The
Columbia College Chicago Library is a three time grant recipient of The Big
Read, a nationwide reading initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for
the Arts designed to "revitalize the role of literature in American
culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.”
Grants are awarded based on the quality of the application as well as the
ability to carry out programming that will draw audiences of readers and
(especially) non-readers alike and increase readership through book discussions
and dialogue. In 2009, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury was
the featured book, and in 2011, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.
For the third Big Read application, Library staff chose to focus on a writer of
color from the collection of titles supported by The Big Read. Columbia College
Chicago was fortunate to be one of 78 applicants granted funding through The
Big Read for the 2012-2013 program cycle. In the Time of the
Butterflies by Julia Alvarez was chosen as the featured selection for
spring 2013.
In
the Time of the Butterflies
is a fictional account influenced by the real lives of the four Mirabal sisters
who grew up in the Dominican Republic and were involved in the rebellion
against Rafael Trujillo in the 1930’s. Three of the four sisters - Minerva,
Patria and Maria Teresa - were murdered on November 25, 1960 as a result of
their political activism against the Trujillo dictatorship. The surviving
sister, Dede Mirabal, remained in the Dominican Republic keeping the story of
her sisters alive through the Museo de las Hermanas Mirabal, a museum
featuring photographs and artifacts from her sisters’ lives, as well as having
written a book about them, Vivas en su jardín (Vintage Espanol, 2009).
The Big
Read 2013 at Columbia College Chicago will feature a Kick-Off program,
featuring HHSS/Cultural Studies faculty member, Carmelo Esterrich, who will
provide a brief introduction to the history of the Dominican Republic and the
role of the Mirabal sisters within the context of the time in which they lived
and died. Throughout April and May 2013, there will be programming both
on and off campus, including film screenings, book discussion groups, panel
discussions, lectures and an art exhibition. Free copies of In
the Time of the Butterflies will be available at each program and limited
copies available at the Library. We will close our Big Read with a live
Skype program featuring Julia Alvarez in early May. More information will
be available in early spring about The Big Read 2013 at Columbia College
Chicago on our website, www.colum.edu/thebigread,
beginning February 2013.
Collaboration
is a key component of The Big Read and central to the success of programming to
Chicago area residents. Our collaborations vary widely and will include
partners within the college and external partners including the Dominican
American Midwest Association, Chicago Public Schools and literacy programs
including Literacy Chicago, 826 Chi, and Literacy Volunteers of Illinois. We
will be focusing on targeted neighborhoods in the Chicago area including
Humboldt Park, Little Village, Pilsen and Back of the Yards. Our partners
also include a number of suburban public libraries such as Cicero Public
Library as well as those in Berwyn, Calumet City, River Forest, North Riverside
and East Chicago, IN.
The
Columbia College Chicago Library is seeking volunteers to help with The Big
Read. If you would like to partner, please contact Kim Hale, Head of
Library Marketing, Outreach and Special Initiatives at khale@colum.edu or 312.369.7355. For
more information about The Big Read, please visit http://neabigread.org.
