September 23, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ArtsErie and Erie County to Kick-Off ‘The Big Read’ in Erie
ArtsErie partners with the Erie County Public Library and the Erie School District
to read and celebrate Ray Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451 throughout October 2009
ERIE, PA — ArtsErie will launch its Big Read program in celebration of Ray Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451 with a community kick-off on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the H.O. Hirt Auditorium in Blasco Library (160 East Front St., Erie). The Big Read–Erie is presented in partnership with the Erie County Public Library and the School District of the City of Erie.
The kick-off event will feature guest speaker John Repp, a writer and teacher, who will speak on “Banned Books Week.” Banned Books Week was created in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read.
“Fahrenheit 451 is important to students because it addresses fighting for a good cause—for the freedom to read,” says M. Holly Nowak, ArtsErie Arts in Education Program Manager, about why this book was selected.
Activities in Erie County will continue throughout October. To encourage community-wide participation in the project, ArtsErie, the Erie County Public Library and the School District of the City of Erie will offer a program of activities related to Fahrenheit 415, including book discussions, a film series, programs and lectures, a reader’s theater production, artist residencies and more.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Erie is one of 269 communities nationwide participating in The Big Read from September 2009–June 2010. To date, the NEA has funded more than 800 Big Read programs in the nation’s towns and cities.
For a full calendar of events for The Big Read–Erie, click here or visit www.onebookerie.org.
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