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Big Read

Big Read

Big Read

Join Massanutten Regional Library in participating in NEA Big Read, a national community-focused movement striving to broaden understandings of ourselves and our neighbors through a shared reading experience, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. We invite everyone to join us in reading Homegoing—a historical novel that details the paths of two half-sisters from Ghana and their descendants over generations, exploring the lasting effects of colonialism and slavery on both the individuals and the generations that follow—as a community for Big Read 2025.

MRL's Book Read Selection: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Free copies provided at Kick-Off Event and at all branches during Big Read)

MRL's Homegoing Family Tree: Our talented Head of Adult Services, Kristin Noell Evans, created a detailed family tree to provide historical context and help you keep track of characters as you read Homegoing! 

MRL's Children's Book Selections: 

  • Beauty and the Beast by H. Chuku Lee
  • Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
  • Africa Is My Home: A Child of the Amistad by Monica Edinger
  • Home of the Brave by Katerine Applegate
  • National Geographic: Shackles From the Deep by Michael Cottman

MRL's Youth Services Reading Guide: While Homegoing is a book for adults, MRL also wanted to offer some Big Read options for our youth patrons that offer a similar focus on how culture, identity, connections, heritage, and family history are honored. Click the link above to download the guide containing options for younger readers through young adult readers.

MRL Mural Contest: An artist will be awarded a chance to design a large mural on the Bruce Street wall of Central Library. Artists are free to present their design, which should demonstrate the theme of MRL's vision. Applications closed.

MRL's Community Story Quilt Project: The community is invited to participate in the making of our Community Story Quilt. Completed squares are to be returned to your local branch of the MRL system by April 1, 2025. The MRL Community Story Quilt(s) will be on display at the Central Branch of MRL during the Rocktown Author Festival on Saturday, April 12, 2025.

The Power of Stories Workshop: MRL hosted a two-part creative writing workshop with Judith Dreyer. Click the link below to read the selected short story, "Going Home" by Stephanie F.

  • Going Home: a Short Story by Stephanie F.

    I waved to my childhood bestie and turned quickly to quiet the alarm. As I moved into the living room in the near darkness, I was struck by its vastness. When my mother lived here it was packed floor to ceiling with all the things that she loved: the watercolors and acrylics by Pat Buckley Moss, the ceramic blue, green and yellow eggs that sat on every horizontal surface, the suncatchers in all the windows, and her own egg art with windows and doors cut out of the shells and lights and figurines glued inside. Now the place was empty, except for my overnight bag, a pillow and a sleeping bag. 

    I wish I knew why I felt such a tremendous need to spend my last night as the owner of this house in this house, but I did. In the morning, I’d catch a Lyft to the lawyer’s office and sign away the deed to my childhood home and the half acre it stood on. The buyers would plant houses, hopefully ones that middle class families could afford, and this building would soon be forgotten by the neighborhood as it moved on. 

    I smiled as the baseboard heating creaked on. The friends of my youth thought the house was haunted because of the pings and chirps the heater made during sleepovers, but I never knew any difference and only felt more at home, even without my mom and her many things. 

    I wandered through the first floor to the kitchen with the little window over the sink. Tomorrow the water and electricity would either be turned off or would transfer to the new owners, but for now it was mine. The kitchen was tiny, so I could already feel the warmth of the air. I turned on the water, leaning over to drink straight from the tap.  Wiping my chin with my hand I moved toward the stairs to the basement. More than a hundred jumping jacks had lined the walls on the way down when mom lived here. Now the walls were bare, except for the dozens of holes where the toys once hung by their strings.  

    “Don’t cry for me, love,” she said during one of our last conversations. “I’ve lived without your father for more than 30 years and I’m ready to meet up with him again.” I told her I wouldn’t but we both knew it for a lie. Even now, almost a year later, tears threatened as I roamed.  

    The basement had been redone many times, but my favorite rendition was the red, white, and blue paneling that had been up for a decade around 1976. I didn’t know anybody else who decorated their house so semi-permanently around the bicentennial celebration. I pushed and tugged on the basement door to get out to the patio, but it was stuck. Kind of like me, I guess.  

