Upcoming Events for the next month - a complete list of all events for the spring 2009 Big Read:Boston project can be found here

(1/6/09) - Brown Bag Luncheon: An input/brainstorming meeting for Big Read: Boston events and activities to be scheduled from February through May, 2009, will take place on Tuesday, January 6th at 12:15 at the Trotter Institute, 10th Floor Healey Library at the UMass Boston Campus. Bring your own Brown Bag lunch; we'll provide the drinks and chips! Let us know if you're planning to attend at bigread@umb.edu. Please send us your name, organization, phone number and email address.

(2/5/09 @2pm) - Film Showing: "Against Odds: The Art of the Harlem Renaissance" - Adams Street Branch Library, 690 Adams Street, Dorchester. Enjoy popcorn and this film about Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s when it was the scene of a vibrant outburst of creativity. Rich archival footage shows the influence of galleries and openings, as well as major personalities who shaped the movement.

(2/5/09 @2pm) - Film Showing: "Raisin in the Sun" - Adams Street Branch Library, 690 Adams Street, Dorchester. Enjoy popcorn and a showing of the 1961 classic film "Raisin in the Sun," starring Sydney Poitier and Ruby Dee. In the film, a substantial insurance payment could mean either financial salvation or personal ruin for a poor black family.

(2/12/09) - An Evening with Lucy Ann Hurston :To kick off the 2009 edition of WUMB Radio's "The Big Read" program, a pair of exciting events featuring noted author and speaker Lucy Anne Hurston are scheduled at UMass Boston on Thursday, February 12. Ms. Hurston is the niece of Zora Neale Hurston, author of "Their Eyes Were Watching God," the featured Big Read book for 2009.

At 5:30 PM on the 11th floor of the Healey Library at the University, Ms. Hurston will be the guest of honor at a reception and dinner to be attended by all presenters of Big Read events, representatives from the University and WUMB Radio, and invited dignitaries. Then, at 7:30 PM, in an event open to the public and held in a University ballroom, Ms. Hurston will speak about her famous aunt and trace her life's journey from Eatonville, Florida, to her student days at Barnard College in New York, to her emergence as a literary star and bestselling author during the Harlem Renaissance, and finally to her decline into obscurity.

Ms. Hurston is also the author of "Speak, So You Can Speak Again: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston" which offers an exceptional multi-media introduction to one of the most celebrated writers of the 20th Century. Ms. Hurston is currently Associate Professor of Sociology at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut.

(2/15/09-5/8/09) - Photo Display - "Look Who's Reading" : A photo display in the Art Gallery of the UMass Boston Bookstore highlights prominent Boston area residents and community leaders who are participating in the Big Read:Boston project by reading "Their Eyes Were Watching God."

(2/15/09 @ 7:30pm) Radio Special: National Endowment for the Arts Radio Special - "Their Eyes Were Watching God" - The program discusses the importance of the book and features celebrity interviews about the book including Ruby Dee, Robert Hemenway, Alice Walker and others. Tune in to WUMB 91.9FM.

What is The Big Read? WUMB Radio is one of more than 100 organizations nationwide, recently awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to participate in that organization's annual initiative called The Big Read. It is the largest federal reading program in U.S. history. The Big Read answers a big need. Reading at Risk a 2004 NEA Report, found that book reading has reached an all time low among Americans of every age.

What will Boston read? After last year's successful Big Read: Eastern Massachusetts with To Kill A Mockingbird, WUMB Radio decided to apply for a Big Read grant for a second year and we were recently notified we would receive an award. The grant provides funding for WUMB Radio, in partnership with several other organizations, to host a Big Read celebration of one of 16 classic novels from January-June 2009. After surveying the UMass Boston campus and WUMB's listeners, we have chosen Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Ms. Hurston was an important literary figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s when a creative explosion of literature, music, drama, dance, and visual art emerged from that New York neighborhood. Her book chronicles the amazing life and journey of an African American woman in her early 40s named Jamie Crawford and is set in the 1930s Deep South as she learns to take charge of her own destiny.

Who are the Boston Partners? In addition to WUMB Radio, primary partners include: the William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture, the Adams Street Branch of the Boston Public Library and Healey Library at UMass Boston. We expect dozens of other local organizations to also join in this initiative.

How you can participate - if you are part of a local organization. Organizations selected to participate in The Big Read: Boston receive reader's guides, teacher's guides and audio for the novel, an online organizer's guide for running a successful Big Read program, and access to a comprehensive Big Read Web site. Each local initiative is expected to include events, such as read-a-thons, book discussions, film screenings, library & museum exhibits, and other interesting activities aimed at avid and lapsed or reluctant readers alike. More details here soon. Support may available to a number of greater Boston organizations to help organize associated events. This support may be in the form of copies of the book, a facilitator to lead book discussions or a small grant to produce activities. All events will be publicized on WUMB Radio and through a special Web site to promote this project.

Events. WUMB Radio and its partners and collaborators are planning several special initiatives throughout the six months to include a radio program, book giveaways and more. Other events will be coordinated by WUMB's various partners. All events will be listed on the Web page in a special calendar. The list of Big Read: Boston events and activities will be available on this Web page and as part of a daily calendar heard on one of WUMB's many radio transmitters throughout Eastern Massachusetts.

Kick-Off Event. A big kick-off event is scheduled for February 12th at UMass Boston. Check back here soon for more details.

How you can participate - if you are an individual. Plan to read the book (photo right: NEA Chairman Dana Gioia is reading the book)! Copies of the book along with Reader's Guides & Audio Guides produced by the NEA will be available at participating libraries and community organizations across Boston. A list will be available after the first of the year.

Schools and Libraries. We particularly would like to see schools and libraries to get involved. Boston-area libraries will be able to receive a few copies of the book as well as copies of the Reader's Guides to distribute, and Audio Guides to lend. An online teacher's guide is available here:

• Introduction
• Schedule/Lesson Plans
• Capstone Project Ideas
• Essay Topics
• Additional Resources
• NCTE Standards
• Credits

More info WUMB Radio and the University of Massachusetts Boston are delighted to have the opportunity to take the lead role in organizing this exciting initiative. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help out, e-mail us at bigread@umb.edu.

Elisa Birdseye (left), Librarian - Adams Street Branch of the Boston Public Library, Dana Gioia - Chairman National Endowment for the Arts, Barbara Lewis - Director Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture, and WUMB General Manager Pat Monteith (right) Photo by Doug Knutson. Eliza, Barbara and Pat were in Minneapolis recently for a training session on how to coordinate The Big Read: Boston program.

WUMB-FM at the University of Massachusetts is Boston's National Public Radio (NPR) music station and has been on the air since 1982. Broadcasting over a network of five radio stations in Eastern Massachusetts with a reach of 1.6 million people, the station maintains a worldwide presence via the internet. WUMB is dedicated to produce, acquire and disseminate high quality, diverse and valued public service programming to audiences interested in expanding their horizons and perspectives, and who enjoy the arts and cultural experiences. The radio station serves as a local and national resource for cultivation, promotion and preservation of various genres of folk music.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts - both new and established - bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Arts Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases. For more information, please visit www.arts.gov.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. For more information, please visit www.imls.gov.

Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest's history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit www.artsmidwest.org.