Big Read Comes to ACC

The ACC Division of Arts and Humanities kicked off its Big Read on Wednesday, September 16. ACC is one of 269 organizations to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for the program. The NEA awarded the Arts and Humanities Division $20,000.

The NEA's Big Read program promotes literary reading throughout the nation. "Literary reading seems to be on the decline in the United States," dean of the ACC Division Arts and Humanities, Lyman Grant said. "The program is designed to specifically target what the NEA calls ‘lapsed and reluctant readers.' The person reading Faulkner everyday is probably not who this program is aiming at."

Although the Big Read program has been around since 2007, this is the first time ACC has participated in the program. The selected reading for the event is Sun, Stone, and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories.

"Given our proximity to Mexico, and the importance of Mexican influence on our society, Sun, Stone, and Shadows is the perfect book for Austin," Grant said.

There are weekly events planned throughout Austin promoting the book culminating with a Day of the Dead celebration November 1st. The premier event of the program will be held on Sept. 23, at the Mexican American Cultural Center Auditorium, featuring reading from the book by Austin actors and special guest Jorge F. Hernandez, editor of the anthology.

Meant to coincide with Diez y Seis de Septiembre celebrations, the opening event of ACC's Big Read was held Sept. 16, at the Riverside Campus Auditorium. Board of Trustees member Raul Alveraz introduced the main speakers Rosa Davila, an ACC Spanish Professor, and writer Dan Arellano.

Davila, who grew up in Mexico, spoke of her connections with the stories in the Sun, Stone, and Shadow's book and then urged the audience to, "connect with and embrace your heritage. It is part of who you are."

Davila also encouraged the audience to, "reconnect with the pleasure of reading."