NEWBERRY COUNTY — A $2,000 Fast Track Literacy Grant has been awarded to the Newberry County Big Read initiative in which participants read a single book then come together to discuss it.
Barbara Chapman, director of the Newberry County Literacy Council, said the grant will go toward hiring an annual keynote speaker, associated publicity and even helping members of the community to purchase copies of the book if they are unable to do so.
Big Read board member Joe McDonald spoke on the merits of this particular program.
“It’s activity that promotes literacy in a community but also bonding and people crossing lines — class, race, gender — to get together to discuss something in common,” McDonald said.
Already taking part in the once-yearly event are Columbia, Spartanburg and Atlanta among numerous others.
For the inaugural year in Newberry County, a special committee of Big Read board members selected The World Made Straight by Ron Rash.
There are roughly 10 local book clubs participating in the event, meeting at various locations including Half Full, Books on Main, and the Newberry County Library.
The separate groups will merge in a public forum to be held at the library from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 19.
“It’s an opportunity for all those in the community who have been reading the book, either individuals or books clubs, to get together to discuss the book,” McDonald said.
Amanda Hodges, an assistant professor of English at Newberry College, compiled a list of discussion questions that has been distributed to the book clubs so readers can consider topics to be discussed at the forum.
Board members originally hoped to cap off this year’s Big Read with a lecture from Rash himself but the North Carolina native will be unable to attend due to complications, McDonald said.
“We’re working with the South Carolina press to bring somebody else, sort of an expert on Ron Rash,” McDonald said. “Several people have written books about him and so we are going to bring somebody in, hopefully late in February at the Opera House, maybe as part of a panel discussion.”
Although this grant is a one-time deal, Chapman said she would like to ensure the Big Read can continue each year by exploring additional grants offered by the Humanities Council.