January 27, 2021
Page 7
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Ross Gay and his collection of essays, ‘The Book of Delights’ has
been chosen as the featured author and book for Multnomah
County Library’s “Everybody Reads” program for 2021.
‘Everybody Reads’ Ross Gay
Author headlines
community
reading project
Multnomah County Library
will launch its 19th annual com-
munity reading project Everybody
Reads with acclaimed author and
poet Ross Gay and his collection
of essays, The Book of Delights.
The Book of Delights presents
a compilation of daily, lyrical es-
says written by Gay over a year.
The observations and reflections
are a reminder and joyful celebra-
tion of everyday wonders that of-
ten go overlooked. His essays drift
across a wide range of topics from
the natural world to his experience
living in America as a Black man.
Gay’s 2015 book of poetry,
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude
received the National Book Critics
Circle Award for Poetry, among
other awards, and was a finalist
for the National Book Award in
Poetry.
Everybody Reads 2021 invites
the community to explore daily,
ordinary wonders and be awake to
the beauty around us. The Book of
Delights offers delight and atten-
tiveness, and a chance to reflect
on difficult subjects and discover
humor, joy and charm.
The library will distribute thou-
sands of copies of The Book of
Delights through libraries and
high schools across Multnomah
County as part of the project. Ev-
erybody Reads will culminate in
a virtual author lecture with Ross
Gay, presented by Literary Arts,
on Thursday, April 8.
“The Book of Delights is a
needed burst of sunshine at a time
heavy with rage, sorrow and pain,”
said Director of Libraries Vailey
Oehlke. “Ross Gay encourages us
to exercise our delight muscle ev-
ery day and to ‘attend to the ways
we make each other possible’.”
Through a shared reading expe-
rience, participants in Everybody
Reads discuss issues that matter,
learn from each other and promote
greater understanding.
Patrons can check out The Book
of Delights now. Extra copies of
the books will be available next
month at all neighborhood librar-
ies, and downloadable audiobooks
are available from the library cat-
alog, thanks to the generous sup-
port of The Library Foundation.