Newsletter of the Pinellas Talking Book Library
TAKE FLIGHT AND READ!
As Kitty Hawk gears up to honor the Wright Brothers, public librarians in West Central Florida are preparing for their own festival flight. Specifically, they are inviting everyone to join them in a community-wide book discussion of The Right Stuff. Tom Wolfe’s 1979 bestseller about America’s first astronauts is the latest selection of “One Bay, One Book,” a humanities-based initiative that encourages as many people in the Tampa Bay area---this year, Pasco, Pinellas and Hernando counties---as possible to read the same work of literature at the same time.
The Right Stuff actually incorporates two of the most important milestones in the aerospace timeline: the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager in 1947 and John Glenn’s orbital mission around the Earth in 1962.
Pinellas County’s Right Stuff activities will be launched in early September with the stocking of extra copies of the paperback in libraries and bookstores and the distribution of discussion/ event schedules and reading guides. On September 6, a former Tuskegee Airman and an ex-WASP (Women’s Air Force) will be on-hand at Flightshops at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport with special “Centennial of Flight”/”One Bay, One Book” goodie bags. Flightshops, one of the world’s largest aviation bookstores, will be selling The Right Stuff.
All Pinellas Public Library Cooperative member libraries are hosting discussions of The Right Stuff---most in October, and many are presenting complementary programs related to flying or NASA this fall as well. A number of the libraries also plan to screen the 1983 film of Wolfe’s work, which has just been released in a special 20th anniversary version on DVD. For the first time, the librarians will lead “One Bay, One Book” discussions at several Pinellas County Starbucks (on dates and at times to be announced). The project culminates at the Times Festival of Reading at Eckerd College on November 2. The St. Petersburg Times, the Florida Humanities Council, the Pinellas Public Library Cooperative and the Tampa Bay Library Consortium are major sponsors of “One Bay, One Book.”
The “One Bay, One
Book” Book Discussion at the Talking Book Library will be October 21st
at 10:00 a.m. Please call the Library at 441-9958 for more information.
More information about the countywide book discussions is available at
onebayonebook.org.
The theme this year for the children’s summer reading program is Hats Off to Reading. Many of the books the libraries will be using during their programs are available in Braille and/or cassette. We encourage you to participate in activities and attend programs at your local public library.
You
may reach us Monday—Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(727)
441-9958
(727)
441-3168 TDD
(727)
441-9068 FAX
Pinellas Talking Book
1330 Cleveland
Street
Clearwater, FL 33755-5103
FREE MATTER FOR THE BLIND OR HANDICAPPED