Poet and author John Straley lives in Sitka. He has published books of short stories and essays as well numerous mystery novels. The Woman Who Married a Bear, published in 1992 won a Shamus Award, which is awarded by the Private Eye Writers of America for detective fiction. The Music of What Happens, another of his Cecil Younger series, won a Spotted Owl Award in 1996. Winners of the Spotted Owl are selected from current year publications of mystery authors from Alaska and the Pacific Northwest by a committee of Friends of Mystery members. Staley was Writer Laureate of Alaska from 2006-2008. His most recent book is Cold Storage in Alaska, 2014. Staley will be speaking at Valdez Consortium Library on Thursday as part of The Big Read.
The Big Read is funded by The National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Every year partnerships between libraries, radio stations, museums, schools and various other non-profits in an area will select a book to share with their community. Big Read programs include on-air broadcast of the chosen book, distribution of free copies, book clubs/discussion groups, panel discussions and a keynote speaker as well as a variety of events based on the selection.
This is the second time KCHU Public Radio has received a Big Read grant. In 2014-15, the selection was Call of the Wild. This year’s book is The Maltese Falcon. Big Read 2016 partners are, The Valdez Consortium Library, Cordova Public Library, Copper Valley Community Library, Tatitlek Schools, FOCUS, Valdez Museum and Historical Archive, The Maxine and Jesse Whitney Museum, Prince William Sound College and Valdez Schools. Upcoming events include book clubs, film noir presentations and a 1920s-30s themed dance party. The final event in January will be a panel discussion beginning with a presentation from Dashiell Hammett biographer Nathan Ward, author of The Lost Detective; Becoming Dashiell Hammett, published in 2015.
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