THANK YOU BRUNSWICK AND THE GOLDEN ISLES FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL BIG READ PROGRAM!

Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association (GIAHA), in partnership with the Brunswick-Glynn County Library and the Glynn County School System, is proud to have conducted our second local Big Read initiative in January and February 2009. Our focus on Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird was met with great enthusiasm by the entire community with record numbers reading the book and participating in the many events associated with it: discussion groups, films, blogs, exhibits, lectures, performances, school programs, contests, and great community gatherings. And this year we added something new: chapters of the book read on the air and on the web. We've received tremendous feedback from the many people who listened in and enjoyed the readings by local elected officlas, educators, and community and business leaders.

The Big Read, launched nationally in 2006 by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), encourages literary reading by asking communities to come together to read and discuss a single book. Modeled on successful "one book, one community" programs, the Big Read was created to address the national decline in literary reading as documented in the NEA's 2004 landmark survey “Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.” The survey showed that less than half the American adult population now reads literature.

Thanks to the overwhelming response to this year's initiative, we hope to bring you more Big Read programs in the future. Check back to this page for updates.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with
the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest.

The Big Read in Brunswick and the Golden Isles is also also made possible by support from

Bear Creek Fund

Brunswick News

OurNetNews.com

Qantum Communications

Comcast

We also thank the following for their support and help with making this such a successful program:

Hattie’s Books

College of Coastal Georgia / Continuing Education

Discussion Group Leaders Mary Freeman, Pamela Bauer Mueller, Ann Mason, Coco Harris, Sudy Leavy

Readers of The Big Read On the Air

Downtown Development Authority

Watershill Bed & Breakfast

The Big Read Exhibit artists

Elizabeth Jennings and the children of
The Mockingbird Chorus

Honey Baked Hams

Volunteers at the Community Potluck Kick-Off and all those who provided food and beverages

All the local businesses and organizations that displayed Big Read materials

And YOU, the “Big Readers” of Brunswick and the Golden Isles!