Students from Franklin Pierce University and Conant High School converged on Tuesday to celebrate Willa Cather’s “My Antonia” as a part of the NEA Big Read.
FPU faculty and staff came to the high school to have round table discussions about the book, which students at both schools have read. FPU professor Sarah Dangelantonio said “My Antonia” was selected because of the author’s ties to Jaffrey.
“The author loved the area so much that she is buried here,” noted Dangelantonio. “She wrote while she stayed in Jaffrey.”
The NEA Big Read is a national grant program that aims to broaden people’s understanding of the world through the joy of reading. Franklin Pierce is the first university in New Hampshire to receive a Big Read grant.
The discussions at Conant were one of many programs that the university has planned; almost a dozen other events have been scheduled through the month of October in Jaffrey, Peterborough, and Rindge. Events include book talks and guest speakers.
“The Big Read is a great opportunity for Franklin Pierce to connect with the Monadnock region,” said Dr. Donna Decker, the recipient of the grant and an English professor at the university. “The Big Read has a proven track record of getting people connected to reading and great literature, so this is a very special program and we’re so proud to be a part of it.”
For more information about the specific events, visit www.neabigread.org/communities/?community_id=2262.
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.