Oct 13-17 visits include Metro Detroit (Plymouth), Grand Rapids, Lansing, Midland, Traverse City
(LANSING)-----The Michigan Humanities Council announces the details for Bich Minh Nguyen, author of Stealing Buddha's Dinner, to tour Michigan as part of the Council's 2009-2010 Great Michigan Read. The Council will bring Nguyen to five Michigan cities - Grand Rapids, Traverse City, Midland, Lansing, and Plymouth - from October 13-17, 2009. The public is invited to each event, but seating is limited. All events are free except where noted. A book signing will be provided at each location. Those interested are encouraged to contact each of the sites for more information:
GRAND RAPIDS. Tuesday, October 13. 7 p.m. Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, Pew Grand Rapids Campus, Grand Valley State University. Contact: 616-331-3501 or www.gvsu.edu/pewcampus/
TRAVERSE CITY. Wednesday, October 14. 7 p.m. City Opera House. Tickets $10, free for students (with ID). Contact: 231-941-8082 or www.cityoperahouse.org
MIDLAND. Thursday, October 15. 7:30 p.m. Grace A. Dow Memorial Library. Contact: 989-837-3430 or www.midland-mi.org/gracedowlibrary
LANSING. Friday, October 16. 2 p.m. Dart Auditorium, Lansing Community College. Contact: 517-483-1957 or www.lcc.edu
PLYMOUTH. Saturday, October 17. 1 p.m. Penn Theatre (hosted by Plymouth District Library). Contact: 734-453-0750 or www.plymouthlibrary.org.
About Stealing Buddha's Dinner
Stealing Buddha's Dinner is a memoir chronicling Nguyen's (pictured at right) migration from Vietnam in 1975 and her coming of age in Grand Rapids, Michigan in the 1980s. Along the way, she struggles to construct her own cultural identity from a menagerie of uniquely American influences. Stealing Buddha's Dinner was selected by a group of nearly 50 librarians, teachers, students, professors, authors, and others from all corners of the state. More than 75 Michigan-related titles were considered for the program.
About the Great Michigan Read
With a statewide focus on a single book, the Michigan Humanities Council's Great Michigan Read encourages Michiganians to learn more about their state, their history, and their society. The Council's free supporting programming will focus on three themes: immigration stories, cultural understanding, and contemporary history.
So far this year, 139 organizations across the state, including libraries, K-12 schools, colleges, book clubs, and other nonprofits have joined the Council as partners. Additional organizations are encouraged to join. Partner organizations can register online for free copies of supporting materials and will be eligible for Council grants for related programming. Readers of The Detroit Free Press will receive a free Great Michigan Read supplement, featuring a full chapter from the book, in the October 9, 2009 edition of the paper. Additional free copies of the supplement will be available to partner organizations and classrooms. Other programs and resources, including a teacher's guide, special media projects, and Facebook applications, will debut throughout the year.
Meijer, Public Policy Associates, and the National Endowment for the Humanities are leading sponsors of The Great Michigan Read.
This is the Council's second Great Michigan Read. The 2007-08 initiative featured Ernest Hemingway's The Nick Adams Stories, inspiring more than 500 programs, events, and activities in 75 of the state's 83 counties. Highlights included a six-city author tour with Valerie Hemingway and a Michigan Author Homecoming with Richard Ford, Jim Harrison, and Thomas McGuane.
The Michigan Humanities Council, founded in 1974, is a private, non-profit organization, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. For additional information, please visit: www.michiganhumanities.org or call 517-372-7770.