    I retraced my steps to the living room and grabbed my bag, pillow, and sleeping bag, then climbed the stairs to the top floor. I chose the bedroom of my childhood, rather than my parent’s room with the adjoining bath. I set my temporary bed up where my old twin bed once stood and then moved to the hallway bathroom. There on the door frame were the pencil marks that mom etched in the wood, showing my yearly growth. I rubbed my fingers over the indentations, using my phone’s camera to snap a photo, and then moved back to my old room to lay down and stare at the ceiling.   

    The house was quiet now, but not silent. The heater murmured its familiar language, the wood creaked beneath unseen steps, and outside, a wind rushed past the windows, swirling leaves and pushing branches back and forth. 

    I wasn’t sure if I’d sleep. I didn’t need to. I just wanted to be here. To let the weight of leaving press in, fully and honestly. Maybe I hoped the walls would whisper something back to me—some final benediction from the house that raised me, and the woman who filled it with so much color and cluttered love. 

    Eventually, my eyes began to close, and just before I drifted off, I heard it: the softest clink, like one of Mom’s suncatchers banging lightly against the window. I smiled. 

    “Okay, Mom,” I whispered to the darkness. “I’ll go forward. But thanks for letting me say goodbye.” 

    And in that moment, it felt like the house exhaled. Not sorrowful. Just… released. 

     

Big Read Events

Kickoff Event @ Explore More Discovery Museum
Friday, February 28, 2025
12:00-2:00pm
Explore More Discovery Museum

All ages are welcome at our Big Read Kickoff Event on the 3rd floor of the Explore More Discovery Museum! Enjoy live music and listen to a summary of our chosen book for Big Read, Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing as well as passage readings by local celebrities like Sofia Samatar and Gbenga Adesina. Participants will also be able to pick up FREE copies* of Homegoing to read alongside other community members. Delicious food and drinks will be provided by FLOCS and Beyond as we celebrate the start of Big Read! *One book per person, must be present

Ghana: A History @ Central Library
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
6:00-7:00pm
Central Library - Meeting Rooms

Dr. David Owusu-Ansah, JMU History Professor, will discuss the history of Ghana. As part of the Big Read series of programming, this lecture will provide important context for the events happening at the start of Homegoing.

The Power of Stories @ Central Library
Thursday, March 6, 2025
6:00-7:30pm
Central Library

Teens and adults: join us for a two-part writing workshop on developing a short story, led by Judith Dreyer! After the workshop, participants are encouraged to write a short story (1,500-3,000 words) over the next month, using helpful handouts provided by Judith. Register today!

Homegoing Discussion @ North River Library
Monday, March 10, 2025
3:00-4:00pm
North River Library

Join us for a drop-in book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi at the North River branch. Spend 30 minutes discussing the book and work on creating a paper quilt square for the remaining 30 minutes. 

Bad Art Night for Adults @ Restless Moons Brewing
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
5:30-7:30pm
Restless Moons Brewing

Join us at Restless Moons Brewing in Harrisonburg for Bad Art Night for adults, on the 2nd Wednesday monthly. Restless Moons will have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for sale and MRL will provide all the arts supplies and have reading lists on Art & Craft books in our collection. No art experience required - anything goes and is great in this fun event. Come join a fun and relaxing night of making bad art!

At our March gathering, we'll be decorating paper quilt squares for the Big Read Community Story Quilt Project! Highlight an important aspect of your family's traditions, customs, and/or cultural heritage to be added into a beautiful quilt at the end of Big Read.

Homegoing Discussion @ Elkton Community Library
Friday, March 14, 2025
11:00am-12:00pm
Elkton Community Library

Join us for a book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, for our Big Read! We'll spend 30 minutes talking about the book. For the remaining 30 minutes, we'll create paper squares for our Big Read Community Story Quilt Project!

Quilting for Young Artists @ Central Library
Saturday, March 15, 2025
1:00-2:00pm
Central Library - CYC

Come celebrate National Quilting Day with MRL as we explore the history of American quilting, difference piecing methods, and make a take-home project! Participants will also have the opportunity to work on a quilt square for the MRL Community Story Quilt as part of the Big Read program. All materials provided by MRL. Youth ages 5-10.

