Newman University will host an on-campus kickoff for Big Read Wichita, featuring speaker Kao Kalia Yang, award-winning author of “The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir.”
Big Read Wichita is dedicated to encouraging the reading, celebration and discussion of literature, and is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Each year, community members are invited to read a particular book and attend dozens of events throughout the community that relate to the book’s theme.
This year’s featured read presents the experiences of the author’s family during their imprisonment in Laos, their escape to a refugee camp in Thailand and their journey to America. It is the first nonfiction title to be the focus of a Big Read Wichita program.
As part of the program, Yang will speak about her book from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, at Newman’s Dugan-Gorges Conference Center. The event is free and open to the public.
Director of Library Services Steve Hamersky said he looks forward to the on-campus event.
“It gives students the opportunity to read and hear from an author about her experiences as an immigrant to this country,” Hamersky said. “(It’s relevant) especially since immigration has been in the news recently. I think it is always interesting to hear from an author about their life and their experiences writing their book.”
To learn more about the author and her book, visit the Big Read Wichita site.
For more information about the Newman event, contact Hamersky at (316) 942-4291, ext. 2108, or by email at [email protected].
