By: Kris Springer
The St. Joe County Public Library is proud to collaborate with the South Bend Museum of Art in the National Endowment for the Arts’ (NEA) Big Read. From 2023-2024, the SJCPL and SBMA will present a series of art exhibitions, presentations, ceremonies, performances and book discussions that highlight the multiplicity of stories, experiences and identities of the Potawatomi Communities in the Michiana region.
As part of the Big Read, we invite community members to read There There by Tommy Orange. Finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and recipient of the 2019 PEN/Hemingway Award, Tommy Orange’s There There follows 12 characters from Native communities as they travel to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American.
The Library is holding a number of book club discussions of There There this fall as part of the NEA’s Big Read. Book clubs and conversations around books and ideas fulfill the Library’s mission to connect the members of our diverse community to information, resources, culture and each other. We hope you will read There There, visit one of our book clubs to talk about it and share in the other activities hosted by the South Bend Museum of Art and the St. Joe County Public Library.
NEA Big Read Launch Event
Friday, September 1, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
All are invited to join the NEA Big Read Launch Event at the South Bend Museum of Art where the Library will give away free copies of There There while supplies last.
Book Discussions
There There book discussions are scheduled at the Library on the following dates and venues. Registration is required.
LaSalle Branch
Thursday, September 14, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
SJCPL Online Book Club (virtual)
Monday, October 16, 8:00-8:45 p.m.
River Park Branch
Tuesday, November 14, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