The Color Purple Film Showing @ Court Square Theater
Sunday, March 16, 2025
2:00-4:00pm
Court Square Theater

Join us for a free showing of The Color Purple (2023) at Court Square Theater in Downtown Harrisonburg. Concessions available for purchase. No registration required.

Homegoing Discussion @ Grottoes Branch Library
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
2:00-3:00pm
Grottoes Branch Library

Join us for a book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, for our Big Read! We'll spend 30 minutes talking about the book. For the remaining 30 minutes, we'll create paper squares for our Big Read Community Story Quilt Project!

Homegoing Discussion @ Feel the Rain Brothers Brew Co.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
7:00-8:00pm
Feel the Rain Brothers Brew Co.

Join us for a book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, at Feel the Rain Brothers Brew Co. for our Big Read! Registration is required; to register, please click the event link above.

Writing Parents, Family, and Family Ghosts @ Central Library
Saturday, March 22, 2025
11:00am-3:30pm
Central Library

Gbenga Adesina, the Mellon Foundation Black Global and Diaspora Poetry Fellow with the Furious Flower Poetry Center, will lead a poetry writing workshop on creating portraits of family members! Poems will be read and discussed, writing prompts will be provided, and participants will have time to write, share their work, and receive feedback. Register today! 

Homegoing Discussion @ Village Library
Saturday, March 22, 2025
1:00-2:00pm
Village Library

Join us for a book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, f11or our Big Read! We'll spend 30 minutes talking about the book. For the remaining 30 minutes, we'll create paper squares for our Big Read Community Story Quilt Project!

Fantastic Family Fun @ Shenandoah Community Library
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
11:00-11:30am
Shenandoah Community Library

Join us for a celebration of Big Read with a special Story Time! Children of all ages and their caregivers will enjoy kids books, songs, and crafts that introduce them to the wonders of Africa while encouraging early literacy skills and development.

Homegoing Discussion @ Parentheses Books
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
5:00-6:00pm
Parentheses Books

Join us for a book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, at Parentheses Books!

Homegoing Discussion @ Page Public Library
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
11:00am-12:00pm
Page Public Library

Join us for a drop-in book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi at the Page Public Library! 

Genealogy 101 @ Central Library
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
6:00-7:00pm
Central Library

Learn the basics of beginning genealogy research with Kristin Noell Evans, MRL's Head of Adult Services, for Big Read! We'll cover resources available at MRL and where you can go when your research has exhausted our expansive collections.

Fantastic Family Fun @ Village Library
Thursday, March 27, 2025
10:00-10:30am
Village Library

Join us for a celebration of Big Read with a special Story Time! Children of all ages and their caregivers will enjoy kids books, songs, and crafts that introduce them to the wonders of Africa while encouraging early literacy skills and development.

Homegoing Discussion @ Shenandoah Community Library
Thursday, March 27, 2025
2:00-3:00pm
Shenandoah Community Library

Join us for a drop-in book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi at the Shenandoah Community Library.

Fantastic Family Fun @ Elkton Community Library
Monday, March 31, 2025
10:30-11:00am
Elkton Community Library

Join us for a celebration of Big Read with a special Story Time! Children of all ages and their caregivers will enjoy kids books, songs, and crafts that introduce them to the wonders of Africa while encouraging early literacy skills and development.

Homegoing Discussion @ Restless Moons
Monday, March 31, 2025
7:00-8:00pm
Restless Moons Brewing

Join us for a drop-in book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi at Restless Moons Brewing.

Homegoing Discussion @ Broad Porch Cafe
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
1:00-2:00pm
Broad Porch Cafe

Join us for a book discussion on Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi, at Broad Porch Cafe! Register today.

Homegoing Discussion @ Central Library
Saturday, April 5, 2025
10:00-11:00am
Central Library

Join us for a book discussion on Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi!

Africa Story Time @ Central Library
Saturday, April 5, 2025
11:00-11:45am
Central Library

Kids ages 0-7: celebrate East and West African culture with Jean Claude Hatungimana, from Burundi, East Africa!

The Color Purple Film Showing @ Daughter of the Stars Theater
Saturday, April 5, 2025
2:00-4:30pm
Daughter of the Stars Theater

Join us for a free showing of The Color Purple (2023) at Daughter of the Stars Theater in Stanley, Virginia. 

