HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CLARKSVILLENOW) – The Pennyroyal Arts Council has announced that they have received a grant of $15,000 to host the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read in Christian County.

An Arts Endowment initiative in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The Pennyroyal Arts Council is one of 84 nonprofit organizations selected to receive an NEA Big Read grant to support a community reading program between September 2020 and June 2021.

The NEA Big Read in Christian County will focus on Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones. Activities will take place October 1 through November 13.

“The impressive level of involvement through our community partners is instrumental for our continuing success”, says Margaret Prim, Executive Director, Pennyroyal Arts Council. “The Pennyroyal Arts Council and community partners will provide thoughtful and fun programming while also strengthening community bonds.”

Hopkinsville-Christian County Public Library, Museums of Historic Hopkinsville- Christian County, Christian County Public Schools, Hopkinsville Community College and Planters Bank, Big Read Book Sponsor, will offer activities during the community reading program.

The NEA Big Read offers a range of titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery. The main feature of the initiative is a grants program, managed by Arts Midwest, which annually supports dynamic community reading programs, each designed around a single National Endowment for the Arts Big Read selection.

“We have become even more aware this year of the important ways the arts help us connect with others, and how they bring meaning, joy, and comfort to our lives,” said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “These 84 organizations leading NEA Big Reads will provide opportunities for deep discussion and ways to help us better understand one another.”

Since 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded more than 1,600 NEA Big Read programs, providing more than $22 million to organizations nationwide. Over the past thirteen years, grantees have leveraged more than $50 million in local funding to support their NEA Big Read programs. More than 5.7 million Americans have attended an NEA Big Read event, approximately 91,000 volunteers have participated at the local level, and 39,000 community organizations have partnered to make NEA Big Read activities possible.

For more information about the NEA Big Read, including book and author information, podcasts, and videos, visit arts.gov/neabigread.