{"id":1363,"date":"2020-06-16T20:49:04","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T20:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cahcms.smca.ucf.edu\/bigread\/?page_id=1363"},"modified":"2024-02-05T16:44:01","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T16:44:01","slug":"big-read-2024","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/bigread\/","title":{"rendered":"NEA Big Read: Central Florida (2024)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t\t
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Header image: Abstinencia (Libertad)<\/em> (detail) by Yoan Capote, 2014<\/p>\n

NEA Big Read: Central Florida \u2022 Jan 20 \u2013 Apr 15, 2024<\/span>
\nDeaf Republic<\/em> by Ilya Kaminsky<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

In 2024, the NEA Big Read: Central Florida celebrates Deaf Republic<\/em> by Ilya Kaminsky.<\/p>\n

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience.<\/p>\n

#NEABigRead<\/p>\n

\"National<\/p>\n

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Events<\/h2>\n

UCF is one of 61 communities nationwide participating in the NEA Big Read in 2023-24. From January to April 2024, our community will celebrate Ilya Kaminsky\u2019s Deaf Republic<\/em> with a full calendar of events including book clubs, special lectures, book signings, theatrical productions and art exhibitions at both the John C. Hitt Library and the Rollins Museum of Art.<\/p>\n

Seminole County Public Libraries will host book clubs<\/a> at each of its five branches, offering daytime and evening discussion groups. Additional book clubs are planned at the John C. Hitt Library, the Rollins Museum of Art, the Central Florida Reception Center, Lake Correctional Institution, and Polk Correctional Institution.<\/p>\n


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Kick Off and Book Giveaway<\/h3>\n

Monday, January 22, 2024, 1\u20133 p.m. EST \u2022 UCF Main Campus, John C. Hitt Library<\/p>\n

Pick up your complimentary copy of Ilya Kaminsky\u2019s Deaf Republic<\/em> (while supplies last) and learn more about how you can participate in the NEA Big Read: Central Florida.<\/small><\/p>\n

Tables will be located on the 2nd (main) floor of the John C. Hitt Library.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

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Silent Protest: Perspectives on War and Disability<\/h3>\n

January 20, 2024 – April 7, 2024 \u2022 Rollins Museum of Art<\/p>\n

In his 2019 book Deaf Republic<\/em>, poet Ilya Kaminsky explores the impact of war, displacement, and the experience of trauma on those living with a disability. The power of the literal and metaphorical voice is central to Kaminsky\u2019s evocative story as he weaves descriptions of violence and uncertainty with impactful scenes of resilience and hope. This exhibition, co-curated by Dr. Keri Watson, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Central Florida, and Dr. Gisela Carbonell, Curator of the Rollins Museum of Art and drawn from the museum\u2019s permanent collection, brings together a selection of works that address these themes from multiple artistic perspectives. Examining notions of silence, communication, memory, and conflict in the personal and political arenas, Silent Protest<\/em> includes excerpts from Deaf Republic<\/em> displayed in the gallery alongside paintings, photographs, objects and prints that encourage viewers to pause and reflect.<\/small><\/p>\n

More Info<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

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Finding Their Voice<\/h3>\n

February 19 – April 19, 2024 \u2022 UCF Main Campus, John C. Hitt Library<\/p>\n

Finding one’s voice is a deeply personal and introspective journey, often shaped by life experiences, self-reflection, and personal growth. The “Finding Their Voice” exhibition explores how artists, authors, activists, and ordinary people articulate their unique voices. Artists convey their voices through color, medium, texture, and form, serving as visual echoes of their inner dialogue. Authors use the written word to explore and communicate their innermost feelings and thoughts as they search for their narrative voice. Activists find their voice through impassioned actions that echo their convictions. Ordinary people express their voices through conversations, creative pursuits, or standing up for their beliefs.<\/small><\/p>\n

Drawn from the collections in the University of Central Florida Libraries Special Collections & University Archives department, this exhibition’s artwork, literature, and stories capture the essence of introspection, offering a poignant reflection on the power of self-discovery and authentic expression that sets individuals apart and defines their identity. In addition to celebrating the diversity of voices around us, this exhibition invites visitors to contemplate their journey to find their voice.<\/small><\/p>\n

The exhibit will be held in the Special Collections & University Archives Gallery on the fourth floor of the John C. Hitt Library on UCF’s main campus.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

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Lecture by NEA Big Read Organizer Keri Watson<\/h3>\n

