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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 5, 2002
Contact: Patricia Fraga, Austin Public Library, (512) 974-7528
Fax: (512) 974-7442
Public Discussion Groups of Bless Me, Ultima Continue
The next discussion group of Bless Me, Ultima is scheduled for Thursday, September 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Old Quarry Branch, 7051 Village Center Drive located in Northwest Austin. The group will be led by Professor Steven Hoelscher, a cultural geographer who is interested in the shaping role of landscape and the sense of place in American life. Please join us in a discussion! For a complete discussion group listing visit www.cityofaustin.org/library/mayor_bookclub.htm.
This summer the Mayor’s Office and the Austin Public Library invited all of Austin to read the same book, Bless Me, Ultima, the first annual selection of "The Mayor's Book Club." Set in New Mexico at the close of World War II, Rudolfo Anaya's novel charts a young boy's passage into experience through his encounters with division and change. Since the launch (April 2002) of “What if All of Austin Reads the Same Book?” many groups and organizations; such as bookstores, churches, businesses, and hospitals have organized and hosted discussion groups around various themes of the book. Now, in partnership with the University of Texas Humanities Institute the Library kicks-off a series of discussions led by University of Texas professors from various fields of study. Bless Me, Ultima asks us to think about how we deal with change and what is worth preserving, about what and why evil is, and about what role spirit plays in our lives and where it’s found--in nature? institutional religion? folk tales and traditions? love? These are some of the questions that summer readers of the novel in English or in Spanish may consider and that this series of free discussions will explore.
The discussions will continue through October culminating with a town meeting on October 23, with the award winning author, Rudolfo Anaya. The author event will take place at Fiesta Gardens at 7:00 p.m. This will be a free public event, and a great opportunity to meet and visit with the author of the book everyone in Austin is reading! For additional information and for a complete detail listing of discussion groups call (512) 974-7400 or visit www.cityofaustin.org/library/mayor_bookclub.htm.
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