• By Raegen Luntz
• Posted Friday, September 7, 2018

NEA Big Read: On The Same Page 2018 Kickoff

The NEA Big Read and On the Same Page are annual community book reading programs that seek to broaden appreciation of literature through the shared experience of reading and discussing a single work of literature. It offers us a unique opportunity to see things from a different perspective, one that will only expand our understanding of the world around us. This year the Forsyth County Public Library in partnership with the National Endowments for the Arts (NEA) Big Read selected "Pretty Monsters" by Kelly Link as this year's community read title. "Pretty Monsters" is a collection of young adult short stories that spins reality into fantasy through its many twists and turns along the way. Pick up a copy at your local library branch today. For a complete list of our NEA Big Read programs, please visit our website.

Kelly Link is the author of the collections "Stranger Things Happen," "Magic for Beginners," "Pretty Monsters," and "Get in Trouble." Her short stories have been published in "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction," "The Best American Short Stories," and "Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards," She has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She and Gavin J. Grant have co-edited a number of anthologies, including multiple volumes of "The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror" and, for young adults, "Steampunk! and Monstrous Affections." She is the co-founder of Small Beer Press and co-edits the occasional zine Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Kelly was born in Miami, Florida. She completed her MFA at UNC-Greensboro and taught Lenoir-Rhyne College. Kelly currently lives with her husband and daughter in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Join the NEA Big Read and the Forsyth County Public Library as we kickoff our community read with "Check Your Reality at the Door: YA Fantasy Discussion" at the Bookmarks 2018 Festival of Books and Authors. In honor of our community read title, the panel discussion will include up and coming YA authors Roshani Chokshi, Claire Legrand, Zoraida Cordova and Makiia Lucier who will share insights into the magical world of fantasy writing. This is a free event for readers of all ages.

BOOKMARKS FESTIVAL OF BOOKS & AUTHORS EVENTS:
Saturday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Check Your Reality at the Door: YA Fantasy Discussion with Roshani Chokshi, Claire Legrand, Zoraida Cordova and Makiia Lucier
12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Hanesbrand Theatre

Magic and Monsters and Mysteries, Oh My!
2:45 to 3:30 p.m. /Reynolds Place, First Floor of the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts
Come experience why "Pretty Monsters" by Kelly Link should be your next "must read" this fall.

Book Signing Opportunities
Book Signing Tent at 1:30 p.m.

About the NEA Big Read
Since the program began in 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has funded more than 1,400 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $19 million to organizations nationwide. In addition, Big Read activities have reached every Congressional district in the country. Over the past 11 years, grantees have leveraged more than $44 million in local matching funds to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 4.9 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 82,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and 39,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible. For more information about the NEA Big Read, please visit arts.gov/neabigread.