Everybody Reads Together

Everybody Reads withdrawal?

If you are still in need of an Everybody Reads/Stubborn Twig fix (or you missed Lauren Kessler when she was in Portland) tune into OPB radio 91.5 fm tomorrow at 9 a.m. or at 9 p.m. for Think Out Loud which will focus on Lauren Kessler's Stubborn Twig. During the live program at 9 a.m., listeners can phone in with questions or comments. There is also an online discussion forum.

Even though Multnomah County Library has finished Everybody Reads for the year, Oregon Reads continues elsewhere in the state through April. In fact, Deschutes Public Library is still conducting their A Novel Idea program and Lauren Kessler will be speaking in Central Oregon on April 24 and 25.

Last chance to attend a free program

This Saturday, Feb. 28 is the last day to attend one of the free art or cultural programs that are being presented at Multnomah County libraries in conjunction with Everybody Reads 2009.

Eth-Noh-Tec presents a program of music and storytelling at Capitol Hill Library beginning at 11 a.m. At Hillsdale Library, Tears of Joy puppet theatre presents Tales of Japan, featuring "Gift" and "Momotaro" beginning at 2 p.m. And one of our favorite presenters, Yuki Martin, will teach a class in orizomegami, a traditional Japanese art form which consists of folding and dying beautiful papers at Albina Library from 2-3 p.m.

Tickets for the Hillsdale Library puppet show are free and will be distributed 30 minutes prior to the program. Admission to all other library programs is free and seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Still time to attend a free program!

The Everybody Reads/Oregon Reads 2009 Kick Off with author Lauren Kessler was a great event with a total of nearly 700 people attending one of the two Jan. 15. talks. Lauren acknowledged members of the Yasui family who attended the evening event. With a little audience participation exercise which revealed only a handful of people whose ancestors had been born in Oregon, she also vividly illustrated the fact that you don't have to go back very far to see that many people in attendance were, at one time, newcomers.

Other programs being presented in conjunction with Everybody Reads/Oregon Reads 2009 will expand on the other themes of the book or allow you to experience aspects of Japanese culture.  At Central Library, a kimono workshop will take place on Feb. 14 followed by a performance by Portland Taiko on Feb. 15. At the literary end of the spectrum, there are still 15 more book discussions scheduled where you can share your thoughts on the book with other community members. Admission to all programs is free; check the library's Web site for details. 

Libraries almost out of copies of Stubborn Twig

The final copies of Stubborn Twig are in Multnomah County libraries now. We don't expect there will be many remaining after this weekend, so those of you who have already read it are encouraged to bring it back to the library for someone else to borrow or to pass it along to a friend, neighbor or family member so they can read it too. That has always been the intent in making so many copies of the book readily available and easy to borrow, but I think that somewhere along the line people started thinking that these copies of the Everybody Reads book were theirs to keep. We're a very generous and sharing community, so I'm hoping that people will actually return copies to the libraries for others to have a chance to participate.

Another way to get a copy of the book (and this copy would be yours to keep) would be to visit one of the Everybody Reads participating bookstores and purchase a copy. Powell's, Barnes & Noble and Broadway Books are all discounting the books this month. (The Barnes & Noble discount begins on Jan. 15 and goes through the end of February.) These book sellers have been supporters of Everybody Reads since the very beginning and I hope you will visit them if you need to purchase a copy of Stubborn Twig.

Have an apple with that book!

When you visit your Multnomah County Library this weekend to pick up your copy of Stubborn Twig, (better hurry; they're going fast!) be sure to also pick up a delicious Fuji, Gala, Pippin or Golden Delicious apple to munch on while you read the book. The apples come from Kiyokawa Family Orchards, a third-generation, family-owned orchard in Hood River, much like the one featured in Stubborn Twig. 

Books available in libraries now

Everybody Reads is officially underway beginning today!

Books, project guides and event information will be available in Multnomah County libraries this weekend. Our delivery system has been catching up due to the recent snow days and holidays and many libraries have been working furiously to get materials checked in and out and holds requests updated and filled, so it may be a day or two before they are able to get the Everybody Reads displays and materials up. Thanks for your patience! 

Post your questions for Lauren Kessler here

Author Lauren Kessler will be visiting Portland on Jan. 15 to present two free public lectures at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. in Portland State University's Smith Memorial Ballroom.

There will be a question and answer session at each of the lectures. Post your questions for Lauren here. Recordings of the lectures will be available online.

Welcome!

Welcome to Everybody Reads 2009! This year's selection is Stubborn Twig by Lauren Kessler.

This is the library's seventh annual Everybody Reads and having been involved with the project since the very beginning, I can say that though the overall goal remains the same (to connect people with one another through the reading and discussion of a single literary work) each year offers unique opportunities to highlight different themes or try new or different ideas.

In our first year (A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines) we formed some wonderful partnerships with local churches and the ecumenical community and the Blazers NBA team even cohosted a book discussion group. In 2004, the selection of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 was especially time timely as it coincided with the U.S. Patriot Act and generated some very passionate discourse! In recent years, the Everybody Reads books have sought to highlight the rich cultural diversity of our community.

This year's program is being presented in conjunction with Oregon Reads 2009, the statewide reading project celebrating the Oregon 150 or sesquicentennial. That means that nearly every library in the state is promoting reading and discussion of Stubborn Twig!

We hope you will join in this year's project and take the opportunity to read, learn and connect.