All Pikes Peak Reads 2012

Readers in the Pikes Peak region will explore the theme of Survival for six weeks in September and October with this year’s All Pikes Peak Reads (APPR) selections that spotlight the way that growth and change fuel our survival as a group.

Pikes Peak Library District announced the 2012 selections for its annual community reading program at Penrose Library’s Carnegie Garden in Colorado Springs on Monday, May 1. The main reading selection will be The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood. Companion reads include The Unthinkable by Amanda Ripley, and Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

APPR is a community-wide effort to improve literacy and foster dialogue across social, cultural, and generational lines. Author visits, art exhibits, book discussion groups, children’s programs, film screenings, and other APPR-themed events will be offered at PPLD and other community sites for six weeks this fall.

“This program connects the library district to the community in so many important ways,” said Dee Vazquez, co-chair of All Pikes Peak Reads. “It touches readers, writers, learners, children, teens, adults, seniors … it truly belongs to everyone.”

With the assistance of community partners, APPR will bring author Margaret Atwood to speak about her novel, The Year of the Flood, and the importance of taking care of the environment. Her visit to Colorado Springs on September 14 will kick off six weeks of programming that will run through the end of October. Atwood is a world renowned author of more than 40 books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays and the recipient of the prestigious Man Booker Prize for her novel The Blind Assassin.

Atwood’s novel, The Year of the Flood, is at once a moving tale of lasting friendship and a landmark work of speculative fiction. In this near-future novel, the long-feared waterless flood has occurred, altering Earth as we know it and obliterating most human life. Although it paints a frightening picture, The Year of the Flood carries an important message: From the managing of our personal lives to the fate of our planet, our survival rests on the proper stewardship of our resources. Atwood has emphasized the importance of this stewardship during her book tour for The Year of the Flood (yearoftheflood.com) using online tools to calculate and offset the carbon footprint of the tour to bring it to neutral.

The Library understands that caring for the community can take many forms and is excited to work with all groups interested in beautifying their community in this year's All Pikes Peak Reads program. The District is partnering with local organizations focused on the environment and sustainability to develop a game around learning more about the environment where they live this fall.

"There will be prizes for participants who visit all these local places and get their APPR passport stamped," said PPLD's Programs and Outreach Specialist Rachel Stovall.

About APPR

All Pikes Peak Reads, now in its 11th year, was one of Colorado’s first community-wide reading programs, and has set itself apart from other “one book” programs around the country by incorporating original adaptations for the stage as well as curriculum guides for local classrooms.

The program is modeled after similar one-book projects in cities like Chicago. APPR debuted in 2002 and has quickly become a local institution.

The APPR selections are chosen based on the following criteria: the book must have broad appeal; be suitable for adaptation to the stage; be written at a sixth- to ninth-grade reading level; be a book in print; be available in multiple formats; and contain issues relevant to residents of the Pikes Peak region.

Past selections include: The Hunger Games (2011), The Devil in the White City (2010), Rocket Boys (2009), The Worst Hard Time (2008), Zorro (2007), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2006), Tales from the Arabian Nights (2005), Treasure Island (2004), Frankenstein (2003), and To Kill a Mockingbird (2002).

Book selections in multiple formats will be available at PPLD libraries and through local bookstore partners. Book discussion materials and curriculum guides for elementary, middle, and high schools are also under development.

2012 APPR Programs & Activities

With the help of more than 30 community partner organizations, 13 public school districts, and private school partners, All Pikes Peak Reads engages thousands of residents in El Paso County in historical, cultural, and literary exploration of a work of fiction that presents significant issues pertinent to our society. This year’s lineup of events includes an offering of theater, performances and exhibits, author presentations, and more.

Additional programs scheduled with community partners include:

• Film screenings and scholarly presentations at PPLD, Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado College, and various communty centers
• Millibo Art Theater productions at the MAT, in schools, and in libraries throughout the community

A complete schedule of events related to All Pikes Peak Reads 2012 will be published this fall in The Gazette, Colorado Springs Independent, and on PPLD’s website.