LITERATURE + LECTURES

Houston Public Library invites all Houstonians to the Houston area’s new reading and programming series, Gulf Coast Reads: On the Same Page. The annual Fall "one city, one book" reading series.

The “Gulf Coast Reads: On the Same Page” program is a collaborative reading initiative coordinated by Fort Bend County Libraries, the Harris County Public Library System, the Brazoria County Library System, the Montgomery County Memorial Library System, the Houston Public Library, and other library and educational institutions, museums, and bookstores. The premise is that people living in the surrounding area along the gulf coast will all read the same book at the same time, generating discussion among co-workers, friends, families and classrooms. The goal of Gulf Coast Reads is to cultivate a culture of reading in the local area by encouraging people to come together in libraries, bookstores, community centers, homes, churches, and schools to discuss the book.

Gulf Coast Reads Events:

Author Visit: Chitra Divakaruni
Join us for a special visit from author Chitra Divakaruni, who will discuss and sign copies of her book, One Amazing Thing.

Monday, September 26  at 6 PM
Kendall Neighborhood Library

Book Discussions
Join us for these discussions of the 2011 Gulf Coast Reads selection, One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakaruni, at your neighborhood library.

Tuesday, September 13 at 12 PM
Central Library

Thursday, September 15 at 1 PM
Collier Regional Library

Friday, September 16 at  1:30 PM
McCrane-Kashmere Gardens Neighborhood Library

Tuesday, September 27 at 1 PM
Kendall Neighborhood Library

Storytelling Workshops
In One Amazing Thing, characters each tell a story. Learn to tell your story or collect stories from your family or others in this free workshop presented by the Houston Storytellers Guild. Participants will receive tools to evoke stories, practice creating and refining some of their own stories, and learn what can be done with stories in business, advocacy, or family sharing. These events are part of the Gulf Coast Reads reading and programming series.

Saturday, September 17 at 1 PM
Freed-Montrose Neighborhood Library

An Evening with Shubhra Ramineni
Join us for these special visits from Shubhra Ramineni, who will discuss and sign copies of her cookbook, Entice with Spice.

Monday, September 19 at 6 PM
McGovern-Stella Link Neighborhood Library

Thursday, September 29 at  6 PM
Central Library

In the novel, One Amazing Thing, nine people of diverse nationalities struggle for survival after an earthquake leaves them trapped in the basement of the Indian Consulate in an unnamed American city. In an effort to ease tensions, a young graduate student suggests they each tell “one amazing thing” that has happened in their lives. Their tales of love and loss, betrayal, and redemption help to illuminate the impending darkness, and give them encouragement in their fight to survive.

Originally from Calcutta, India, Chitra Divakaruni teaches creative writing at the University of Houston and resides in Sugar Land. She has won numerous awards for her writing, and has judged several prestigious literary awards, including the National Book Award and the PEN Faulkner Award. Her writing has been included in more than 50 anthologies, and has been translated into 20 languages. Two of her books have been made into movies. Divakaruni’s poems, short stories, and novels generally focus on similar themes – the roles of women in India and America; the immigrant experience and the struggle to adapt to new cultures; and the complexities of love.

For a complete list of Gulf Coast Reads events occuring at other locations, please visit the Gulf Coast Reads official site: www.gulfcoastreads.org.