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Thursday, February 13, 2020
GO! magazine — A&E in Northeast Oregon
Get reading — The Big Read
kicks off next week
NORTHEAST OREGON —
Wallowa and Union counties are
joining together in The Big Read,
a nation-wide event in which every-
one reads the same book between
Feb. 19 and March 19.
The National Endowment for the
Arts Big Read “broadens our un-
derstanding of our world, our com-
munities, and ourselves through
the joy of sharing a good book.”
This year’s selection is “When
the Emperor was Divine” by Julie
Otsuka. The story follows one
Japanese family uprooted from its
Berkeley, California, home after the
start of World War II. The family is
taken to a racetrack in Utah then
forcibly relocated to an internment
camp. They spend two harrowing
years there before returning to a
home far less welcoming than it
was before the war.
Events are planned for readers
in Union and Wallowa counties.
Organized by Fishtrap and Art
Center East, most events are free
and all are open to the public.
The Big Read kickoff is “A Day of
Remembrance” with Chisao Hata
at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Enterprise
Christian Church.
Community book discussions are
set for 4-6 p.m. Feb. 22 and Feb. 29
at JaxDog Cafe and Books in La
Grande. Additional discussions will
be held March 7 and 14.
On Feb. 23, there will be a Japa-
nese Tea Ceremony with Kiyomi
Oliver at 2 p.m. at the Josephy
Center in Joseph.
An OPB documentary about
Oregon’s Japanese Americans will
be screened at 6 p.m. Feb. 25 at
Fishtrap.
On Feb. 29, a haiku poetry work-
shop with Whitney Chandler will
be held 9-10:30 a.m. at Fishtrap.
This is free, although registration is
required at www.fi shtrap.org.
On March 3 at noon, the Brown
Bag lunch at the Josephy Center
will address “How do we deal with
difference?”
A Wallowa County book discus-
sion will happen at 10:30 a.m.
March 4 at The Blythe Cricket in
Joseph.
A “Big Read Youth Day” is set
for 2-4 p.m. March 7 at Art Center
East in La Grande. This free event
will include activities for K-12
readers inspired by the companion
titles “So Far From the Sea,” “Write
to Me” and “Paper Wishes,” fea-
tured in La Grande school library
curriculum during the Big Read.
Youth will create art inspired by
the books’ illustrations, see names
written in Japanese characters and
make onigiri, a popular Japanese
snack food. This event is sponsored
by Mountain Valleys Reading
Council.
On March 10, a second discus-
sion centered on “How do we deal
with difference?” will be held at the
Wallowa City Hall at 7 p.m. with
David Bruce.
The next day, March 11, brings
a book discussion at Fishtrap at
10:30 a.m.
On March 15, a “tea in the gal-
lery” event will feature a tasting of
Japanese teas at Art Center East
in La Grande. Participants will
also learn about the Japanese tea
tradition. Space is limited. This is a
paid event, and registration may be
completed at www.artcentereast.
org. Cost is $20 members or $25
nonmembers. The teaching artist is
Sarah West, owner of Teahouse, a
small business in La Grande that
specializes in premium teas.
Art Center East will offer a
workshop on “Snow Dye Shibori
& Sake” 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 20.
Participants will create unique
scarves using shibori, a traditional
Japanese dye technique using
indigo to create blue and white pat-
terns on silk. Space is limited. This
is a paid event, and registration
may be completed at www.artcen-
tereast.org. Cost is $35 members,
$45 nonmembers.
Final events for the Big Read
include a performance by Portland
Taiko, a Japanese drum perfor-
mance group, on March 19 at the
OK Theatre in Enterprise. Cost is
$15, free for ages 18 and younger.
The group will give an evening
performance, a school assembly
and teach a drum workshop. The
workshop costs $15 and is limited
to 12 participants.
Go to www.fi shtrap.org or www.
artcentereast.org for more details.
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Featuring an ensemble cast of students and community members.
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February 28th @ 7 PM
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Hors d’oeuvres, refreshments,
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February 29th @*7PM
Admissions
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$12 General Admission
*Cash or check only
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Purchase tickets at EOU Bookstore, EOU Box Office, or at the door.
All proceeds will be donated to shelter from the storm. Disclaimer: This show contains mature themes and language.