To US Cities & Libraries:

Your community is invited to apply to be part of the Big Read, a city-wide reading program that has selected Amy Tan's “The Joy Luck Club” as one of eight Big Read selections. The Big Read is a program from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, in cooperation with Arts Midwest. The Big Read is an effort to restore reading to the center of American cultural life. More than 120 cities all 50 states will be chosen to run Big Read programs in 2007.

There are two application cycles; applications will be accepted until July 31, 2007, for communities wishing to host a Big Read from January-June 2008. For communities wishing to host a Big Read for the second grant cycle of 2008, from September-December 2008, the application and guidelines will be released in late October 2007, with applications due by February 12, 2008."

The application form is available at www.neabigread.org/.

Questions about the application process? Contact Christine Taylor at Arts Midwest, (612) 341-0755 x21 or christine@artsmidwest.org.