Dr. Deborah Vriend Van Duinen is a scholar, teacher educator and literacy researcher. A former high school English teacher, she now enjoys working with preservice teachers as an associate professor of English Education at Hope College in Holland, MI.

 

Deborah's research interests focus on adolescent literacy, young adult literature, and preservice teacher education. She presents regularly at national and state conferences and her scholarly writing has been published in English Journal and Voices From the Middle. She received the Michigan Reading Association Individual Literacy award in 2016.

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Deborah also founded the Big Read Holland, a National Endowment of the Arts program, in Holland, MI. The program's focus has been on "creating and fostering a culture where reading matters." To date, the program is in it's fifth year and is currently partnering with seven high schools and numerous community organizations.