Thanks to Claire Parrish from the Rice Lake Public Library for this exciting guest post!
cover of The Round House by Louise Erdrich
 
Rice Lake Public Library is working on a Big Read grant with several community and regional partners. We have lots of exciting events coming up that I wanted to share with you!  
Kickoff Event
Thursday, March 10, 2018
     12:30pm: Film showing and discussion of Wind Riverat Rice Lake Public Library
     3:00-4:00 pm: Sign Making
     4:00 pm: “A March to End Sexual Assault” from Rice Lake Library to Badger Brew Coffee (4 PM),
     4:30 pm: Big Read Kickoff at Badger Brew and Red Scarves Fundraiser for End Domestic Abuse Barron County and Lac Courte Oreilles Oakwood Haven Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Shelter and Outreach
Author Visits
Thursday. March 8, 2018
     12:00-12:50 pm: Original Local: Indigenous Foods, Stories, and Recipes from the Upper Midwest with Heid Erdrich Thursday at the U, UW Barron County
     5:30-7:00 pm: Heid Erdrich will give the same presentation at RLPL in the lower level of the library
Saturday, April 28, 2018
     2:00-4:00 pm: A Native American Literary Feast and Festival at LCO-OCC, with readings by b:william bearhart, Kim Blaeser, Heid Erdrich, and Roberta Hill
     4:00-4:30 pm: drumming (4-4:30),
     4:30-6:00 pm: Prayer and Feast
     6:00-7:00 pm: Reading by Louise Erdrich
*Please attend early readings to ensure getting a ticket (free-of-charge) for later events.
Book and Film Discussions
Thursday, March 15, 2018
     5:30-7:30 pm: Native American Film Night: Reel Injun, UW-Barron County Library
Thursday, March 29, 2018
      5:30-7:00 pm: The Round House Book Discussion Part I, Rice Lake Public Library
Thursday, April 5, 2018
     5:30-7:30 pm: Native American Film Night: Lessons from Indigenous Law: John Borrow, UW-Barron County Library
Thursday, April 12, 2018
     5:30-7:00 pm: The Round House Book Discussion Part II, Rice Lake Public Library
Thursday, April 19, 2018
     5:30- 7:00 pm: Native American Film Night: 6 Generations, UW-Barron County Library
Thursday,  April 26, 2018
      5:30-7:00 pm: The Round House Book Discussion Part III, Rice Lake Public Library
Art Exhibit
Monday, April 2-Thursday, May 10,2018
     “Contemporary Indigenous”, a Native American Art Exhibit at Joel Salter Gallery UW Barron County with artists Louis Still Smoking, and others
 
Cover of the book The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Birchbark House Kits
Along with the many activities that will accompany Big Read book discussions for Louise Erdrich’s novel The Round House, Wisconsin Reads has developed a kit that librarians and patrons can use to carry out youth programming for Erdrich’s novel The Birchbark House.
Each kit will include 6 copies of The Birchbark House, craft projects, a map of tribal lands, a card game for learning some Ojibwe language, a foods project, as well as journaling and discussion questions.  A majority of the supplies are provided, but some crafts require extra supplies.  Wisconsin Reads The Round House can also provide a poster to help you advertise your events to the public.
 Many of the kit activities are hands-on, helping youth explore characters and themes in The Birchbark House. Set in the 1800’s, the novel describes an Ojibwe family living on the Island of the Golden-Breasted Woodpecker (Madeline Island) in Lake Superior. In addition to seasons, hardship, and family and community bonds, the book traces the childhood of Omakayas, who is destined to follow in the footsteps of her Grandmother Nokomis, a healer.
The kit allows for an exploration of Ojibwe culture, and includes extensive bibliographies for librarians and information about helping to promote more awareness of American Indian resources through Act 31.
RLPL is using the kits with our Boys and Girls Club book club students, who are all in 3rd and 4th grade. We’ve made it a few chapters in so far, and they are really enjoying the story and learning more about the Native tribes who live in our area.
Rice Lake, Lac Courte Oreille, Baraboo, and Marshfield each have six kits available for checkout. If you are interested, you can request them through MORE or WISCAT, and we send them through courier, similar to the board book kits from IFLS.
I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about how we partners with UW Colleges or if you want more detail about the project.
715-234-4861 ext. 117