CWU Awarded 2018 NEA Big Read Grant

Central Washington University is one of only two organizations in Washington to receive a

In partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read strives to bring together communities through the sharing of a common book. Ellensburg’s Big Read will focus on Yu Hua’s novel To Live (English translation by Michael Berry).

“To Live offers us an opportunity to better educate ourselves about China’s history and culture,” said Gerard Hogan, CWU professor of library services and Big Read project director. “The novel’s themes of loss, suffering, and survival are universal, leaving readers with difficult and interesting questions about individual, national, and cultural values.”

Hua’s novel articulates the realities of life in China during a time when it was very isolated from the world. Readers empathize with the novel’s characters, are moved by the struggles they endure, and come to a better understanding of life at that place and time.

Ellensburg and CWU have a strong and long connection to China. In the early 1980s, soon after the end of China’s Cultural Revolution, representatives of Anhui University, in Hefei, China, met with representatives from CWU to sign an agreement to initiate the exchange of scholars and students. This relationship with China has remained strong.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support opportunities for communities across the nation, both small and large, to take part in the NEA Big Read,” said NEA Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter. “This program encourages people to not only discuss a book together, but be introduced to new perspectives, discuss the issues at the forefront of our own lives, and connect with one another at events.”

The NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery. Each year’s reading program is designed around a single NEA Big Read selection.

CWU is one of 79 nonprofit organizations to receive an NEA Big Read grant to host a community reading program in 2018-2019.

Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, 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 artsmidwest.org.