Spoken Word Event Kicks Off National Library Week
READ 650 will help the New Rochelle Council on the Arts and The New Rochelle Public Library Foundation kick off National Library Week with a spoken word event on Sunday, April 7th at 3:30 pm in the Ossie Davis Theater at the New Rochelle Public Library. The event is free and open to the public; a reception will follow.
The theme, #MyLibraryMyStory, was chosen to celebrate the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians. Writers were asked to “take us into your memory stacks and tell us about the unforgettable book or the dusty nook or the librarian’s look that’s become a dog-eared page in your life story”. READ650 received a record number of submissions: “The topic really resonated with people,” says Ed McCann, founder of READ650, “and there was passion in those pages.” In the end nearly 100 writers submitted their stories, and 12 were selected to read aloud.
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians and library workers play in transforming lives and communities. Sponsored by the American Library Association, this year’s theme is Libraries = Strong Communities, and the Honorary Chair is Melinda Gates. Over the last 20 years, Gates has invested more than $1 billion through her foundation’s Global Libraries initiative to enhance the power of libraries to improve lives.
ABOUT
Read650 is a showcase for writers and a celebration of the spoken word. A non-profit literary forum launched in 2014, each spoken word event is organized around a single broad topic that invites a range of expression. Submissions are limited to 650 words and read aloud within five minutes. Performances are live-streamed and recorded for broadcasts and podcasts, and are added to a growing digital archive of writers reading their work aloud. Read650.com
The New Rochelle Council on the Arts was created by the New Rochelle City Council in 1975 to stimulate and encourage the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts; for 40 years NRCA has worked to fulfill that mission by sponsoring art exhibitions, theatrical productions, dance recitals, film screenings, lectures, and concert series. In addition, NRCA has sponsored public art and created ArtsFest, while helping to build relationships between the arts, the business community and city government. For more information visit NRCA on the web at www.newrochellearts.org. NRCA’s programs are made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with funds from Westchester County Government, the City of New Rochelle, and the support and participation of NRCA’s membership.
The New Rochelle Public Library Foundation is a volunteer fundraising and advocacy organization working to ensure the future well-being of the Library. The NRPL Foundation, created in 1993, supports Library initiatives that enhance opportunities for learning, exploration and public discourse. Among the Foundation’s recent contributions, it provided more than $106,000 to partially underwrite the cost of the remodel of the Ossie Davis Theater; along with new seating and exterior signage and entrance work, the upgrade includes assistive listening technology, greater accessibility and upgraded fire suppression, HVAC and other systems. For more information call the NRPL Foundation at 914-632-7878, ext. 1600 or email info@nrplfoundation.org.
Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library generates dollars through extraordinary hands-on efforts in “recycling” books and other materials—money that funds nearly five hundred public programs conducted at the main library each year. www.nrpl.org/friends-of-the-nrpl
About New Rochelle Council on the Arts
The New Rochelle Council on the Arts mission is to stimulate and encourage the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and the public\’s interest and participation therein. It has been exemplified by our sponsorship of a vast number of exhibitions, theatrical productions, dance recitals, film screenings, lectures, and concert series. To create opportunities for the public to encounter and explore art and increase access to the arts in New Rochelle.
NRCA has been in existence for nearly 40 years — it was created by a resolution adopted by the New Rochelle City Council on April 8, 1975. Our mission is to stimulate and encourage the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and the public’s interest and participation therein. This is exemplified by our sponsorship of a vast number of exhibitions, theatrical productions, dance recitals, film screenings, lectures, and concert series.