Knox County Public Library, Friends of the Library, Clarence Brown Theatre, and the Public Defender’s Community Law Office are joining forces on The Big Read
A common experience of a story can bring a community together to help face its truths. Knox County Public Library is pleased to partner with Clarence Brown Theatre, Friends of the Library, Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and other agencies on The Big Read presenting A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines during Black History Month and beyond.
The novel has a long history of championing social justice. Fiction has the singular ability to embody social ideas in a compelling narrative that possesses both emotional and intellectual power. A Lesson Before Dying offers a painful yet inspirational tale of institutional injustice and personal redemption. It addresses the biggest theme possible—how one affirms life in the face of death.
Events for the six-week program include book discussions, the stage adaptation by Romulus Linney at the Clarence Brown Theatre’s Carousel Theater, a concert, lectures, film screenings, and a book drive. The Big Read will kick off at noon on February 5 at the Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office and will continue through March 13 with more than two dozen events. A full schedule of events can be found at www.knoxlib.org/bigread.
“Any time we are able to bring our community together to discuss big issues, we win. The Big Read is a great opportunity to do that through the lens of a book. I’m excited that we are able to partner with so many great organizations to make this happen,” commented Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett.
About the book:
Set in Southern Louisiana in the late 1940s, Gaines tells the story of an uneducated young black man named Jefferson, who is jailed for a murder he didn’t commit, and Grant Wiggins, a college-educated native son of Louisiana, who once taught Jefferson at a plantation school. In a little more than 250 pages, these two men named for presidents discover a friendship that transforms as least two lives. Both men teach each other lessons they need to face their very different futures.
The novel offers relevant perspectives for our own community as issues of social justice for black men occupy increasing space in the cultural and political conversation.
Schedule of events:
Screening: Dead Man Walking
Starring Susan Saradon and Sean Penn, this 1995 film tells the true story of a man facing execution and Sister Helen Prejean’s efforts to help him find peace. Introduction by Penny White, UT Law Professor and expert on capital punishment
Sunday, February 7, 2 p.m.
Lawson McGhee Library
500 W. Church Ave
Free and open to the public
Lecture: “Race, Poverty and the Death Penalty – Then and Now”
Dr. Stephen Bright, president and senior council of Southern Center for Human Rights and Yale Law School Professor
Supported by the Mildred Haines and William Elijah Morris Lecture Endowment Fund
Thursday, February 11, 7 p.m.
McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture
1327 Circle Park Drive
Free and open to the public
Screening: Say it Loud!
A documentary featuring rare historic footage of African American life during Knoxville’s civil rights era. Introduction by Louisa Trott, film editor and co-founder of Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound
Sunday, February 21, 2 p.m.
UT’s John C. Hodges Library Auditorium
1015 Volunteer Boulevard
Free and open to the public
Community Leaders Forum
A panel of community leaders will explore the themes of social justice, racial inequality, human dignity and personal redemption as presented in A Lesson Before Dying with an eye towards the modern realities in Knoxville. Panelists include:
Deputy Chief Nate Allen, Knoxville Police Department
Pastor Daryl Arnold, Overcoming Believers Church
Andre Canty, Highlander Center
Ralph Hutchison, MLK Commission
Reggie Jenkins, UUNIK Academy
Kwabena Miller, Community Outreach
Avice Reid, Sr. Director of Community Relations, City of Knoxville
Mark Stephens, KCPD Community Law Office
Tuesday, February 23, 4 p.m.
Knox County Public Defender’s Community Law Office
1101 Liberty Street
Free and open to the public
Concert/Lecture: Spiritual Songs – The History of the Negro Spiritual
Dr. Naima Bush explores the history of the development of the Spiritual with acapella demonstrations and original music contained within it. Using storytelling, audience participation, poetry and music, this program traces the roots of this original American art form from its beginnings in West Africa and its apex on Southern plantations to its influence on modern music.
Wednesday, February 24, 6 p.m.
Beck Cultural Exchange Center
1927 Dandridge Avenue
Book Discussions (Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted by*)
Monday, February 8, 6:30 p.m.
Lawson McGhee Library
Faciliated by Elnora Williams
Tuesdays February 9 and 23, 6 p.m.
South Knoxville Elementary – Great Schools Partnership Community School
Facilitated by Lorie Matthews
Light dinner included. RSVP 577-7976
Tuesday, February 16, 4 p.m.
