About The Big Read
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and in cooperation with Arts Midwest. It brings the transformative power of literature into the lives of its citizens. A 2004 NEA report, Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, identified a critical decline in reading for pleasure among American adults. The Big Read aims to address this issue directly by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities.
The purpose of The Big Read, like the purpose of literature itself, is pleasure. Not necessarily an easy pleasure, but a deliciously rich and complex one. A great book combines enlightenment with enchantment. It awakens our imagination and enlarges our humanity. It can even offer harrowing insights that somehow console and comfort us.
The prospect of an America where only a few people share a love of reading is just too lonely to bear. Even if statistics didn't show that readers are more active in their own communities and more engaged in their own lives, the act of reading would still be an indispensable part of what makes us fully human. It is for these reasons, with the incredible legacy of our nation's literature, that we at the NEA invite you to join The Big Read. For more information, please visit the NEA's Big Read website.
About Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a medium-sized, independent research university dedicated to challenging its faculty and students alike to seek new knowledge and greater understanding of an ever-changing, multicultural world. The university is counted among the world's leaders in teaching and research and draws students and faculty to St. Louis from all 50 states and more than 90 other nations. With 7,547 undergraduates and 6,033 graduate and professional students, Washington University offers more than 90 programs and nearly 1,500 courses in a broad spectrum of traditional and interdisciplinary majors.
Founded in 1853 by St. Louisans, Washington University is highly regarded for its commitment to excellence in learning. Its programs, administration, facilities, resources, and activities combine to further its mission of teaching, research, and service to society.
Set amid a thriving metropolitan region of 2.6 million residents, the University benefits from the vast array of social, cultural, and recreational opportunities offered by the St. Louis area. Bordered on the east by St. Louis' famed Forest Park and on the north, west, and south by well-established suburbs, the 169-acre Danforth Campus features predominantly Collegiate Gothic architecture, including a number of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, please visit the University's website.
About The Department of English at Washington University
The Department of English at Washington University offers an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate study with a first-rate faculty, and within a community of distinguished poets and fiction and non-fiction writers, enabling the student to become familiar with both critical and creative endeavors. The departmental programs reflect the interplay of artist, critic, and teacher. Graduate programs in the department emphasize broad training in the traditions of English and American literature and encourage a variety of critical and historical approaches to literary study. The department offers the M.A., the M.A. in Literature and History, the M.F.A. in Writing, and the Ph.D. in English and American Literature. Presently the department has approximately 130 undergraduate English majors, 95 graduate students, and 24 students in the Writing Program. For more information, please visit the Department's website.
