Family Circle: The RED Bookshelf

Superhero Academy with Khalel “Nightwing” Hamlin of The RED Bookshelf
Please note: This workshop is a part of The Egg’s free Open House event on the same day. 

A superhero themed event designed to encourage civic engagement and social responsibility. Every day heroes will help young people develop their alter egos and complete superhero activities. Every activity allows participants to develop their literacy skills while imagining just how powerful they can be. 

The RED (Read Each Day) Bookshelf is a non-profit community literacy program. Working with community partners, they provide free children’s books on bright red bookshelves throughout Albany. they repair gently used books and purchase specific titles to support diverse, educational programming and local authors.

They facilitate interactive, literacy based workshops that inspire young readers to connect with literacy in artistic ways. They do this to ensure that all children have access to the benefits of book ownership, regardless of income level and are inspired to read on their own. They allow young readers to choose their own books and motivate them to be the superheroes of their own stories. Since its beginning in 2009, The RED Bookshelf has distributed more than 160,000 books for children in Albany!

About Family Circle:

The Egg’s Family Circle is a monthly series designed especially for families to connect, create, and experience the arts together.

Held on the first Saturday of every month at 2PM in The Egg’s lobby, this free program offers a welcoming, informal environment where kids and caregivers alike can feel at home.

This isn’t a concert where kids have to sit quietly; each program is purposefully interactive, celebrating arts from around the globe with creatives who are based right here in the Capital Region.

The Egg’s Family Circle Series is supported by M&T Bank

About Khalel “Nightwing” Hamlin:

The influence of superheroes began at his birth, as his name was inspired by Superman’s Kryptonian name, “Kal-El.” Throughout his childhood, superheroism never left Hamlin’s view. It led him to careers where he could explore different passions while supporting others. He found that acting and film production was the path where these goals could coincide. 

Coming out of high school, he joined Youth Fx’s summer program, where he wrote and starred in his first film, “Pax”. His passion for film took off this summer, and he continues to make narrative projects with allegorical perspectives. 

Keeping to the comics, he always felt a connection to the characters with strong moral codes and the ability to inspire those around them. Hamlin works to be an effective support or a compassionate leader when a part of any project. When he met Paul “Batman” Collins-Hackett at 16, Hamlin decided to don the title of “Nightwing” in support of Batman’s community engagement efforts. 

Nightwing became a member of the T.I.T.A.N.S. (Tackling Issues Through Answers, Networks & Solutions) as a team lead, working with Batman to further outreach and community efforts. He’s been working with Batman at the RED Bookshelf since October of 2020 as Literacy Innovator, facilitating youth literacy programming in the Capital Region. He recently started as the Program Director, overseeing all programming of the RED Bookshelf. 

Nightwing also serves as Secretary of the Albany Fund for Education Board, where they provide grants and opportunities to education staff with creative projects for their students. He is a member of the Albany/Troy Lions Club Board, working to provide vision and hearing resources, as well as youth mentorship. Nightwing is a member of the Lincoln Park Alliance Board, focusing on community awareness and involvement in projects and opportunities for the South End of Albany. Nightwing is also the TITANS Executive Committee Chair and Team Lead, directing the mentorship and community outreach of the Teen TITANS and TITANS participants. He is the owner of Hamlin Visions, his photography and videography company, where his mission when capturing your media is to execute your vision exactly as you see it. 

Nightwing believes everyone is capable of being great in their own right. He works to support as many opportunities for this as possible, and always leaves with, “Be Great, as always!”