Big Read 2012 - Thank you for another huge success
The PLS Big Read is our local interpretation of a nation-wide reading initiative conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, known simply as The Big Read. We are honored to be one of only a few organizations in the country to have conducted an NEA-sponsored Big Read three times.
The 2012 PLS Big Read was sponsored by the Pioneer Library System with major support from the Oklahoma Humanities Council, the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation, the Pioneer Library System Foundation, the Norman Arts Council, and the Friends of the Norman Library.
We also appreciate the support of University of Oklahoma Outreach, the College of Liberal Studies, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, University of Oklahoma Precollegiate Programs, the OU Confucius Institute, and Chinese Literature Today.
This was our sixth, consecutive celebration of reading. Over the last five years we have promoted the reading of carefully-selected literary works that have included:
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck,
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya,
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee,
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett,
and last year’s selection, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien.
The novel chosen to celebrate this year was The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
During the four weeks of the project, hundreds of readers in our tri-county service area explored and discussed the themes and issues related to The Joy Luck Club through a series of public events in Norman, Moore, and Shawnee, and through programs and book discussions in each of the ten hometown public libraries in the Pioneer Library System. In all, 68 programs were presented as part of the 2012 PLS Big Read: The Joy Luck Club.
The 2012 PLS Big Read culminated with a visit from the best-selling author of The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan.
Congratulations to the library staff and volunteers who planned and presented the programs. Thank you to the guests who attended them.
The novel selected for the 2013 PLS Big Read is Old School by Tobias Wolff.
If you would like to revisit the six previous PLS Big Reads, or if you would like to see what you have been missing, click here to enjoy a 20-minute recap of the PLS Big Reads, 2007-2012.
“The Portrayal of Asians in Contemporary Film” presentation rescheduled for May 11
The Pioneer Library System’s sixth PLS Big read will get a little extension this year. The Norman Public Library will host the presentation of “The Portrayal of Asians in Contemporary Film” at 7 p.m. Friday, May 11, in the Lowry Room of the library, 225 N. Webster Ave.
Read more: “The Portrayal of Asians in Contemporary Film” presentation rescheduled for May 11
Scholar Panel Discusses "The Joy Luck Club"
Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" will be the topic of discussion at a Scholar Panel Discussion, set for 7 p.m. Monday, April 16, in the auditorium of the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, 2401 Chautauqua Ave. on the University of Oklahoma campus
The panelists will be:
Dr. Jonathan Stalling, Deputy Editor in Chief of Chinese Literature Today and Assistant Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma
Dr. Wayne Stein, Assistant Professor of English, University of Central Oklahoma
Dr. Sidney Watson, Professor of English, Oklahoma Baptist University
Elizabeth Ellis to Share Tales During the Big Read
The theme of mothers and daughters is at the center of Amy Tan’s novel “The Joy Luck Club,” this year’s PLS Big Read selection. The Pioneer Library System will stick with that theme but go outside the pages of the book for a program on “Mother-Daughter Stories,” presented by national-known storyteller Elizabeth Ellis at 7 p.m. Monday, April 23, at the Sarkeys Performing Arts Center on the St. Gregory’s University campus in Shawnee.
Read more: Elizabeth Ellis to Share Tales During the Big Read
Big Read Essay Winners
The winners of the Oh, Joy! Lucky Us! essay-writing contest have been announced. Below you will find the titles and authors of the essays and a link to view a PDF copy of the essay for your reading pleasure. Thank you to everyone who submitted an essay about your family's experiences.
First place:
A Child's Gift by Dan Miller (view PDF)
Runner Up Essays:
The Bra: To Wear Or Not To Wear, That Is The Question by Oteka Ann Ball and Oteka Lyn Bernard (view PDF)
And By Faith We Can See It Afar by Debbie Walker and Krista Walker (view PDF)
Dog Tags and Draft Cards by Leslie Ray Sears III (view PDF)