National Endowment For The Arts Big Read: Wichita Kicks Off In January

Press release from City of Wichita:

December 2, 2020

The Wichita Public Library’s Big Read, originally scheduled for Oct. 1 - Nov. 15, 2020, will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 during a virtual “variety hour” kick off program available to watch on PBS Kansas channel 8 and online at
kpts.org.

“We decided to postpone and rework the format of this year’s Big Read because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,” said Julie Sherwood, Education and Engagement Manager for the Wichita Public Library. “The safety of our participants, staff and partners is important to us, but rest assured, we have lined up some great programs we think participants will enjoy.”

The virtual Big Read will feature many live and pre-recorded programs (available on Zoom and the Big Read’s YouTube channel), including: Mediterranean cooking demonstrations from K-State Research and Extension – Sedgwick County, small loom weaving from CityArts, keynotes about Greek mythology and a special mobile challenge on the Library’s Beanstack mobile app that asks participants to complete eight challenges to be eligible for prizes.

This year’s selection is Circe by Madeline Miller, a novel about the goddess Circe that takes readers on a journey into the world of gods, monsters and mortals.

The Wichita Public Library received a $15,000 to host the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read in Wichita. An Arts Endowment initiative in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, communities and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. This will be the 13th year of the Big Read in Wichita.

The virtual NEA Big Read: Wichita will run Jan. 9 - Feb. 21, 2021. Details about the NEA Big Read: Wichita are be available at www.bigreadwichita.org.

This press release was produced by City of Wichita. The views expressed here are the author’s own.