Tuesday, March 26, 2024, 6 p.m. EST \u2022\u00a0Rollins Museum of Art<\/p>\n

Join Dr. Keri Watson, Associate Professor of Art History, co-curator of “Silent Protest: Perspectives on War and Disability,” and co-editor of The Routledge Companion to Art and Disability (2022), in a discussion of Ilya Kaminsky’s 2019 book Deaf Republic, the impact of war and displacement on those living with a disability, and the power of art to transform society.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

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#Faces of Russian Resistance Art Exhibition<\/h3>\n

April 3-14 \u2022\u00a0Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts<\/p>\n

This exhibition tells the story of sixteen Russian citizens who openly oppose the War in Ukraine. The panels tell their stories, share the laws under which they were convicted, and outline the terms of the sentences they received for fighting the regime, calling attention to the war, and for not remaining silent.<\/small><\/p>\n

Citizens: Alexei Gorinov \u25cf Ilya Yashin \u25cf Alexey Nuriev & Roman Nasryev \u25cf Vladimir Kara-Murza \u25cf Mikhail Krieger \u25cf Lilia Chanysheva \u25cf Yuri Dmitriev \u25cf Alexei Navalny \u25cf Andrei Pivovarov \u25cf Sasha Skochilenko \u25cf Natalia Filonova \u25cf Dmitry Ivanov \u25cf Maria Ponomarenko \u25cf Alexey Moskaliev \u25cf Zarifa Sautieva \u25cf Vsevolod Korolev<\/small><\/p>\n

Sponsored by the NEA Big Read and the Florida Prison Education Project<\/small><\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

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\"Ilya<\/div>\n
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Poetry Reading and Book Signing by Ilya Kaminsky<\/h3>\n

Saturday, April 6, 2024, 1 p.m. EST \u2022\u00a0Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts<\/p>\n

Ilya Kaminsky is a USSR-born, Ukrainian-Jewish-American poet, critic, translator and professor. He is best known for his poetry collections Dancing in Odessa and Deaf Republic<\/em>, which have earned him several awards. In 2019, the BBC named Kaminsky among \u201c12 artists who changed the world.\u201d<\/small><\/p>\n

The event will be held in the DeVos Family Room at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.<\/small><\/p>\n

Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this event do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.<\/small><\/p>\n

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Performing Deaf Republic<\/h3>\n

Sunday, April 7, 2024, 1-3 p.m. EST \u2022\u00a0Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts<\/p>\n

Deaf Republic<\/em> (2019) follows a family of puppeteers as they struggle to resist the war that surrounds them. Drawing connections between global and local political conflicts and conveying the importance of standing up to tyranny, Deaf Republic<\/em> weaves a rich allegory of the urgency of collective action in times of oppression. Told in two acts, it begins with a shooting of Petya, a deaf boy, by soldiers occupying the fictional town of Vasenka. In response to his murder, the townspeople collectively go deaf, inventing their own sign language and using puppets to resist their oppressors. As the sound of the gun that kills Petya triggers deafness in the villagers, disability acts as a metaphor for the limitations of empathy and dangers of ignorance. Join Theatre UCF for a theatrical adaptation of Deaf Republic<\/em>, followed by a talkback with the creative team.<\/small><\/p>\n

The event will be held in the DeVos Family Room at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n

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\"Burhan<\/div>\n
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The Literature of Kurdish Writers with Burhan S\u00f6nmez<\/h3>\n

Monday, April 15, 2024, noon EST \u2022\u00a0UCF Main Campus, John C. Hitt Library<\/p>\n

Burhan S\u00f6nmez is a Kurdish human rights lawyer and novelist from Turkey. He is the President of PEN International, elected at the Centennial Congress in 2021. He is also Senior Member and a By-Fellow of Hughes Hall College, University of Cambridge. S\u00f6nmez is the author of five novels. He will discuss the literature of Kurdish writers and the situation of Kurdish culture in Kurdish regions and the diaspora.<\/small><\/p>\n

The event will be held in the John C. Hitt Library’s Multipurpose Room 402 on the UCF main campus and moderated by G\u00fcnes Murat Tezc\u00fcr, Director and Professor, School of Politics & Global Studies, Arizona State University.<\/small><\/p>\n

Funding for this program was provided by the Kurdish Political Studies Program in the UCF School of Politics, Security, and International Affairs.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n


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2021 marks the 10th<\/sup> anniversary of the publication of Tayari Jones’ award-winning novel, Silver Sparrow<\/span>. Jones’ book \u2026 offers an excellent opportunity for UCF to bring impactful programs that celebrate the role of literature in our community. Our programming will coincide with UCF’s celebration of Black History Month, and we are working with Africana Studies to bring the Big Read to a new campus audience.<\/p>\n