RELEASE DATE: February 4, 2010
Contact: Christine Perkins
Bellingham Public Library
(360) 778-7206
cperkins@cob.org
SEE AUTHOR TOBIAS WOLFF ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8 FOR THE BIG READ: WHATCOM READS!
Acclaimed author Tobias Wolff will be the keynote speaker at a presentation this Monday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Whatcom Community College's Syre Center. The presentation is free of charge; no tickets are necessary. Wolff will discuss his novel Old School, which was the featured title of the 2010 Big Read: Whatcom READS! program.
Old School is about a scholarship student who attends an elite New England boarding school in the early 1960s. Enthralled by the legends and lore of his new school, the teen becomes obsessed with winning a writing contest which will grant him an audience with a famous author who will visit the school. Robert Frost, Ayn Rand, and Ernest Hemingway all make an appearance. Old School explores themes of identity and integrity, and the blurred line between fiction and reality. Copies are available at Bellingham Public Library, Whatcom County Library System, and Village Books, and may be purchased the evening of the presentation. A book signing will follow the author talk.
Tobias Wolff may be most-recognized as the author of This Boy's Life, a memoir of his childhood years growing up near Concrete, Washington. This Boy's Life was adapted into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a young "Jack" Wolff and Robert DeNiro as his abusive step-father. Wolff is renowned for his short stories, for which he has won numerous O. Henry awards and the prestigious Story Prize.
The Big Read: Whatcom READS! is a community-wide reading celebration that encourages everyone in Whatcom County to read the same book, then discuss it with others. This year, funding for the program came from the The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. In addition to bringing Tobias Wolff to Whatcom County, the grant allowed organizers to purchase 600 copies of Old School to pass out to readers throughout the county.
For a complete listing of events related to The Big Read: Whatcom READS!, visit www.whatcomreads.org.
###