Communitywide Santa Fe Big Read to tackle 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalist 'There There'

Jun. 30—The Santa Fe Public Library is inviting book lovers of all ages to participate in The Santa Fe Big Read, a program that works with local nonprofits to host community-wide reading events.

The library was selected to receive a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to participate in The Big Read. The program is scheduled from September through November and will focus on Tommy Orange's debut novel and the New York Times bestseller There There.

Orange is a Native American novelist who was born in raised in Oakland, Calif. A member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, his book explores the history and identity of the urban Native American by telling the story of 12 characters who traveled to the Big Oakland Powwow — each with a different reason.

There There was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and received the 2019 American Book Award. The Washington Post, NPR and Time magazine, among others, named it as one of the best books of 2019.

Santa Fe Public Library Program Manager Jessica Gulliford said this will be the library's first fully in-person Big Read event. In 2021, the library featured Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea, though the event was held virtually. Nevertheless, Gulliford said it was a success, in part due to wide-ranging interest from the community.

"Last year, we partnered with 28 community partners, and we had 44 programs for all ages," Gulliford said. "We're excited that we'll be actually getting into our community and inviting them to libraries."

Gulliford said the library will host a number of events and workshops based on themes from Orange's book, such as urban life, the importance of storytelling and communities.

"We hope to hire Native American and local artists and musicians for a concert," Gulliford said.

Readers will get a chance to hear from Orange during an event at Santa Fe Indian School on Nov. 5.

The library also will offer options for younger readers such as Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard.

Gulliford said the Southside Branch Library will have an artist build an horno and host fry bread-making workshops.

The library was one of 62 organizations nationwide and the only one in New Mexico that was selected for the grant this year.

"Reading opens our world to new and different experiences; it builds empathy," Maria Sanchez-Tucker, the city's community services director and library director, wrote in an email. "Participating in a collective experience centered on reading and literature not only connects diverse community members but gets people talking and sharing, learning from each other.

"The NEA Big Read is meant to bring diverse community together in a variety of ways," Sanchez-Tucker added. "It is a fun way to connect with your community. The themes within the shared experience provide a rich experience where we connect to each other through reading. The format offers a variety of ways to participate. Through attending a program, book talk or performance connected to the themes of the book we can share in the collective joy of learning and reading together."

Since 2006, more than 5.9 million Americans have attended a Big Read event and the National Endowment for the Arts has contributed more than $24 million to community organizations to host the program.