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• Evanston Public Library

  NEA Big Read
  
  FY2024
  Illinois

  The Evanston Public Library will celebrate “A Year of Joy and Gratitude” by exploring the themes in Ross Gay’s Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude. In addition to poetry workshops and reading, EPL will curate unique programs, such as gardening, birding, and fabric arts, that encourage active engagement in this poetry and builds greater connections to where we live, our land and nature, and ourselves.

• Quincy Public Library

  NEA Big Read
  
  FY2024
  Illinois

  The Quincy Public Library, through a series of diverse programs, will lead the community on a physical and internal exploration of the natural world that focuses on where we live. Along the way, community members will discover the power of reconnecting and being in harmony with nature, and the positive impact the connections will bring.

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  Sixty Inches From Center

  Creative Midwest Media Cohort
  
  FY2024
  Illinois

  Sixty Inches From Center will launch a Midwest Writers Residency, centering two writers who reside in or lived a significant portion of their lives in Midwest cities outside Chicago. They will publish writings that highlight pressing cultural issues facing artists and arts workers and how that plays out in their city and regionally. Sixty will also host a public-facing virtual conversation with the writers to facilitate cross-regional conversations.

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  Barn Raiser

  Creative Midwest Media Cohort
  
  FY2024
  Illinois

  Barn Raiser will publish a series of articles highlighting the work of artists, photographers, community organizers, and artistic movements informing Midwestern creativity and social change. Stories will emphasize the cultural significance and contributions of BIPOC and Native communities, focusing on themes of food and the arts.