Friends School Partners with Charm City Books, Shananigans Toy Shop for Women's History Month Celebration Event

Charm City Books is partnering with Friends School of Baltimore and Shananigans Toy Shop to host a celebration of the "unbeatable determination" of renowned blind astronomer Dr. Wanda Díaz-Merced who, after going blind as a young woman, learned to hear the stars using sonification, which converts data into sounds. 

Díaz-Merced, a leading advocate for inclusive science, and her friend, author Amy S. Hansen, collaborated on a non-fiction picture book, Wanda Hears the Stars, to inspire children to follow their curiosity no matter the challenges.

Charm City Books, Friends, and Shananigans will host Hansen and her former colleague, Dr. Susan Breon, a scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, on Monday, March 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Zamioski Alumni Center (ZAC). Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets, which range from $25-$35 and include a copy of the book, are available on Charm City Books' website. Tickets can also be donated to Baltimore City public school students.

Additional Copies of Wanda Hears the Stars will be available for sale at the event. Shananigans will have a pop-up shop at the event featuring astronomy- and STEM-related toys, kits, and games.

For more information on Dr. Wanda Díaz-Merced, see her TED Talk. For more information about the event, see the event flyer.