Salinas, CA, August 31, 2016 — The National Steinbeck Center was a recipient of a grant of $14,000 to host the NEA Big Read in Salinas. A program of the National Endowment for the Arts, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The National Steinbeck Center was one of 77 nonprofit organizations to receive a grant to host an NEA Big Read project between September 2016 and June 2017.

The book selected by the NSC for the 2016 Big Read is Sun, Stone, and Shadows: Twenty Great Mexican Short Stories edited by Jorge Hernández González. Activities will take place beginning September 2016. Events will be held Salinas, Monterey, King City and other Monterey County locations.

NEA BIG READ 2016
Sponsored by the National Steinbeck Center and in partnership with

· The Western Stage

· Hartnell College

· Hijos del Sol

· Maya Cinemas

· Salinas Public Libraries

· Monterey Public Library

· Monterey County Free Libraries

· California State University, Monterey Bay

· Hartnell Library and Learning Resource Center

· Monterey County Office of Education

· “Voices of California,” Department of Linguistics, Stanford University

Free admission to all NEA Big Read events below

SEPTEMBER
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Sept. 6: NSC, 10-5pm
National Read a Book Day! Free NSC admission 10am-5pm! 10% off books in NSC bookstore! Pop-up discussion of “My Life with the Wave” at 12pm. Contest for copies of Sun, Stone, and Shadows.

Sept. 9-15: Maya Cinemas, Main St. Salinas
Hola Mexico Film Festival showcases great Mexican films. See schedule.

Sept. 10: The Western Stage, Mainstage Theater, Hartnell College, 7:30pm
Opening Night of Bandido. A brilliant retelling of the controversial life and death of Tiburcio Vásquez, a thief and hero. This play is a stunning biography, a thumping melodrama, a political epic and a musical satire by the contemporary theatre icon Luis Valdez.

Pop up exhibit by the National Steinbeck Center. From Sept. 16 through Nov. 1 bring a Bandido ticket to the National Steinbeck Center for free admission. Show a copy of Sun, Stone, and Shadows to The Western Stage Box Office for a half-price ticket to see Bandido.

Sept. 10: National Steinbeck Center, 5pm
Mariachi Festival and Tequilla tasting. See www.steinbeck.org for details.

Sept. 11: The Western Stage, Mainstage Theater, Hartnell College, 2-5pm.
Bandido Talk-Back Session with Director, Cast, and David Serena, Monterey Peninsula College Professor of Ethnic Studies and Political Science. Q&A with panel. Pop-up exhibit by the National Steinbeck Center.

Sept. 11: Alisal Street, Salinas, 11-5
El Grito Parade and Festival: Celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Stop by the NSC pop up exhibit for the chance to win a free copy of Sun, Stone and Shadows in Spanish or English.

Sept. 13: Hartnell College Library, 10-1pm
10th Anniversary Celebration: Celebrate the building’s birthday with cake and giveaways, including copies of Sun, Stone, and Shadows.

Sept. 14: National Steinbeck Center Bookstore, 6pm
Books and Bites: Come discuss stories in the first half of Sun, Stone, and Shadows. Book group led by Susan Shillinglaw, Director, NSC.

Sept. 16: National Steinbeck Center, 3-7:00pm
NEA BIG READ Kick-Off and Open House: Free admission all day! 3:00: Archives highlights from our Steinbeck-Mexico collection. Pop up exhibits by all BIG READ partners. 3:30: “Steinbeck’s Mexico,” Susan Shillinglaw, Director of the NSC. 4:30: The Western Stage premieres a dramatic adaptation of “My Life with the Wave.” 5:00: Music by CSUMB concert band, Sharp Nine. 5:30: “Voices of California,” Stanford University’s project on oral histories in Salinas. 6:00: Tacos served on the patio.

CSUMB Library launches its art contest: “Cover Art.” Submissions due by October 17. See
https://csumb.edu/library/big-read-2016

Sept. 17: Monterey Public Library, 1pm
Sun, Stone, and Shadows Discussion with Susan Shillinglaw

Sept. 19- Oct. 16: John Steinbeck Library
SET THE SCENE ART CONTEST for students aged 13-18 and adults 19 and up. All entries will be displayed at the John Steinbeck Library, and the public will vote on their favorite. A panel of local artists will also judge the entries. See contest rules and prizes on the Library's website.

Sept. 21: National Steinbeck Center, 5:30pm
Sweet Wednesday (with pan dulce): “What Can Literature Tell us about Ourselves?” Rafael Gomez, Professor of Mexican Literature and Spanish at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Sept. 24: Monterey Public Library, 1pm
“When We Were Mexico: A Frontier Province and Its Capital—Monterey,” Dennis Copeland, Monterey’s manager of museums, cultural arts, and archives.

Sept. 24: John Steinbeck Library, 10am-6pm
Stories on Saturday: The Fantastic Unreal. Programs throughout the day focusing on the first section of Sun, Stone, and Shadows. See Library's schedule.

Sept. 25: The Western Stage, Mainstage Theater, Hartnell College, 2-5pm
Bandido Talk-Back Session with with legendary playwright Luis Valdez and David Serena, MPC Professor of Ethnic Studies and Political Science. NSC Pop-up Big Read Display.

Sept. 27: CSUMB Student Center, 2pm
The Western Stage performance of “My Life with the Wave” followed by

Discussion of “Tell Them Not to Kill Me” with Donaldo Urioste, Professor of Spanish and
Chicano Literature

Sept. 28: Maya Cinemas, 153 Main St, Salinas, 7pm
BIG READ Steinbeck Film Series: Forgotten Village (1941) with introduction by Ruben Mendoza, CSUMB Professor of Mexican Archaeology. Q&A at closing with Susan Shillinglaw and Ruben Mendoza.

Sept. 29: National Steinbeck Center, 5:30pm
Sweet Thursday: “The Mexico We Left Behind” Claudia Melendez, author of A Fighting Chance and journalist at the Monterey Herald, leads a discussion of Sun, Stone, and Shadows.

Contact:
Marci Bracco Cain
Chatterbox PR
Salinas, CA 93901
(831) 747-7455
http://www.steinbeck.org