Knoxville Station
301 Church Avenue
Facilitated by Michael Grider
Monday, February 22, 10 p.m.
Bearden Branch Library
100 Golf Club Road
Facilitated by Ross Jackson
Wednesday, February 24, 12 p.m.
YWCA with Union Avenue Booksellers
420 Clinch Avenue
Facilitated by Avice Reid
Thursday, February 25, 11 a.m.
Sequoyah Branch Library
1140 Southgate Dr.
A light lunch will be served
Facilitated by Ginna Mashburn
Thursday, February 25, 5 p.m.
Beaumont Elementary – Great Schools Partnership Community School
1211 Beaumont Avenue
Dinner will follow discussion
Facilitated by Indya Kincannon
Sunday February 28, 4 p.m.*
Wine and Cheese book discussion at Claire Serrell’s home
Friends of the Library, members-only
RSVP: 215-8775
Thursday, March 3, 1 p.m.
Halls Branch Library
4518 E. Emory Road
Facilitated by Mary Pom Claiborne
Monday, March 7, 6 p.m.
Cedar Bluff Branch Library
9405 Cross Park Drive
A light dinner will be served
Facilitated by Ginny Weatherspoon
Clarence Brown Theatre events
To purchase tickets for the Clarence Brown Theatre’s production of A Lesson Before Dying, visit clarencebrowntheatre.com or call the Box Office at (865) 974-5161.
A Lesson Before Dying
A play by Romulus Linney based on the novel by Ernest J. Gaines
Directed by Andrea J. Dymond
February 24 – March 13
Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre
Tickets are on sale now at the CBT Box Office or online 24/7.
Pay What You Wish Night
Wednesday, February 24, 7:30 p.m.
Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre
Making theatre more accessible to everyone in our community and beyond, patrons will be able to attend this performance of A Lesson Before Dying for any amount they choose. Tickets may be purchased Feb. 24 at the CBT Box Office from 12 to 7 p.m.
Cash in full dollar amounts is accepted and limited tickets are available on a first come, first served basis.
Post-Performance Salon Discussions
Tuesday, March 1 and 8, following the 7:30 p.m. performance
Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre
Post-performance Salon discussions will be audience-driven, providing patrons and community members the opportunity to discuss their thoughts, experiences, and issues raised after attending the performance of A Lesson Before Dying.
CBT Family Feast
Wednesday, March 2, 6 p.m.
UT’s Natalie L. Haslam Music Center
In an effort to promote the fading practice of family dinners and to reach out to our underserved community members, the Clarence Brown Theatre is offering drastically reduced $10 tickets to a performance of A Lesson Before Dying and a pre-performance buffet-style dinner. The only stipulation is that patrons must attend as a family unit, however that may be defined. Limit 6 tickets per family. Recommended for mature middle schoolers and up.
Season for Youth Student Matinees
March 2, 4, 9, and 11 at 9:30 a.m.
Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre
These specifically designated performances will offer nearly 1,400 middle and high school students the opportunity to attend A Lesson Before Dying for only $6. Additionally, the Clarence Brown Theatre will provide study guides and promote a follow-up activity. Recommended for mature middle schoolers and up. More information at: clarencebrowntheatre.com/season-for-youth
Sunday Symposium with Dr. Michelle D. Commander
Sunday, March 13, following the 2 p.m. performance
Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre
Dr. Michelle Commander will lead a post-performance discussion on the play and its themes. Dr. Commander received her Ph.D. in American Studies and Ethnicity from the University of Southern California. She teaches courses and conducts research on twentieth and twenty-first century African American literature, cultural studies, diasporic literatures, and Black social movements.
About The Big Read
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. The Big Read aims to encourage reading for pleasure and enrichment by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book in their communities. The grant for The Big Read 2016 was awarded to Friends of the Knox County Public Library.
Community Partners:
Beck Cultural Exchange Center
Friends of Literacy
Great School Partnership/Community Schools
Knoxville Area Transit
Knoxville Area Urban League
McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture
Police Advisory & Review Committee (PARC), City of Knoxville
Save our Sons, City of Knoxville
Union Avenue Booksellers
UT College of Law
UT Commission for Blacks
UT Libraries
Vice Chancellors Office for Diversity & Inclusion
Youth Leadership Knoxville
YWCA
Mary Pom Claiborne
Knox County Public Library
