Princeton, NJ Entertainment Guide Announcement
Pennington Library Announces 'The Big Read' - Community Wide Event
The Big Read is a community-wide event that encourages as many people as possible to read the same book and participate in a wide variety of events, such as: book discussions, film screenings, and other themed programming from February 26-April 2022.
Copies of The Best We Could Do will be distributed for free at the library starting in January 2022. Make sure to stop by and grab a copy! We encourage you to then pass your copy to a friend.
The Best We Could Do is an intimate and poignant graphic novel portraying one family’s journey from wartorn Vietnam. Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family, author Thi Bui documents the story of her family’s daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s, and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves.
See below for The Best We Could Do themed events:
Talks
Saturday, February 26 @ 3:00 pm via Zoom
Big Read Keynote Speaker: Uyen Khuong, Executive Director, Action Together New Jersey
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022keynotewinn/
The Pennington Public Library is excited to bring our community together through the 2022 NEA Big Read initiative. This year, PPL has selected Uyen “Winn” Khuong to deliver our Big Read keynote address.
Uyen Khuong, pronounced “Winn”, will share vivid memories of her own experiences as a refugee from Vietnam in 1980. Uyen is the Founder and the Executive Director of ATNJ Education Fund, a nonpartisan 501(c) charity and Action Together New Jersey (ATNJ), a 501(c)4 non-profit civic organization.
Sunday, March 6 @ 3:00 pm via Zoom
History of the Graphic Novel — More Than Superheroes and Spandex
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022graphicnovelhistory/
We will explore the graphic novel in its many different forms, from the typical superhero comics that we all know and love to the experimental. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Thursday, March 10 @ 7:00 pm via Zoom
Storytelling in the Graphic Novel and the Oral Tradition Workshop
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022StorytellingGraphicNovel/
Join in this interactive presentation where we will consider how the oral tradition and the graphic novel share storytelling techniques that bring a narrative to life. Workshop leader Reverend Joanne Epply-Schmidt has performed and taught the art of Storytelling in workshops and programs in schools, colleges, seminaries, churches, and retreat centers in the US and Canada. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Sunday, March 20 @ 3:00 pm, Location TBD
Panel Discussion: Immigration Experiences in Hopewell Valley
In partnership with the Hopewell Valley Historical Society and Hopewell Museum
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022bigreadpaneldiscussion
As part of the 2022 Big Read initiative, The Hopewell Museum and Hopewell Valley Historical Society are partnering with the Pennington Public Library to present a conversation on how local families with a primary, secondary or tertiary immigrant experiences move through this grand notion of the “American Dream”.
Facilitator: Ian Burrow. Panelists: Dr. David Angwenyi – Founder/CEO, Global Connections Kenya, Founder, Hopewell-Keroka Alliance; Kim T. Ha – Director, Pennington Public Library; Ellyn Ito – Executive Director, Seeds to Sew; Mikaela Levons – Director of Stakeholder Relations, Equal Justice USA; Committeewoman Uma Purandare – Hopewell Township Committee Member, Founder, Marathi School; Colby Cedar Smith – Author, Call Me Athena
Tuesday, April 5 @ 6:30 pm via Zoom
Keynote Speaker: Thi Bui, Author and Illustrator of The Best We Could Do
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022keynotewinn/
The Pennington Public Library is excited to bring our community together through the 2022 NEA Big Read initiative featuring the graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Thi Bui was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States as a child. Before she began to work on The Best We Could Do in 2005, Thi Bui had never drawn a comic in her life. Twelve years later, the debut graphic memoir would be released to widespread acclaim from critics and literary heavyweights alike. Bui’s memoir traces her family’s daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s and their effort to build new lives for themselves in America. Bui documents parental sacrifice, excavates family histories, and grapples with the inherited struggles of displacement and diaspora. Co-sponsored by the Miami Book Fair, Hopewell Valley Regional School District and Pennington Public Library.
