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Hello,

I'm John Hunter from the Woodburn Public Library, and we've been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to do a month-long program called "The Big Read." We're the only public library that will be doing The Big Read in this funding cycle, and our events will be held in October 2008.

You can see more about The Big Read at the following link: [url]http://neabigread.org/[/url] We have chosen the book "Bless Me, Ultima" by the noted Latino author Rudolfo Anaya, as we're trying to encourage greater use of the library by Woodburn's majority Latino community. Of course, we're hoping the whole community will participate.

Would you be interested in doing a program about Woodburn's participation in The Big Read? We've been in contact with Rudolfo Anaya, and he is willing and able to do a radio interview from his home in New Mexico. Also, we have the possibility of booking David Kipen, the NEA's director of literature. Mr. Kipen has an extensive background in radio, and can be booked based on your committment to doing a program. (I've attached a biography in PDF.) We're hoping to do the radio program early in the week beginning October 20, but anytime in the month would be great.

We realize that our story may be a bit local, but the discussion could certainly be expanded to include ways others are encouraging reading, or ways others are trying to build community in Oregon. Or you might talk with some of our other participants, who will be representing themes from the book. They include Roberto de Anda, a professor from Portland State's Chicano/Latino Studies program; local healer and curandera Carolina Urrela de Hess; poet Miguel Loredo Reyes; and local artist and muralist Lazaro Ybarra. Come to think of it, the program could just be about Latino culture in Oregon and how we're showcasing that in Woodburn.

We hope that you are interested and that you'll reply, but if you're not, could you help us think of a radio outlet that might be? We'd appreciate it.

Thank you very much for your consideration!

John

posted 4 years, 9 months ago
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