Thank You for Being a Part of One Read 2014

October 1, 2014 Leave a comment

Boys-Boat-PB-web-medA big thank you to all of you who read or listened to “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown and joined us for one of this year’s outstanding One Read events.  Over the past month we have explored the Great Depression and the build up to WWII. We have celebrated Olympic sport and the American spirit. We have investigated the themes and topics in this book through discussions, lectures, films and art. We appreciate the hundreds of you who attended events and promoted this book to your book clubs, your coworkers and your families. Thank you for your support.

We capped off the month with Brown delivering his keynote address at Columbia College’s Launer Auditorium, and he graciously shared his own story as a writer and researcher, as well as that of Joe Rantz and his teammates.

Our sincere thanks to you for being a part of this year’s One Read!

On the Water: Art Exhibit Winners

September 11, 2014 Leave a comment

For this year’s One Read art exhibit, we asked area artists to contribute works that explore a range of experiences and views of water, whether from shore or flying across the water itself, “in a poem of motion, a symphony of swinging blades.” We were absolutely thrilled by the response and the range of artworks submitted.

At the exhibit’s opening reception on September 9, the following winners and honorable mentions were announced.

First place: “Row, Row, Row,”  fiber art, paint and paper, by Leandra Spangler

Photoe of artist Leandra Spangler

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Flash Fiction: Underdog

July 14, 2014 Leave a comment

NOTE: This contest is now closed. Winners will be announced by October 10.

Photo of person typing, by Sascha Pohflepp, via Flickr“It doesn’t matter how many times you get knocked down . . . What matters is how many times you get up.” – Rower Joe Rantz, quoted in “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown

In 1936, the crew team from the University of Washington won Olympic gold. They shouldn’t have. They were certainly talented and determined enough to win, but the odds were stacked against them, with one team member sick, their boat given the worst lane assignment, and them missing the signal that started the gold-medal race. This year’s One Read selection, “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown, follows members of this ragtag group of rowers as they struggle through the Great Depression, physical adversity, and personal tragedy to become one of the greatest crew teams in our nation’s history.

Taking inspiration from “The Boys in the Boat,” we invite you to tell a story about beating the odds in 250 words or less. The moment can be significant or subtle, but all stories must contain an element of the underdog, of someone unexpectedly prevailing, or of a character getting up one more time than he or she is knocked down.

Starting September 2, entries may be submitted using this form, mailed or dropped off at any library or bookmobile. (See full rules below for details.) Winning entries and honorable mentions will be published on this site and winners will receive a $20 book store gift card.

Entries are due by September 23. Participants must be age 16 or older and residents of Boone or Callaway Counties. Read on for complete contest rules.

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One Read Art Exhibit: Call for Submissions

June 6, 2014 Leave a comment

Photo by Nicolas Massé via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons LicenseOn the Water
A One Read Art Exhibit
Orr Street Studios (106 Orr Street, Columbia)

“It’s a great art, is rowing. It’s the finest art there is.” ~ George Pocock, as quoted by Daniel James Brown in “The Boys in the Boat”

 

Inspired by this year’s One Read selection, we invite Mid-Missouri artists to contribute works that explore a range of experiences and views of water, whether from shore or flying across the water itself, “in a poem of motion, a symphony of swinging blades.”

Cash prizes will be awarded for three winners, courtesy of Columbia’s Office of Cultural Affairs. The third place winner will receive $50, the second place winner $75 and the first place winner $125. The first place winner will also receive a $100 gift certificate from the Columbia Art League Art, good for use towards any class. Art will be displayed September 7-20 at Orr Street Studios with an opening reception, awards and program on Tuesday, September 9 at 6 p.m.

Submission Details Read More →

KFRU’s David Lile Interviews One Read Author Daniel Brown

May 28, 2014 Leave a comment

On May 27, KFRU’s David Lile interviewed this year’s One Read author Daniel Brown about his book, “The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.” Listen to Brown speak about the book’s origins and response to being chosen for our community-wide reading program.

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