Today! at the DC Public Library

The Big Read - D.C. Marathon starts 10 AM TODAY at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memeorial Library (901 G Street, NW - Gallery Place Metro). Guest readings of THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER begin at 10 AM and end at 3:30 PM, followed by swing and hand dancing in the Great Hall. Chess, Book bingo and other surprises throughout the day.

For a complete list of readers, visit www.wdchumanities.org/bigreadwp; and for an activities calendar, visit www.dclibrary.org.

Why Do You Read?

The Big Read - D.C. asks communities to read together, but that's not always possible. So we're asking individuals "Why Do You Read?" That's the them for the "keynote" for the upcoming kick-off Saturday, April 25 at 11 AM at Gallaudet University (800 Florida Avenue, NE). George Pelecanos will be there to give the keynote - "Why I Read....Why I Write."

Lots of people seem to read to take them to different places or experiences outside their own. For some readers that "someplace else" can be "anyplace but where I am now."

Apparently, there's an up-turn for reading during a downturn. Book sales are currently up in Europe. And in the U.S. sales of romance novel are on the up-tick according to Andrew Sullivan of the Atlantic Monthly:

Romance fiction generated $1.375 billion in sales in 2007. And while other forms of entertainment suffer economically, romance novels usually sell better during economic downturns. Why? Probably because it's cheap -- anywhere from $4 to $8 for several hours worth of escape in the privacy of your own garden, bed, or bathtub --- and best of all, when times are awful everywhere you're guaranteed a happy ending.

Spoiler Alert: Uh...Big Read - D.C. books haven't offered neat happy endings. But the Big Read - D.C. does offer happy experiences for new and continuing readers who show up at our activities and events.

We're less than two weeks away from the official start of the 2009 Big Read - D.C. The schedule is on-line at http://www.wdchumanities.org/

Tell us on this blog "Why Do You Read?"

Meet the 2009 Big Read - D.C. Honorary Chair, George Pelecanos

Local author and native Washingtonian George Pelecanos is honorary chair for the 2009 Big Read - D.C. Pelecanos is the author of 15 novels set in and around the District as well as editor for two short story anthologies under the title D.C. Noir. Most recently, he was a producer, writer, and story editor for the acclaimed HBO dramatic series, "The Wire."

Pelecanos has been a friend of the Big Read - D.C. since he participated in our community partners's meeting to select the 2008 Big Read - D.C. book, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

As a crime novelist, Pelecanos has a special kinship with Washington, DC area where he grew up, went to school, church, and worked. The road to the first novel was paved with a variety of jobs including linecook, dishwaster, woman's shoe salesman, and bartender. The first novel, A Firing Offense, brought a small advance but not enough to pay the rent. It did lead to a second novel, a new publisher and a larger advance to live on, plus a film option from Miramax. Options of books don't guarantee films, but they can bring writers some attractive income from Hollywood. His novel Right as Rain is currently in development with director Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential, Wonder Boys) and Warner Brothers.

Carson McCullers was no stranger to Hollywood either. She adapted her third novel, Member of the Wedding (1946) into a stage play. It went to Broadway and then was optioned for a Hollywood film production starring Julie Harris and Ethel Waters. McCullers' other novels --The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Reflections in a Golden Eye, and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter--were all optioned and adapted for film.

For the 2009 Big Read - D.C., George Pelecanos will be joining us for the official kickoff Saturday, April 25, the Larry Neal Writers Competition Awards on May 8, and a reading at Politics & Prose of his new novel, The Way Home due for release in May. (Stay tuned to this blog for the complete and most up-to-date calendar for the 2009 Big Read - D.C.)

This year's Big Read - D.C. aims to inspire new readers and writers. Each year, the Big Read - D.C. introduces new work by community partners like SpeakeasyDC and DC WritersCorps, as well as D.C. high school student poets and essayists.

For more information about George Pelecanos, visit his website at www.georgepelecanos.com
Read about our February community partners meeting on the national NEA Big Read blog
http://www.nea.gov/bigreadblog/?p=213.

SpeakeasyDC featured in Sunday's WaPo

SpeakeasyDC was featured in Sunday's (2/15/09) Metro section of the Washingotn Post in an article titled "True Lives, Under a Spotlight" by Tara Bahrampour. SpeakeasyDC trains and showcases local storytellers monthly to share true stories or tall tales, mostly autobigraphical.

SpeakeasDC will be the first community partner event for the 2009 Big Read - D.C. with "Outside Looking In," a tribute to the 2009 Big Read - D.C. city book, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. Last year they packed the Langston Room for the city read of The Great Gatsby. The event is scheduled for Busboys and Poets April 23rd at 7:30 PM. For more information, contact SpeakeasDC at www.speakeasydc.org.

Heart ReadingThe 2009 Big Read - D.C.

As Valentines Day approaches, we can't help but focus on the heart...and the upcoming Big Read - D.C. 2009. D.C. is reading The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. This was a first novel by a 23-year-old young woman from Columbus, Georgia. McCullers began writing the book during the Great Depression, a time of extreme economic distress, social upheaval, and, despite everything, possibilities and new [i]deals.

Last year we explored the excess and indulgences of the jazz age in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. This year our city book may be a lot more sober than the previous year's book, but thanks to our Big Read - D.C. team and community partners, you can look forward to not just reading The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, but experiencing the book from April 23 - May 23, 2009.

Get started with the Readers guide posted on the national Big Read website:

http://www.neabigread.org/books/lonelyhunter/

A Teachers Guide is also available. The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter is assigned reading for 11th grade English classes in the D.C. Public Schools thanks to a generous grant from Reading Is Fundamental.

Share your thoughts and ideas about the book on this blog. Be part of the story!

Michon Boston

Project Director

The Big Read - D.C. 2009