LAKE COUNTY — The Lake County Big Read will present a month of program events in October in connection with featured reading selection The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.
Two exhibits, one focusing on art and writing, and the other on local history, are in full swing, through partnerships and volunteer efforts.
Entries for both literature and art in any medium, no larger than 11-inches by 14-inches, framed and ready to hang, are due by Sept. 24 at noon to the Main Street Gallery in Lakeport.
There will be a judging of entries and featured work will be on display at the gallery for the first Friday evening event, 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 4. Lajour and Cougars Leap wines will be poured, along with entertainment by Michael Barrish on guitar. This event is free-of-charge and open to the public.
A mother/daughter photo exhibit will be on display at the Lake County Office of Education (LCOE) building in October, coordinated by volunteer curators Patti and Fallon Diener.
Community members are asked to contribute framed photographs depicting a mother and daughter relationship, including a brief description of the photo”s content. All photographs will be safely stored and can be brought to the LCOE office or to Robin Fogel-Shrive at Carl? High School in Lower Lake by Sept. 27. The mother/daughter relationships are at the heart of the novel, and this is an opportunity to bring people together to appreciate mother/daughter connections. A gallery walk is scheduled for Oct. 2 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the event is free -of-charge and open to the public.
Two teacher events are scheduled for the first week of programming. The Little Read Professional Development for K-5 educators will take place on Oct. 3 at the LCOE office in Lakeport. Copies of Amy Tan”s The Moon Lady and a story for the youngest of readers, Mooncakes, will be provided. These books, and curriculum created by members of the Lake/Mendocino Reading Council will be available for each elementary school in Lake County.
Refreshments will be provided and the event is free-of-charge. To register, visit www.lakecoe.org and click on The Big Read page.
Secondary English and language arts teachers are invited to meet for an informal curriculum discussion at the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake on Oct. 5 at 1:30 p.m. This opportunity to collaborate will precede the book launch party featuring keynote speaker Cathy Kroll at 4 p.m. Kroll, assistant professor of English at Sonoma State University is a specialist in World Literature. She will be speaking on the relevancy of The Joy Luck Club today, as well documenting the emergence of women writers in the 1980s. The book launch event is free-of-charge and open to the public. Reservations are recommended and can be made by visiting the LCOE website.
For a complete and updated listing of Big Read events, visit the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read at www.neabigread.org or the LCOE site at www.lakecoe.org.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in collaboration with Arts Midwest. Lake County is one of 77 communities in the U.S. to receive grant funding. For more information, contact Lake County Big Read program director Robin Fogel-Shrive at rshrive@yahoo.com or bigreadlakecounty@gmail.com.
