Title: Extending Storytime: Our Café Marguerite and Omega Psi Phi Epsilon Rho Partnership

By Read With Me MN

9/3/25

This spring and summer, Read With Me MN had the joy of an incredible partnership with Café Marguerite and the Epsilon Rho chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc for their monthly story times. Their vision began with a simple but powerful idea: creating space for children to see Black men reading aloud and modeling the joy of literacy. When one of the fraternity brothers reached out to me to see if I had any book recommendations for their children’s book club, I couldn’t help but reply, “Oh, DO I?!” That conversation quickly blossomed into a bigger collaboration. Together, we expanded the series to feature local authors, giving families the chance to hear stories directly from the voices behind the books. Thanks to Melissa, Café Marguerite’s owner, and the fraternity’s commitment, this seed of an idea has grown into something beautiful.

Over the spring and summer, we hosted four storytimes. One was rained out (womp womp!), but the rest were filled with joy, connection, and storytelling magic. Families, authors, and community members have shared how meaningful it’s been to gather, hear diverse stories, and see representation come alive. Because of the incredible response, we’re thrilled to announce that the story times are continuing into the fall season!

One of the most powerful parts of this series has not only been seeing the incredible local authors in action reading their books but watching Epsilon Rho’s fraternity brothers step into the role of reader and role model. Representation matters and seeing Black men joyfully reading to children sends a lasting message about the power of literacy, imagination, and community leadership. The storytimes are small and intimate, and that intimacy is incredibly special.

Thanks to generous donations, we’re now able to offer free books to the first five families who attend each storytime. Children don’t just leave with memories, they also take home stories to keep, share, and treasure. Thank you to our donors!

We are so grateful to Café Marguerite, Omega Psi Phi, our local authors, and everyone who has joined us this summer. What began as a simple question about book recommendations has grown into a partnership that celebrates community, representation, and the joy of reading. We can’t wait to keep reading together this fall. Please join us every third Saturday of the month. Follow Café Marguerite and Read With Me MN on social media to stay tuned for what author is being featured the following month and mark your calendars! We hope to see you at storytime soon!

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