The Arts Council for Long Beach and the Long Beach Public Library Foundation are proud to announce a collaboration between Smithsonian Week and Long Beach Reads One Book. This year’s Smithsonian Week theme, Voices ~ Visions will combine the knowledge of Smithsonian Institution Scholars with the rich history of our local community through oral histories of individuals and organizations, spoken word, visual media, performances and literature. A full range of events will be published in early February.
The book chosen for Long Beach Reads One Book is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. The book tells the story of a mountain climber, Greg Mortenson, who attempts a climb K2, almost loses his life, and is discovered and saved by people from a remote village where the children’s education is accomplished by writing in the dirt with sticks. This experience changes his life’s purpose and he promises to build schools for them and others in the most remote mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The week’s events will kick-off with an evening with Greg Mortenson on March 6th at the Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of California State University, Long Beach (tickets can be purchased online from the Carpenter Center’s website: www.carpenterarts.org).
Other events include Smithsonian Scholars visiting area schools for lectures and workshops, an all-day read on Second Street with a “Pennies for Peace” collection activity, a Spoken Word festival on March 14th in the East Village, book club teas with a variety of speakers and many arts and cultural events throughout Long Beach.
Antonio Ruiz, Arts Council for Long Beach Board Member and Chair of Smithsonian Week activities, says he is delighted to head up the 2009 Visions ~ Voices idea that can relate so strongly to everyone from communities to City Hall. “This will be a city-wide celebration of Long Beach’s rich diversity and history through stories.”
“We are very excited about combining ‘Smith Week’ and ‘Book Week’ this year,” sand Sara Pillet, Executive Director of the Long Beach Public Library Foundation. “Both programs have had a strong identity and history in our City and both share the goal of bringing the community together to celebrate literature and the arts. The tie between telling stories through art and the spoken word, and Greg Mortenson’s story and his goal to inspire others towards peace is a great match,”
Organizations that wish to become a part of this effort by holding an event that week are asked to submit participation forms (which can be found on the Arts Council website or obtained from the Library Foundation and turn in their submission ideas by January 13th.
For more information, please contact Milena Tanaka at the Arts Council for Long Beach 562-570-3874 or the Library Foundation 562-628-2441 or go to www.artslb.org.