From Facts to Fiction @ Elkton Community Library
Monday, April 7, 2025
2:00-4:00pm
Elkton Community Library

Explore methods of using real history to craft better stories in a writing workshop led by Peregrin Sanchez of the Rocktown Writers Guild! Adults (ages 18+ only) will discover how to create more believable and engaging fictional narratives, settings, and characters using both historical events and real-world settings. Register today!  

Homegoing Discussion @ North River Library
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
4:00-5:00pm
North River Library

Join us for a drop-in book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi at the North River branch. 

Homegoing Discussion @ Three Notch'd Brewing Co.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
7:00-8:00pm
Three Notch'd Brewing Co.

Join us for a book discussion on Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi, at Three Notch'd Brewing Co. Register today!

Homegoing Discussion @ Page Public Library
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
6:30-7:30pm
Page Public Library

Join us for a drop-in book discussion on Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi at the Page Public Library. 

The Power of Stories @ Central Library (Part II)
Thursday, April 10, 2025
6:00-7:30pm
Central Library

Did you attend Part I of Judith Dreyer's writing workshop in March? In Part II, we'll focus on story sharing and peer review of the stories we've worked on over the past month! Participants will be able to submit their short stories for the chance to be published on the library's website.

Rocktown Author Festival @ Central Library
Saturday, April 12, 2025
10:00am-3:00pm
Central Library

MRL's Rocktown Author Festival is an annual event that celebrates local, published authors and offers support to attendees who wish to become published authors. The Festival includes an open forum for the public to meet and greet local authors, purchase their works, and have books signed by the authors. The event also includes two panel sessions, led by local experts, designed to inform attendees about topics pertinent to the writing and publishing industry. The 2025 Rocktown Author Festival will be closing out our Big Read celebration, featuring the unveiling of our mural.

Book Club Discussions

  • Mostly Books (Grottoes Branch Library)
    Monday, March 3, 2025
    10:00-11:00am
    Grottoes Municipal Building Community Room

    Come share what you're reading and discover new reading material, too! A list of titles, authors, and short critiques of what was discussed will be distributed after each meeting. Mostly Books meets monthly in the Grottoes Municipal Building Community Room, located just across from the library. During this meeting, Branch Manager Peggy Counts will discuss Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing as her book of choice.

  • Page by Page Book Club (Shenandoah Community Library)
    Tuesday, March 11, 2025
    6:00-7:00pm
    Shenandoah Community Library

    Join us the second Tuesday of every month for our adult book club. Bring along a recent read to share with others! As part of Big Read, Branch Manager Bethany Reedy will be discussing Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing.

  • Broadway Bookends (Village Library)
    Wednesday, March 19, 2025
    4:30-5:30pm
    Village Library

    Come discuss our most recent book club choice! March book selection: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 

  • Cat Chats Book Club (Central Library)
    Friday, March 21, 2025
    10:00-11:00am
    Aristocat Café

    Love cats and books? We have the book club for you! Adults can join us at the Aristocat Café on the third Friday of each month from 10:00-11:00am. This month's book is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Enjoy some tea, discuss the book, and play with some cats. Discussion will take place in the cat room so cats will be nearby. Tea provided by the library. Limited number of spots available so is registration required. Registration cap of 10.  

  • Novel-Tea Book Club (Elkton Community Library)
    Tuesday, March 25, 2025
    6:30-7:30pm
    Elkton Community Library

    Come discuss our most recent book club choice! Hot water and an assortment of teas will be provided. Bring your favorite mug and let’s talk books! Join Branch Manager Beth Hildebrand for a discussion of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.

  • Sage & Page Book Club (Central Library)
    Wednesday, April 2, 2025
    8:00-9:00pm
    Sage Bird Ciderworks

    Members can discuss books they read in March. Books for the April-June cycle will include Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi; Real Americans by Rachel Khong; And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini; and Banyan Moon by Thao Thai. Discussion will last for 30 minutes and the rest of the program will be a social gathering. No registration required.

The 2025 Big Read celebration, programming, and mural competition are supported by Arts Council of the Valley, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Massanutten Regional Library, JMU Libraries, Larson Wealth Management, and other sponsors. 

© 2025 Massanutten Regional Library
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