Tree House Books, a non-profit literary center near Temple's main campus, has a mission to grow and sustain a community of readers, writers and thinkers in North Philadelphia. It was started by concerned neighborhood citizens who realized that the community was full of kids with few resources and is supported by Temple faculty and students. It offers programs to help students with writing and reading activities. At the center, eleven-year-old Kenny learned to focus his writing and to be more patient and persistent with homework assignments that once frustrated him.

This month Charles Fuller, the eminent Philadelphia playwright, published his novel, Snatch: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York. Nilgun Anadolu Okur, associate professor of African American studies at Temple, says Fuller's commitment to creating well-rounded characters is itself a political statement, since racism is perpetuated through stereotyping. "Fuller's career has been a struggle for the eradication of stereotypes," Anadolu Okur said. "He presents better, more complete and more realistic images of African Americans."