Garth Stein visits with a student at St. Petersburg College.
Winter doldrums are no problem at St. Petersburg College, Florida, which hosted Garth Stein for a visit this March and is still feeling the excitement. Garth’s third novel, The Art of Racing in the Rain, was this year’s selection for the college’s One Book, One College common read. Here, organizer Bobbi Cullinan explains how her program draws participation from staff, students, and the surrounding community.
Would you tell us a bit about your program? For instance how long has St. Petersburg College been hosting the One Book, One College program, how did it get started, and how have you seen it change since your involvement with it?
The program, which started as SPC Reads in 2006 with the book War of the Worlds, later became known as One Book, One College. The program goal was to enable faculty, students and administrators to come together and discuss a common book and its themes.
The change to the program really started when I came into this position as administrative assistant connected to the library and went about seeing if we could secure the author to the book that had been selected that particular year (2010). Having the actual author on campus for a ‘read’ and book signing has proven to generate an interest in the book as well as to the various programs that the college hosts centered on the book/theme. The program gets bigger and bigger each year. Students and Staff get “really excited” on being able to interact with an author.
This is the second year we selected the common read with a “LAST BOOK STANDING” contest. Adding a new twist, the team decided to make the selection an event itself with its Last Book Standing theme. Based loosely on the NBC show Last Comic Standing, the selection called on students, faculty, and staff to convince voters through print, audio, video, or multimedia formats as to why “their” book should be the literary centerpiece for next school year’s program.
What did you learn from last year’s program that will help you with future programs? For instance, what are you changing, and what worked well?
Last year we were not able to secure a visit from the author of the book that was chosen, due to limited funds and the fee connected with the author’s appearance. While programs were used that were centered on the theme of the book, a ‘field trip’ that was hosted on the period/theme of the book was arranged and due to the content of the book mentioning “disabilities,” we hosted an American Artist who speaks about her dyslexic challenges growing up and how she struggles with it even today. However, the book just didn’t “take-off” in our curriculum format.
LEARNED: We opened the event to the public with coverage in the newspaper. After all, the college is part of the community and we want to showcase what we do in “learning outside the classroom.” This makes a huge impact.
What advice can you share with others just launching an all-campus-reads type program, or are considering it?
We have learned to get everyone involved in the book selection. We have done it “both ways” where a committee selected the book for the One Book, One College read as well as the voting system. Allowing people to enter their choice of what the book should be for the year really gets passions ignited for reading!
If at all possible, having the author at the event makes the book “come alive” and promotes programs that people want to attend and be involved in.
Students, Staff and the community get the opportunity to explore the author’s philosophies on how the book was composed, what inspired the author, and to consider looking at their own lives. Students who are writers “soak up” the author’s personal aspirations for their book and it is such an encouragement for them to keep writing.
What are some of your fondest or most notable memories so far?
With Garth Stein just having been on campus, the electricity is still “active” even a month later. I am still receiving calls and emails centered on the visit Mr. Stein made to St Petersburg College and on the book.
Back in 2010 we hosted Mr. Jeffery Zaslow when our read was The Last Lecture. Mr. Zaslow became a friend to St. Petersburg College and kept in contact with us through emails and phone calls. We were preparing to host him again in the spring, before a tragic car accident claimed his life in February of 2011. Students and staff were deeply mournful of Mr. Zaslow’s death and so began the Jeffery Zaslow Memorial fund that is connected to the college’s library. Even at Mr. Stein’s visit on the Clearwater Campus, I had a student approach me concerning Mr. Zaslow’s visit and expressed the impact of being able to meet him and interact with him made on his life. WOW! I had not expected that, but I smile over the fact that the power of a book can change a life.
