PITTSFIELD - Think of it as a giant community book club.
Together, the people of Pittsfield will participate in a citywide book reading project in hopes of countering the widespread trend away from reading that plagues the nation. The project, called "Pittsfield READS!", will encourage all city residents to not only read the same book but also to become actively involved in related events and activities, including public discussions and writing workshops.
"We're encouraging people to both read more and have something in common to talk about and enjoy," said Community Development Director Megan Whilden, whose office is co-sponsoring the project.
This winter, hundreds of city residents will read "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail" by Bill Bryson, a book Whilden called "fun and funny." Thanks to a $7,500 Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners grant awarded to the Taconic High School library, more than 200 copies of the novel will be available in city libraries.
Described in press materials as a "laugh-out-loud story of one man's valiant attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail despite deep-seated fears of bears, outdoor gear, and getting lost," the book will have particular significance for area readers.
"The Appalachian Trail runs right through the spine of Berkshire County," said Whilden.
Organized by Meredith Cochran, Taconic's librarian, Pittsfield READS! is a response to a report on reading habits in America released in November. Titled "To Read or Not To Read: A Question of National Consequence" and developed by the National Endowment for the Arts, the report gathered statistics from more than 40 studies on the reading habits of children, teenagers and adults.
The report showed that Americans are reading less and reading less well. Children and young adults are not only not reading books, they aren't reading nonfiction material like newspapers or magazines. "To Read or Not To Read" further makes the claim that not reading leads to significant civic and economic consequences and deficient readers are more prone to failure in their personal, professional, and social lives.
Pittsfield READS! follows in the footsteps of other community-centered reading initiatives and aims to include people from all walks of life in a celebration of one piece of literature. Williamstown has done several similar projects, the most recent centering around a book about Sir Ernest Shackleton's near-fatal voyage to Antarctica a century ago.
"I can't think of a better way to kick off the New Year than to encourage everybody in Pittsfield to participate in Pittsfield READS! By including everyone, from high school students to our seniors, in reading, discussing and enjoying a book together, we celebrate both literacy and community in our city," said Mayor James Ruberto in a statement.
Copies of "A Walk In The Woods" will be available in Spanish language, large-print and audio versions to accommodate all audiences.
"This is an exciting project that brings people together and will spark fun activities. Bryson's walk takes him through the Berkshire Hills and will definitely add to your enjoyment of our own section of the Appalachian Trail. This is a win-win program that deserves your participation," said Michael P. Daly, president and CEO of Berkshire Bank which, along with local school libraries, senior organizations, the Berkshire Athenaeum and Berkshire Community College, is a sponsor of the project.
Pittsfield READS! officially kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 11 a.m. at a free public event at the Berkshire Athenaeum and runs through the month of May.
Additional Resources
Pittsfield READS! is looking for local book clubs that would like to participate by reading the book together, for community members interested in becoming book discussion leaders, and for anyone or any group that would like to participate in this initiative.
Existing book clubs that are interested in reading "A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail" should contact Madeline Kelly at the Berkshire Athenaeum. She can be reached at mkelly@cwmars.org or 499-9480, Ext 202.
Individuals and groups who would like to lead or participate in book discussions should contact Patty Douillet at the Pittsfield High School library. She can be reached at pdouillet@pittsfield.net or 499-9535, Ext. 22.
A free workshop for book discussion leaders focusing on "A Walk in the Woods" will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 1 p.m. at the athenaeum. The workshop will be conducted by Jan Resnick from the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System. To sign up or for more information on Pittsfield READS! call Cochran at the Taconic library, at 448-9632, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday after the New Year.
To view a tentative schedule of events, visit http://mail.pittsfield.net/teachersites/Cochran_Meredith/read
To read The NEA's report "To Read or Not To Read," visit www.nea.gov/news/news07/TRNR.html
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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