ISM-Dickson Mounds Museum Book Group - NEA Big Read: Indigenous Stories

Become a part of the NEA Big Read: Indigenous Stories by joining the Illinois State Museum's book groups.

Each year, the Illinois Humanities partners with the National Endowment for the Arts to host an NEA Big Read program to offer free book groups and events in Illinois. This year, its NEA Big Read program is about Indigenous Stories, and the Illinois State Museum is delighted to participate.

Join the Museum's Director of Tribal Relations, Heather Miller, to discuss There, There by Tommy Orange. Explore the shared history of 12 contemporary Native characters that come together at the Big Oakland Powwow. The story interweaves various Native voices that shed light on the complex history of urban Native communities. It details love, pain, trauma, culture, and the complexities of Native identity.

Readers will gain insight into the trauma and history of relocation and removal while learning more about contemporary issues facing urban Native peoples.

Participate in the conversation in person on Saturday, March 25, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Dickson Mounds Museum, 10956 N Dickson Mounds Rd, Lewistown, IL 61542.

Registration in advance is required due to limited space.

Participants will read the book independently and come together for discussion. Need a copy of There, There by Tommy Orange? The Museum has a limited number of books available. Request your copy at https://bit.ly/ThereThereBookRequest.

The Illinois State Museum will offer Illinois educators professional development hours for these programs.

The NEA Big Read: Indigenous Stories is a program of Illinois Humanities made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.