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9:19 p.m. June 20, 2015
Knox County Public Library invites community partners to join The Big Read in February 2016
KNOXVILLE — Friends of Knox County Public Library has been awarded a National Endowment of the Arts grant of $15,000, on behalf of Knox County Public Library, for The Big Read. In February 2016, the Library and its partners -- UT’s Clarence Brown Theatre, Great Schools Partnership’s Community Schools, Knoxville Area Urban League, UT College of Law, the Friends of the Library and the Friends of Literacy -- will host a community-wide reading initiative based on Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying. The primary purpose of The Big Read is to encourage reluctant and non-readers to explore a classic novel.
The month-long program will include book discussions, lectures, film screenings, and cultural interpretations of the story that offers a painful yet inspirational view of institutional injustice and personal redemption. It addresses the biggest theme possible — how one affirms life in the face of death. Clarence Brown Theatre will produce Gaines' critically acclaimed story on stage in March 2016.
The event is in the planning process. Community groups, churches, or other organizations are invited to join The Big Read. Participating groups may receive copies of the books, curriculum and materials for hosting programs, and promotional support. For more information, please contact Mary Pom Claiborne at (865) 215-8767 or mclaiborne@knoxlib.org.
This event is the fifth time The Big Read has been hosted in Knoxville since 2007. Previous Big Reads, held in conjunction with YWCA, explored To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Bless Me Ultima by Rudolpho Anaya, and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. Managed by Arts Midwest, this initiative offers grants to support innovative community reading programs designed around a single book.
Published June 20, 2015
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