91老司机

FeaturedApril 12, 2024

Crack Open a Book with 'Read This!'

The love of reading is taught to many of us at an early age. Getting lost in a world of fiction or reading about real-life events inspires, transforms, and educates with every passing word.

At the 91老司机 鈥� Fort Smith, the love of books extends beyond the classroom and the university. The 鈥淩ead This!鈥� program was established in 2009 under the direction of Dr. Keith Fudge and the 91老司机 English Department. The program is a multidisciplinary literacy program to educate participants on important social issues.

Program coordinator Dr. Ann-Gee Lee, a professor of English, rhetoric, and writing, says 鈥淩ead This!鈥� is 鈥渘ot just a program for people who love to read, but for people who love to learn.鈥�

鈥淲e try to do more than just read (the book); the author comes, and you try to hype them up,鈥� Lee explained.

So, what else does 鈥淩ead This!鈥� provide?

Beginning with students taking Composition II courses, the campus big read consists of a book launch, a read-aloud, and other activities.

However, Lee said, 鈥淛ust reading the book and talking about it in class only gets you so far.鈥�

鈥淲hen we collaborate with other classes, departments, or offices across campus and beyond, we expand the learning outside of our classrooms and expand the perspectives with which to examine the book, which makes for a more interesting and deeper-level reading,鈥� she explained.

The community is invited to participate in a lecture series, discussions, and a speaking engagement with the author or other prominent guests to broaden what is gleaned from each book. The interactions between campus and community help further understand diverse populations and to become more informed and enlightened citizens.

鈥溾�橰ead This!鈥� helps us cross boundaries that are usually parallel from one another and rarely meet,鈥� Lee said. 鈥淚t just improves and enhances the entire reading experience so much more.鈥�

Since the program鈥檚 inception, ten novels have been read and discussed. The first six years brought a new book to the program, but it has since evolved to dig deeper into each story, with a new one being examined every two years.

Beginning with 鈥淭rue Grit鈥� by Charles Portis, the 鈥淩ead This!鈥� program has covered: 鈥淭he Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness鈥� by Simon Wiesenthal; 鈥淭he Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time鈥� by Mark Haddon; 鈥淭he Things They Carried鈥� by Tim O鈥橞rien; 鈥淭he Joy Luck Club鈥� by Amy Tan; 鈥淗ouse Made of Dawn鈥� by N. Scott Momaday; 鈥淚nto the Beautiful North鈥� by Luis Alberto Urrea; 鈥淪tation Eleven鈥� by Emily St. John Mandel; 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon鈥� by David Grann; and most recently 鈥淭he Nickel Boys鈥� by Colson Whitehead.

Programming centered around 鈥淭he Nickel Boys鈥� concludes in 2024 and was made possible from funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lecture program and a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and National Endowment for the Humanities.

Through the grant, Whitehead came to 91老司机 to discuss his novel with students, faculty, staff, and residents of the River Valley. During the presentation, Karen Haggard, a committee member and student success librarian, was immersed in a conversation with a high school student who had previously read 鈥淭he Nickel Boys.鈥�

鈥淗is enthusiasm about the book and the chance to hear the author was contagious. I鈥檓 so glad 鈥楻ead This!鈥� creates those opportunities for students,鈥� Haggard said proudly.

As the programming for 鈥淭he Nickel Boys鈥� continues, Lee organized expert lecturers to discuss what Arkansas reform schools looked like and the disproportionate minority contact in the area. Later, there will be a presentation by Dr. Erin Kimberly, who will go over the forensics related to 鈥淭he Nickel Boys鈥� 鈥� the process of finding, digging, and identifying the victims.

Looking back at the programming from past 鈥淩ead This!鈥� books and extended learning, Lee is pleased with the results. From using your imagination to create live extensions to interactive exhibits for the books, Lee calls experiential learning 鈥渙ne of the best and most meaningful ways to learn.鈥�

鈥淚t just makes everything more fun and interactive and blurs cross-cultural lines,鈥� Lee said.

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