NEA BIG READ – SAN DIEGO
A literature initiative for the whole community
Featuring
The Best We Could Do – by Thi Bui
Mexikid – by Pedro Martín
Write Out Loud – an organization founded in 2007 with a commitment to inspire, challenge and entertain by reading literature aloud for a live audience – announces a month long celebration of the novel, The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui and Mexikid by Pedro Martín. This marks the 8th year that the National Endowment for the Arts has selected Write Out Loud to bring the NEA BIG READ to San Diego County.
Community Events In April Celebrating NEA BIG READ
Join fellow San Diegans in exploring Thi Bui’s novel The Best We Could Do and Pedro Martín’s Mexikid as part of the NEA Big Read. Experience events, performances, art exhibits, book discussions, a writing contest, and even ‘A New Home’ Story Concert in partnership with Viet Voices. Most events and programs are FREE. Details for all the NEA BIG READ events can be found at https://writeoutloudsd.com/nea-big-read-mexikid-or-the-best-we-could-do/
The largest aspect of this initiative – READ IMAGINE CREATE – includes distributing over 3,300 books to teens, as well as providing 70 Memoir and Graphic Novel workshops in 5 area schools for over 2,000 students. A Celebration of Student Creations inspired by the books will take place on April 22nd at 6:00pm in the Neil Morgan Auditorium at San Diego Central Library, and will be livestreamed.
Ticket reservation for attendance: https://writeoutloud.ticketspice.com/nea-big-read-student-awards-celebration
Link to the Livestream:
https://youtube.com/live/xCEXJ6eIO9s?feature=share
WOL Artistic Director, Veronica Murphy shared “We have been working for months with students throughout the county, first providing free copies of the books, followed by workshops to help students express their own personal experience with the stories. This month, we are looking forward to celebrating the students and offering events for the whole community to discuss the themes of the books, the importance of family, shared memories and cross cultural experiences.”
About THE BEST WE COULD DO author Thi Bui
A national bestseller and American Book Award winner, The Best We Could Do is an intimate and poignant graphic novel portraying one family’s journey from war-torn Vietnam from debut author Thi Bui.
In what Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen calls “a book to break your heart and heal it,” The Best We Could Do brings to life Thi Bui’s journey of understanding and provides inspiration to all of those who search for a better future while longing for a simpler past.
This beautifully illustrated and emotional story is an evocative memoir exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family. Bui documents the story of her family’s daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s, and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves.
National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Finalist
ABA Indies Introduce Winter
ALA Notable Books Selection
About Mexikid by Pedro Martín
NEWBERY HONOR AWARD WINNER – A poignant, hilarious, and unforgettable graphic memoir about a Mexican-American boy’s family and their adventure-filled road trip to bring their Abuelito back from Mexico to live with them.
“One of those books that kids will pass to their friends as soon as they have finished it.”—Victoria Jamieson, creator of the National Book Award finalist When Stars Are Scattered
WINNER OF THE PURA BELPRÉ AUTHOR AWARD AND ILLUSTRATOR AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, New York Public Library, Chicago Public LibraryFull release attached
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Susan
Susan Clausen
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