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Thursday, March 4, 2021
GO! magazine — A&E in Northeast Oregon
Ahoy! Big Read 2021 nears the shore
ENTERPRISE — Fishtrap’s Big Read 2021, which is online-only again this year, centers on a
true tale of resilience and survival — “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex”
by Nathaniel Philbrick. The month-long event concludes in mid-March.
Under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Fishtrap has created a month of free
online events for readers, students and families to learn about whales and the history of whaling in
America.
The Big Read’s events are free and open to all, and reading the book is not required. All Big Read
events may be experienced either as a livestream or afterward on Fishtrap’s website (www.fi shtrap.
org/the-big-read-2021).
The fi rst event of the 2021 Big Read was Wednesday, Feb. 17, a livestreamed presentation by
Dr. Lisa T. Balance, director of Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute and endowed
chairwoman of marine mammal research.
The Big Read continues with a series of educational events in partnership with The Colum-
bia River Maritime Museum (see schedule below). The fi nale is March 17 with the book’s author
streaming online from his home on Nantucket.
In addition to the National Endowment for the Arts, the program is supported locally by neigh-
borhood businesses and individual donations. Special thanks are offered to community sponsors Art
Center East, Community Bank, The Bookloft and the Oregon Arts Commission.
Fishtrap/Contributed Photos and Artwork
‘IN THE HEART OF THE SEA’
BIG READ
2021
SCHEDULE
Feb. 17 — “Whaling” with Dr. Lisa T. Ballance; watch online anytime beginning Feb. 18.
Feb. 24 — “Food at Sea: How to Make Your Own Hardtack”; watch online anytime beginning
Feb. 25.
Feb. 25 — “Sailor Superstitions”; watch live online at 1 p.m. or anytime beginning Feb. 26.
March 3 — “Whaling in Oregon”; watch live online at 1 p.m. or anytime beginning March 4.
March 4 — “Golden Age of Whaling”; watch live online at 1 p.m. or anytime beginning March 5.
March 10 — “Sailor Slang”; watch live online at 1 p.m. or anytime beginning March 11.
March 17 — Finale keynote address with Nathaniel Philbrick, author of “In the Heart of the
Sea”; watch online anytime beginning March 17.
The National Book Award-winning tale is the story of the 19th-century whaleship Essex, which
was the target of a sperm whale attack. The 85-foot long whale — perhaps the largest of that
species anyone had witnessed — rammed the ship and stove
it in. The attack and the sinking of the Essex were the basis
of Herman Melville’s ending for his 1851 novel, “Moby-Dick.”
The book takes place in 1819, when the Essex set sail
to hunt whales, leaving Nantucket, Massachusetts, for the
South Pacifi c in what was to be a routine voyage. Instead,
the crew found itself part of one of the most horrifying mari-
time disasters in American history when the massive whale
rammed and sunk their vessel.
For 90 days the crew drifted in small
boats with only some sense of where
they were in the vast ocean. Facing
starvation, disease, brutal weather and
a near loss of hope, they succumbed
to drastic measures as they fought to
Philbrick
stay alive.
LA GRANDE
541-963-6033
BAKER CITY
541-523-1533
ENTERPRISE
541-426-9228
www.CarpetoneEO.com