Novel âTranscendent Kingdomâ chosen as UWâMadisonâs 2021-22 Go Big Read book For news media
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While recent Go Big Read books have been nonfiction, this yearâs selection for the campus common reading program, âTranscendent Kingdom,â uses a fictional story to explore the very real issues of race, immigration, science, faith and family.
Yaa Gyasiâs novel tells the story of Gifty, a graduate student in neuroscience and the only member of her Ghanaian family born in the United States, as she examines her familyâs experience of immigrating and her own place in the world.
âFiction has a unique ability to connect with us in a very personal way,â says Chancellor Rebecca Blank. âGiftyâs story is all about her struggle to establish her own identity. In this particular story, we can all identify with how we work to integrate our past experiences, family history and future dreams into a coherent sense of
PVMA partnering with libraries, businesses for National Endowment for the Arts Big Read
“Station Eleven”
ST. JOHN MANDEL
This spring, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with Arts Midwest, will launch with the exploration of the book “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel, a 2014 novel set in a dystopian post-pandemic world. Contributed Image
Published: 4/9/2021 2:42:39 PM
DEERFIELD After a multi-year hiatus, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA) is launching its seventh National Endowment for the Arts Big Read.
This spring, the program an initiative of the NEA in partnership with Arts Midwest will launch with the exploration of the book “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel, a 2014 novel set in a dystopian post-pandemic world.
As part of Big Read, Cushman Library hosting panel on stress, anxiety and depression
Name hereStaff File Photo/Paul Franz Name hereStaff File Photo/Paul Franz
Published: 4/9/2021 2:41:18 PM
BERNARDSTON Inspired in part by topics in this year’s National Endowment for the Arts Big Read, Cushman Library will host local health experts for a virtual panel discussion about coping with stress, anxiety and depression on April 13, at 7 p.m.
The Big Read, made possible locally by a grant awarded to the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (PVMA), involves a series of programs (mostly virtual) that explore the themes of the 2014 novel “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. PVMA is partnering with more than 40 libraries and businesses in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties for the Big Read.
Dormann Library incorporates humor in Big Read for stress
The Leader
The Dormann Library, 101 W. Morris St., Bath, is helping readers embrace humor to reduce stress together during the next Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club.
From April 5-19, readers can learn stress-managing techniques from psychologist and stand-up comedian Brian King’s “The Art of Taking it Easy” ebook from their public library. Dormann Library card holders can borrow the ebook without waiting by downloading the Libby app. Readers can then discuss online at biglibraryread.com/join-the-discussion.
“The Art of Taking it Easy” is a practical guide to embracing humor to reduce stress and live a happier, fuller life. Brian King got a degree in psychology before becoming a world-touring comic and the host of humor therapy seminars attended by more than 10,000 people each year.
Did you know that northeastern Illinois used to be a tropical swamp? Large animals often get a lot of attention, but fossilized plants can tell us lots about what the earth was like in the past. Join Illinois State Museum Curator of Geology Dr. Melissa Pardi for an exploration of the paleobotany collections from the Age of Coal, and learn what these specimens can tell us. This program is part of Big Read: Sangamon County sponsored by LLCC Academy of Lifelong Learning. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowments for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.