THE BIG READ

The Big Read is a nationwide initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. A primary goal of the Big Read is to get as many people as possible in a given community — including lapsed and/or reluctant readers — reading and talking about the same book at the same time.

From April 4 through May 5, 2008, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation, in partnership with Pitkin County Library, is spearheading a Roaring Fork Valley chapter of the Big Read. The book in this case is a classic coming-of-age story, Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya. This 1972 groundbreaking Chicano novel is an ideal selection for the Valley’s diverse cultural demographic. Published in both English and Spanish, the book offers vast opportunities for promoting cross-cultural dialogue and understanding.

The Roaring Fork Valley’s Big Read will also be accompanied by the Little Read, a companion program based on Anaya’s bilingual children’s books, making the program’s target audience virtually every resident from Aspen to Glenwood Springs.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.

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