Portland State University will once again partner with the Multnomah County Library for the 2008 "Everybody Reads" project. As part of the month-long event, PSU will offer literary events, lectures and workshops with local scholars and authors, and an exhibit (listed below), all focused around Ishmael Beah's "A Long Way Gone."

Everybody Reads 2008 is the sixth annual community reading project of Multnomah County Library, made possible by the Library Foundation and numerous corporate and private sponsors. The goal of Everybody Reads is to get people reading and connecting with each other around a single book. The project kicks off in late January. For more information on events please visit www.multcolib.org/reads/. All events are free and open to the public.

In Ishmael Beah's memoir, "A Long Way Gone," he shares his experience fighting as a child in the civil war of Sierra Leone and his journey back to civilian life. Readers witness Beah's childhood slip away with the outbreak of war. Once a happy and mischievous boy captivated by Shakespeare and American hip-hop music, Beah is soon lost in the chaos of war, bereft of family and wandering the countryside. At 13, he seeks refuge at a government army base, only to be forcefully recruited to fight in the war. Coerced into a world of drugs and violence by the army, Beah and the other child soldiers find that they are capable of terrible acts. Giving a voice to the ongoing plight of child soldiers in West Africa and beyond, "A Long Way Gone" provides insight into the brutalities of war and its effects on children.

"I am thrilled and deeply moved that the Multnomah County Library has selected 'A Long Way Gone' for the Everybody Reads 2008 program. One of the reasons why I wrote this book is to remind the world that children continue to be used as soldiers in wars all around the world; wars that are not of their making," said Ishmael Beah. "I hope that this book [will] start the discussion that allows people to see the humanity of these children, their communities and the possibilities of their recovery from the horrors of war. In addition, I have only put a human face to a very small part of a larger story. Therefore, it is my wish that people do not only stop at learning about my country, Sierra Leone, its culture and people before, during and after the war. But that people try to expose themselves to the world more and more through literature and other means. This would allow all of us to be able to see and understand our common humanity even in places where perhaps hope sometimes seems lost."  

Everybody Reads Events at Portland State University

Lectures and Literary Events
"Like Beasts in the Bush: Youth Violence and the War in Sierra Leone"
Thursday, February 7, at 7 p.m., Portland State University Library, second floor (1875 SW Park)
Examine the role of youth and militarism in the Sierra Leonean civil war with Daniel Hoffman, University of Washington anthropology professor and scholar of West African culture and places.

Documentary Screening: "Diamonds, Guns and Rice"
Friday, February 8, at 8 p.m., Fifth Avenue Cinema (510 SW Hall St.)
Testimonials of refugee women capture the dramatic horror of the Sierra Leonean civil war and their efforts to mobilize for peace. After the screening, Jan Haaken, co-director and PSU professor of psychology, will respond to questions.

The Sierra Leonean Immigrant Experience in Portland
Thursday, February 21, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Smith Memorial Student Union, room 327 (1825 SW Broadway)
Panel presentations by Sierra Leonean immigrants discuss the immigrant experience. Themes include coming to America, forging new lives in Portland, preserving African identities and traditions, and building bridges to communities back home. The lecture includes audience discussion and short video clips from a project carried out by Jan Haaken, PSU professor.

A Discussion with Peace Corps Volunteers
Thursday, February 28, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Smith Memorial Student Union, room 327 (1825 SW Broadway)
Peace Corps volunteers Brenda Michel, Jim Maddry and Tamara Driscoll will discuss their experiences in Sierra Leone.

Roundtable with Local Scholars: "A Long Way Gone"
Tuesday, February 19, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Smith Memorial Student Union, room 327 (1825 SW Broadway)
A panel of PSU literature professors will lead this discussion of Ishmael Beah's memoir.

Workshops
Memoir-Writing Workshop
Tuesday, February 5, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Smith Memorial Student Union, room 328 (1825 SW Broadway)
This workshop is led by Debra Gwartney, PSU writing professor and former correspondent for Newseek and the Oregonian.

Hip-Hop Lyricism: Writing What Matters
Monday, February 18, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Smith Memorial Student Union, room 327 (1825 SW Broadway)
Turiya Autry, the leader of this interactive workshop, is the founder of Poetry Off The Page Productions and co-founder of Good Sista/Bad Sista. Portland's Grand Slam Champion in 2003, she's represented the city at the National Poetry Slam Competitions in 2000, 2001 & 2003. Autry has opened up for Nikki Giovanni, bell hooks, Spearhead, John Trudell, Saul Williams and Hillary Clinton.

Writing to Heal
Tuesday, February 26, 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Smith Memorial Student Union, room 327 (1825 SW Broadway)
Susan Reese, PSU English professor, will conduct a practical workshop for the public on the healing power of memoir.

Exhibit
"Children and War"
February 1-February 29, Portland State University Millar Library lobby (1875 SW Park.)
This exhibit, culled from a variety of sources, looks at the relationship between children and war in an international context.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#08-007)

Source: Maude Hines (503-725-3523)
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences