National Steinbeck Center Revamps Sweet Thursday Series to Celebrate NEA Big Read in Salinas

SALINAS, Calif. - Sept. 19, 2016 - PRLog -- For its NEA Big Read celebration of Sun, Stone, and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories, the National Steinbeck Center will revamp its Sweet Thursday series. Following a Sweet Wednesday talk on September 21st, every subsequent Thursday until October 27th will feature an admission free talk at the National Steinbeck Center around the central topic of the NEA Big Read book: Mexican culture. The NEA Big Read in Salinas is presented 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, Monterey County Office of Education, and "Voices of California," a research project from Stanford University.

The National Steinbeck Center launched its Sweet Thursday series last summer as a way to provide meaningful and exciting cultural activities for Salinas Valley residents. For the NEA Big Read, the National Steinbeck Center enlisted the help of local scholars, journalists, and historians to help contextualize  and enhance Sun, Stone, and Shadows. The series will cover various topics including psychology, history, literature, and theatre.

"The schedule is a testament to the breadth of the Sun, Stone, and Shadows and it's relevance to a variety of topics" added Eric Mora, Marketing & Membership Coordinator. "We are delighted to be able to offer such a wide array of topics—there is a talk here for everyone!"

SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, 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.

Thursday, 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 County Herald, leads a discussion of Sun, Stone, and Shadows.

Oct. 6: National Steinbeck Center 5:30pm

Sweet Thursday: "A View of Mexican Culture by Exploring Human Behavior." Leslie Price, Professor of Psychology at MPC and Hartnell College.

Oct. 13: National Steinbeck Center, 6pm

Sweet Thursday: Reader's Theater Extravaganza: Performance of "The Panther" by Everett Alvarez High School students, directed by Taylour Matz. Performance of "Permission Granted" by Alisal High School students, directed by Veronica Pulido. Coordinated by Mike Roddy..The Western Stage performance of "My Life with the Wave." Discussion to follow.

Oct. 20: National Steinbeck Center 5:30pm

Sweet Thursday: "Mexico in the Modern Imagination," Ruben Mendoza, CSUMB Professor of Mexican Archaeology.

Oct. 27: National Steinbeck Center 5:30pm

Sweet Thursday: "The Bull in Commerce and Culture," Bruce Elliott, former Senior

Biologist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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. Managed by Arts Midwest, this initiative offers grants to support innovative community reading programs designed around a single book. Salinas is one of 77 communities nationwide participating in the NEA Big Read from September 2016-June 2017. From September 16-November 1^st, the Salinas community will celebrate Sun, Stone, and Shadows with a full calendar of events including a film series with Maya Cinemas, lectures, plays, and more!

For more information on this event, please contact Eric Mora, 831-775-4729. You also can view a full calendar of events for the NEA Big Read in Monterey County on the website.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Use #NSCBigRead to share your experience reading Sun, Stone, and Shadows.

The National Steinbeck Center opened in 1998 as the only museum in the world solely dedicated to the life, works, and legacy of John Steinbeck. Located in Salinas, California the National Steinbeck Center is situated in the heart of Steinbeck Country and the sites and sounds immortalized in dozens of Steinbeck's novels.

Contact: Eric Mora – Marketing

Eric@steinbeck.org