Thanks to a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith will host an NEA Big Read in Fort Smith this year, a community reading program with activities centered around a select book that includes a visit from the author.
AV抖阴 received the NEA鈥檚 Big Read grant for 鈥淪tation Eleven,鈥� the bestselling novel by Emily St. John Mandel which was nominated for the National Book Award in 2014. The grant will allow AV抖阴 to offer numerous activities in February and March of 2019, culminating in a visit from Mandel. The event dates have yet to be determined. AV抖阴 was the only university in Arkansas to receive the grant.
Dr. Christian Gerard, assistant professor of English, said the reception of the grant signals that 鈥渙ur Lions鈥� roar has reached Washington.鈥�
鈥淭he selection process for this particular governmental grant is incredibly rigorous. This honor doesn鈥檛 just reflect the work happening on the AV抖阴 campus, but demonstrates the NEA鈥檚 desire to invest in Fort Smith,鈥� Gerard said. 鈥淭his award demonstrates the NEA鈥檚 commitment to further strengthen the bond between AV抖阴 and the region through events and enrichment activities focused on literacy and the literary arts. We couldn鈥檛 be more proud of our students, our faculty, and our community.鈥�
Set 20 years after a flu pandemic destroys most of civilization, 鈥淪tation Eleven鈥� tells the story of a woman who moves between the settlements of a devastated world with a small troupe of actors and musicians until they encounter a violent prophet who threatens the existence of the group.
Published in 2014, the novel received mass acclaim, winning the Arthur C. Clarke award and receiving a nomination for the PEN/Faulkner Award. The Independent London said it was 鈥減ossibly the most captivating and thought-provoking post-apocalyptic novel you will ever read.鈥�
Hailing from Canada, Mandel is a staff writer for The Millions, an online literary magazine, and is the author of four books, including 鈥淭he Lola Quartet鈥� and 鈥淭he Singer鈥檚 Gun.鈥� She resides in Brooklyn.
AV抖阴 was one of 79 nonprofit organizations to receive the grant. The NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery.
Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts 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 eleven years, grantees have leveraged more than $44 million in local funding 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 .
For more information on the AV抖阴 Big Read program, contact Dr. Ann-Gee Lee, co-chair of AV抖阴 Big Read, at Ann-Gee.Lee@uafs.edu or Dr. Cammie Sublette, AV抖阴 English, Rhetoric and Writing Department Head, at Cammie.Sublette@uafs.edu.