|
 |
 |
What is CNY Reads?
Since 2001, representatives of Central New York's cultural, educational, and social service organizations have come together to sponsor "Central New York Reads" [CNY Reads], the largest "one book, one community" reads program in New York State. The CNY Reads Consortium, currently coordinated by Onondaga County Public Library, and consisting of a rapidly expanding group of Central New York partners, promotes reading, research, discovery, and sharing of perspectives among local citizens by encouraging them to read the same book and to participate in programs related to that book. Past selections have included Earnest Gaine's A Lesson Before Dying, works by Arthur Miller, and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.
The CNY Reads Consortium has about 50 participants representing local organizations including Syracuse University (the Library Associates, the Library, the Bookstore, the English Department, Pulse/Syracuse Symposium, and Hendricks Chapel); Syracuse Stage; the Onondaga County Public Library system and Friends of the Central Library; New York State Senator Valesky's office, the County Executive's Office; the Onondaga Historical Association; the Central New York Library Resources Council; the Gifford Foundation; Onondaga Community College; the Syracuse City School District and local teaching centers; the Delavan Center, the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, the National Abolition Hall of Fame, and the Community-Wide Dialogue to End Racism of the Interreligious Council of Central New York.
Our Mission & Vision
Central New York Reads promotes reading, research, discovery, and a sharing of perspectives among Central New Yorkers by encouraging them to read the same book and participate in programs related to the content and themes of that book.
CNY Reads aspires to use its shared reading program as a catalyst for greater community dialogue, collaboration, and understanding about issues and themes raised through our book selections. With a commitment to expand the number of diverse cultural, educational, and social-service institutions participating in CNY Reads, the consortium is creating a new model for community building and programming while celebrating the written word.
How to Get Involved
Read Charles Simic's Sixty Poems
After you read Sixty Poems, share the book with family, friends, and co-workers.
Read it aloud to people who are not able to read.
Attend CNY Reads Events
Dozens of CNY Reads events will be scheduled through May 2009.
See the Sixty Poems Events page for details.
Join the CNY Reads Consortium
Would your organization like to help plan events and be a part of the selection process for future CNY Reads books? Contact Liz Loftus, Chair, CNY Reads Consortium, at: eloftus@onlib.org or 315-435-1800.
Register Your Book Club
Is your club already planning to read Sixty Poems? We'd love to hear from you about how your community is getting involved. Contact Liz Loftus, at: eloftus@onlib.org or 315-435-1800.
Suggest a Title
Please see the Book Criteria webpage, then Contact Us to suggest a title.
Contact Us
For 2008-2009 Central New York Reads will be coordinated by the Onondaga County Public Library, and Liz Loftus, Interim Deputy Director, will chair the CNY Reads Consortium. She can be reached at eloftus@onlib.org, or at
315-435-1800.
Current Consortium Members
Barnes and Noble of Syracuse
Central New York Library Resources Council
Central New York Teaching Center
Downtown Writer's Center of the YMCA of Greater Syracuse
Friends of the Central Library
InterReligious Council of CNY
LeMoyne College
Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology [M.O.S.T.]
OASIS
OCM BOCES
Onondaga Community College
Onondaga County Executive's Office
Onondaga County Public Library
Onondaga Historical Association
Rosamond Gifford Foundation
Syracuse City School District
Syracuse Post-Standard
Syracuse Stage
Syracuse University
Special thank you's to our Community Volunteers:
Dianne Emmick, Retired High School Teacher, West Genesee High School
Heidi Holtz, Program Director, Community Grantmaking, Rosamond Gifford Foundation
Ed Kochian, Deputy County Executive and Member of the Friends of the Central Library Board
Evelyn Williams, member, Lambda Kappa Mu Business & Professional Women's Sorority
Last updated: October 2, 2008