San Diego to Read and Celebrate CIRCE by Madeleine Miller
Major Programming April 2024
June 20, 2023—San Diego—Write Out Loud is thrilled to receive a grant of $20,000 to host the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read in San Diego. Write Out Loud is one of 62 nonprofit organizations in the US selected to receive an NEA Big Read grant to support a community reading program. Focusing on the novel CIRCE by Madeleine Miller, this program will impact 3,000+ San Diegans. An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience. Activities with San Diego students will begin in the fall and community wide events will take place through the month of April 2024, including a student awards presentation of THE NEA BIG READ – Read Imagine Create. This awards presentation will feature student projects inspired by CIRCE by Madeleine Miller and Edith Hamilton’s MYTHOLOGY – the middle school selection. Additional NEA Big Read activities that will take place across San Diego include book discussions, writing contests, presentations of Myths and Legends, discussions about the power of women and visual art displays. www.writeoutloudsd.com
Write Out Loud Artistic Director, Veronica Murphy shared “We chose CIRCE by Madeline Miller to inspire San Diegans of all ages to learn about a lesser known mythological character through Miller’s retelling of CIRCE. Myths are often thought of as outdated. However, Miller’s exciting updated retelling of Circe is most relevant in this time of women’s rights and their place in society being challenged in our culture. The NEA Big Read grant also allows us to put books into the hands of young people and then challenge them to create something inspired by the story.”
“The NEA Big Read brings the transformative experience of reading to an entire community,” said Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “This year’s grantees, including Write Out Loud, are taking themes off the page and using creative programming to navigate difficult topics, explore new perspectives, and strengthen bonds between neighbors.”
The NEA Big Read offers a range of titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire meaningful conversations, artistic responses, and new discoveries and connections in each community. The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, managed by Arts Midwest, which annually supports dynamic community reading programs, each designed around a single NEA Big Read selection.
“Using the captivating power of literature, NEA Big Read events unleash the creative spirit that resides within all of us,” said Torrie Allen, President and CEO of Arts Midwest. “We’re thrilled to support the work of grantees across the nation, including Write Out Loud, as they inspire conversations and artistic expressions through shared reading experiences.”
Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,800 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $25 million to organizations nationwide. In addition, NEA Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past 15+ years, grantees have leveraged more than $57 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 6 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, over 100,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and over 40,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. For more information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts, and videos, visit arts.gov/neabigread.
Write Out Loud serves over 30,000 people annually with their core programs: In their six show season of Story Concerts, Twainfest – an annual free family celebration of 19th Century Literature; Poefest – a celebration of Edgar Allan Poe and other writers of the macabre, Kamishibi StoryBox Theatre for elementary students; Poetry Out Loud for high school students; Read Imagine Create for teens; Let Your Voice Be Heard – Student Poetry Initiative, Ripples From Walden Pond – a one-man play about Henry David Thoreau; and Stories for Seniors.
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States. Visit arts.gov to learn more.
Arts Midwest supports, informs, and celebrates Midwestern creativity. We build community and opportunity across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, the Native Nations that share this geography, and beyond. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, Arts Midwest works to strengthen local arts and culture efforts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, state agencies, private funders, and many others. Learn more at artsmidwest.org.