Workshops
Sunday, February 27 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Hopewell Valley Central High School
Make a Mini Comic or Zine
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022makecomics/
This short course will guide you as you create a mini comic book or zine of your own! Materials provided. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read. Recommended for ages 12+
Wednesday, March 9 @ 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Pennington Quilt Works
Kantha Quilting Workshop
To Register: call 609-737-4321, or visit penningtonquilts.com
For more information: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022kantha/
Make your own hand-stitched Kantha cloth sample that can be used as a table mat. The session is free and all supplies will be provided by Pennington Quilt Works. Open to all. No experience is necessary. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Saturday, March 12, 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Pennington United Methodist Church
Lantern Making Workshop
In partnership with the Hopewell Valley Arts Council
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/lanternmaking/
In this family-friendly workshop, you will make your own lantern that you can hang to celebrate the upcoming full moon on March 18. Also learn more about the history of the lantern. Recommended for ages 6+. Supplies provided. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Sunday, March 13 from 1:00 – 4:30 pm, Hopewell Valley Central High School
Guided Autobiography Workshop: Our Stories of Immigration
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022gab/
Utilize the Guided Autobiography method to begin writing our personal stories of immigration. In this workshop, we will generate written pieces and share them with each other in a mutually supportive environment. No previous writing experience is necessary. Limited space. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Saturday, April 2 from 6:00 – 8:30 pm via Zoom
Vietnamese Cooking Class
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/2022cookingclass/
Vietnamese cuisine is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, complementary textures, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. Chef My will guide participants through a hands-on online cooking class to prepare 2 Vietnamese dishes: Bánh Xèo (a savory crepe/pancake) and Chuoi Chien (fried bananas). Limited Space. Participation fee: $5. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Film Screenings and Discussions
Thursday, March 3 @ 7:00 pm, The Hopewell Theater, 1h 44m
Immigration Themed Film Screening & Discussion: The Visitor (2007)
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/thevisitor/
When a professor (Richard Jenkins) travels to New York for a lecture, he’s stunned to find illegal immigrants Tarek living in his apartment.. In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Wednesday, March 16 @ 7:00 pm, Pennington United Methodist Church, 1h 57m
Immigration Themed Film Screening & Discussion: Brooklyn (2015)
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/brooklyn/
A young Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Saturday, March 19, @ 2:00 pm, Pennington United Methodist Church
Family Film Screening & Craft: An American Tail
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/americantail/
While emigrating to the United States, a young Russian mouse gets separated from his family and must locate them while trying to survive in a new country. Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Free Streaming: Thurs., March 24 @ 7 pm ET to Sun., March 27 @ 7 pm ET
Documentary Screening and Discussion: The Boys Who Said No! (2020, 1h 30m)
Discussion Registration and Streaming information: Penningtonlibrary.org/boyssaidno/
The first documentary film to profile the young men and women who actively opposed the military draft in order to end the Vietnam War.Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Sunday, April 3 @ 3:00 pm, Hopewell Valley Central High School, 1h 39m
Immigration Themed Film Screening & Discussion: Foreign Letters (2012)
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/foreignletters/
Ellie is a homesick 12-year-old Israeli girl who recently moved to the US. Life brightens when she meets Thuy, a Vietnamese refugee her age. Though they don't seem to have much in common, trust slowly builds between them as they teach each other about growing up in America.
Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Book Discussions
Tuesday, March 22 @ 7:00 pm via Zoom
Companion Book Discussion: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/sympathizer/
Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Tuesday, March 29 @ 7:00 pm via Zoom
Book Discussion: The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Registration Required: Penningtonlibrary.org/event/bestwecoulddozoomdiscussion/
Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Wednesday, April 6 @ 7:00 pm via Zoom
Too Busy for Books Book Club Discussion: The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Registration Required: Email kfriedlich@penningtonlibrary.org
Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
Thursday, April 7 @ 2:00 pm via Zoom
Pennington Library Adult Book Club Discussion: The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Registration Required: https://www.penningtonlibrary.org/event/adult-book-discussion-group-18/2022-04-07/
Part of Pennington Public Library’s 2022 NEA Big Read.
