One Book, One Community” program with ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’
The Fayette County Public Library is pleased to announce upcoming events in conjunction with the 2012 Fayette on the Page: One Book, One Community program. This year’s book selection is “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” the classic 1940 novel by Georgia author Carson McCullers. Occurring annually since 2008, the Fayette on the Page countywide reading and discussion initiative encourages all Fayette County residents to read the same book, and then participate in related cultural, educational and recreational activities.
McCullers was born in Columbus, Georgia in 1917, and published her first novel, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” to great acclaim at the age of 23. The novel tells the story of five assorted misfit characters trying to come to terms with life in a small Southern mill town (much like Columbus) during the Great Depression. The people are unforgettable, and their struggles are universal.
“One of the things that makes us human is our allegiance to story. We try to understand reality by telling stories about it, and by listening to the stories our fellow humans make up. Fayette on the Page celebrates the power of a shared story,” said Sarah Trowbridge, one of the public services librarians at the Fayette County Public Library. “When we all read together and talk about what we’ve read, all kinds of barriers come down. By getting together to experience ‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,’ we can learn to transcend the isolation that plagues the characters in the novel. At the same time, we honor the late Carson McCullers, an important player in Georgia’s ongoing literary story.”
Fayette on the Page 2012 kicks off on Thursday, August 9 at 7 p.m., with a free Big Band Concert & Dance at the Fayette County Public Library, featuring music from the 1930s and 1940s performed by Jerry Murphy and the Southernaires Big Band, with Sarah Fender on vocals. The nostalgic atmosphere will help to evoke the late-1930s setting of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” Everyone is invited to come and dance – or just listen – and find out more about the Fayette on the Page activities scheduled from August through October. Light refreshments will be available on the library patio.
Copies of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” are available for checkout to PINES library card holders at the Fayette County Public Library. Any Georgia resident who does not already have a PINES card can receive one on the spot by showing proof of current address and filling out a brief application.
In August and September, a series of three films based on works by Carson McCullers will be screened free of charge for the public. Each film will be shown twice in one week, on a Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m., and on the following Saturday at 3 p.m. One of three local literature scholars will host each screening, providing a brief overview and introduction to the film, and staying to facilitate audience question-and-answer afterward. The library is grateful to Brigitte Byrd and Gwendolyn Harold of Clayton State University, and Lee Brewer Jones of Georgia Perimeter College, for sharing their expertise on Carson McCullers with the community in this way. Licensing restrictions prohibit publication of the titles of the films to be shown; contact the Fayette County Public Library at 770-461-8841 and ask for film titles. A printed schedule for the Fayette on the Page 2012 Film Series, including film titles and descriptions, is available for pickup at the library. All screenings are free and open to the public.
Adults who wish to participate in a discussion of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” may attend the Fayette County Public Library’s monthly book discussion group meeting in September. The group meets that month on Thursday, September 20 at 7 p.m. New members are always welcome; email Sarah Trowbridge at saraht@fayettecountyga.gov to join.
The countywide reading celebration will culminate in a grand finale event on the evening of October 11. The focal point of the evening will be a dramatic presentation of the stage play version of “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter,” directed by Fayetteville resident Johnnie Busch. Music and food will be part of the festivities as well, with the Fayette County Public Library’s community meeting room transformed for the night into a theatrical café.
All Fayette on the Page activities are free and open to the public, made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Fayette County Public Library.
The Fayette County Public Library is located behind the Fayette County administration complex in downtown Fayetteville, at the southwest corner of Highways 85 and 54. For additional information about “Fayette on the Page: One Book, One Community,” please contact the library at 770-461-8841 or visit online at http://www.fayettecountyga.gov/public_library.
