On the Same Page 2004 is underway! The project officially kicked off on Friday, February 20 with a special event in the Carew Tower Arcade. During the launch, celebrity readers from a wide range of organizations throughout the city took turns reading a short passage from this year’s featured title, Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips. Writer and National Public Radio commentator Laura Pulfer emceed the event, which featured over a dozen guest readers including: · Jim Scott of 700 WLW Radio · Y. Laketa Cole & Sam Malone, Cincinnati City Council Members · Mona Morrow, Community Affairs Director for WCPO-TV9 · Betsy Ross, President of Game Day Communications & WXIX-TV19 news reporter · Paul Daugherty & Jim Knippenberg, Cincinnati Enquirer columnists · Lorrie Platt, Cincinnati Reds Community Relations Manager · Kathy Wilson, City Beat columnist · Kitty Morgan, Editor of Cincinnati Magazine · John Morris Russell, Associate Conductor for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra · David Ginsburg, President & CEO of Cincinnati Downtown Incorporated · Mitchel Livingston, Vice President for Student Affairs & Services at the University of Cincinnati · Susan Howarth, President & CEO of CET · Kim Fender, Executive Director of the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County. Albert Pyle, Executive Director of the Mercantile Library, also spoke on behalf of the On The Same Page Selection Committee about the selection of Crossing the River.
| Laura Pulfer, emcee | Y. Laketa Cole, City Council member | Sam Malone, City Council member |
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Crossing the River by Caryl Phillips and Hush by Jacqueline Woodson, a book for middle school readers, are the two novels featured in 2004. These titles, by award-winning authors, were selected to encourage readers to think about and discuss the experiences and viewpoints of others, while encouraging an understanding of diversity and issues of freedom in our society.
If you haven’t done so already, reserve your copy of Crossing the River or Hush today and start reading! Then be sure to sign up for one of the discussion groups in the area so you can share your thoughts about the title with friends, family members, or coworkers.
Be sure to visit the
On the Same Page website. There you’ll find:
- News about upcoming special events related to the project.
- Background information about the titles and authors.
- A list of all the organizations hosting moderated book discussion groups.
- Resources for starting your own discussion group.
- Discussion guides.
- The opportunity to post your thoughts about the titles to the website.
Lots of opportunities will be available for everyone in the community to participate in the bookclub so make a habit of visiting the webpage frequently to find out about upcoming events!
| Interested readers | Library staff helping out | Kitty Morgan, Cincinnati Magazine editor |
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| Mona Morrow, WCPO-TV9 | Kathy Wilson, City Beat columnist | David Ginsburg, CEO of Downtown Cincinnati Inc. |
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| Betsy Ross, WXIX-TV19 reporter | Jim Scott, 700 WLW Radio | Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati Enquirer columnist |
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| Jim Knippenberg, Cincinnati Enquirer columnist | Lorrie Platt, Cincinnati Reds Community Relations Manager | John Morris Russell, Associate Conductor, CSO |
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| Mitchel Livingston, V.P. Student Affairs & Services, University of Cincinnati | |
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