The NEA "Big Read" As a Sign of Literary and Civic Hope

     This past September 26th -29th, my wife Tina and I were in Helena, MT.  I had been invited to be part of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Big Read.  Beyond the extraordinary enjoyment of creation, we both were encouraged at the high level of literary and civic engagement found in this city.  We interacted with several hundred people in various settings including small public libraries, a few school libraries, and the main Lewis and Clark library  branch.  
     The people were most engaging and highly enthusiastic.  Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 was the book that approximately 3000 people were reading and discussing over a month long period.  There were all sorts of events planned for the month including community led discussions, art exhibits, new works of poetry and other creative ways of encountering this modern masterpiece.  
     While I hope that I encouraged many to rethink the meaning of this literary work, my wife and I also were reminded what happens when the right people are in the right place at the right time and are all striving for excellence.  The staff were fantastic and the ethos that they put into place was stunning.  All over the library there were signs and symbols highlighting The Big Read.  My favorite is of the picture on this blog.  Within the library there was a large doll house display, and as we got closer and admired the beauty and detail of the doll house, we discovered that even the inhabitants of this little world were part of "The Big Read."
     So, while many are bemoaning the death of reading, know that there are people in towns all over the country reading, thinking, and conversing about important books.  Despair not and search out a "Big Read" near you.