet young people’s psychological needs through practical autonomy-supportive, intrinsically motivating strategies and giving young people a platform to advocate for their human right to literacy, critical thinking, exploration, storytelling, sharing and the joy that we find in books. That’s a run-on sentence, but I don’t have one of our writing tutors here to help me out.” 

Do you have a favorite book, curriculum, or workshop held by BtB?

A few weeks after accepting the role of Director of Programs, I bragged to my friends that I was reading fiction on a regular basis again. And for work! There are more than a few Behind the Book stories that have gripped me in the last few years. 

“Answers in the Pages” by David Levithan, will make you weep

“Buzzing” by Samuel Sattin is a delightful affirming graphic novel

“I Wish You Knew” by Jackie Azua Kramer, is a beautiful and touching children’s book

What differentiates Behind the Book from other nonprofits? 

“Probably the most important difference is our impact. Students, teachers, and principals all agree that Behind the Book is an incredible organization, and we have the evaluation data to back it up. Which makes me think, that I’m proud of our integrity. We do what we say we will, and we live our values internally as well as externally.” 

Can you tell us a time when you were intrinsically motivated to do something? 

“I’m intrinsically motivated to dance. Nearly all the time. This morning it was while picking out today’s outfit.”

Where does your love of reading come from? And what is the last book you've read? 

“It’s from as far back as I can remember, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love stories. The first books I remember were a set of children's encyclopedias my parents had in our home in St. Thomas, where I lived until I was four or five. I only paid attention to one of the books, it was the volume on fairy tales. I read “Goldie Locks and the 3 Bears” over and over again, trying to figure out why she didn’t get in trouble for stealing from those poor bears. So maybe curiosity and moral outrage lead me to love reading. The last book I read was work research related: “Supporting Students’ Motivation" by Johnmarshall Reeve, Richard M. Ryan, Sung Hyeon Cheon, Lennia Matios, and Haya Kaplan. It’s a wonderful resource.”

What 3 words come to mind when you describe BtB? 

“Integrity. Liberation. Joy”