October Go Big Read Events

October is the big month for Go Big Read events. We started off this month with the release of our Virtual Keynote Event, which featured our 2020-2021 Go Big Read author, Dave Cullen and included a Q&A segment with March for Our Lives co-founder and former Parkland student, Jackie Corin. While the virtual event is different from our previous Go Big Read keynotes, it was still a great opportunity to hear from our author.

The following week, Dave Cullen participated in Zoom calls with journalism students and students in the L&S Honors Program, and Jackie made a guest appearance in the Purposeful Action: Parkland, Protest, and You class to talk to student about her own experiences of purposeful action as a student activist. Cullen also went out of his way and stopped by a virtual book discussion put on by regional libraries in partnership with the Go Big Read Program for a Q&A session, where community members had the chance to engage and ask questions about the book and Cullen’s writing process.

There were also events that occured in partnership with the Go Big Read program that didn’t involve this year’s author but dealt with the key themes of the book. At the end of October, UW Housing’s Learning Communities hosted a panel discussion that consisted of UW student activists, giving other students the opportunity to hear from their peers who are actively working to make change while also being full-time students.

With all of these events completed, we now look forward to the rest of the year, which is sure to hold more participation with this year’s Go Big Read book!

Olivia Poches

Student Assistant, Go Big Read Office