Current Press Release

TOMS RIVER – The Ocean County Library is partnering with Toms River Regional Schools to host free, public programming for the NEA Big Read 2019.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and Midwest Arts to award Toms River Regional Schools a $15,000 grant to host NEA Big Read during the 2018-2019 school year.

Last year, the district became one of the first public school district ever to earn an NEA Big Read grant. The success of that community-wide initiative led to another award for 2019.

From mid-February through March 29, 2019 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day – the school district will lead a discussion with students on “The Things They Carried,” a collection of interconnected Vietnam War short stories by author Tim O’Brien. The book has sold more than two million copies and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Copies of the book are available at the Ocean County Library branches.

The Ocean County Library will host the following programs for the public at the Toms River Branch, 101 Washington Street:

“Book Discussion: The Things They Carried” will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19 in the Green Room. Talk about the novel in a discussion led by OCL librarians. Please register.

“Author Visit: The Other Side of Rock and War” will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27 in Mancini Hall. Billy Terrell went from near homelessness to the horrors of Vietnam, to eventual success as a songwriter, producer, and standup comedian. Please register.

“Film Screening: Ken Burns’ Vietnam” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Mar. 7, 14, and 21 in the Hometown Dairy Room. Watch free screenings of selected episodes from the PBS documentary series. Please register.

“Live Music: Strictly 60s Presents Music of the Era” 6:30 p.m. Monday, Mar. 18 in Mancini Hall. The celebrated local band Strictly 60s will perform and discuss songs and musicians who influenced the Vietnam era. Please register.

The following program will take place at Ocean County College:

“Meet the Author: Tim O’Brien” 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Mar. 28 at the Grunin Center for the Arts. Tim O’Brien, author of “The Things They Carried.”

To register for the events at the Ocean County Library, call the branch at 732-349-6200 or visit theoceancountylibrary.org/events

01-28-2019-Big-Read.pdf