Northeast Community College selected for NEA: Big Read

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Northeast Community College is one of 62 organizations selected for the National Endowment for the Arts, Big Read in Northeast Nebraska, a program aimed at broadening the understanding of our world

The selection process for Northeast began over a year ago, by reaching out to potential partners at the college and in the community. The NEA currently has 15 books they have selected as part of the Big Read.

Northeast picked the book Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig.

Jennifer Ippensen Director Of Library Services at North East, says this book invites people to discuss disability, ableism, accessibility, and inclusion. As a memoir-in-essays, it is approachable; each essay serves as a springboard, promoting open dialogue and leading to deeper understanding of how best to respect and serve one another.

Ippensen hopes this book will strike conversations of empathy and inclusion. She also says community reaction to the Big Read program has been overwhelmingly positive.

Sponsors for the program in Nebraska include:

The League of Human Dignity
Norfolk Public Library
Elkhorn Valley Museum
Norfolk Arts Center
District Event Center
Healthy Blue
Norfolk Area Community Foundation Fund
Norfolk Area Visitors Bureau

The next book discussion will take place at the Emerson Public Library Book Club Meeting on March 3rd More information about the NEA Big Read can be found here.