Join the Shelton McMurphy Johnson House and Wordcrafters of Eugene for an event series funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, “The Big Read” Lane County edition! From November to March, we will be reading, talking about, and creating art around Roz Chast’s memoir in comics, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant.
How to get a FREE copy of the Big Read book:
- Attend an event
- Reach out to one of the event partners to arrange to pick up a copy.
- Prefer your Kindle? Email us for a link to receive a digital copy.
Adults (Ages 16+)
These are both In Person and Virtual Events. Check each event to see where it will be held.
Most of these events are FREE! For the couple of events that are not, we offer Pay from the Heart Pricing. We want everyone to be able to participate. Please email us if an event is inaccessible.
Schedule
November 28, 2023, 5-7pm | Kick Off Event at Springfield Library with Alisa Freedman and Jorah LaFleur
December 11, 2023, 4-6pm | Book Discussion #1 at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House
January 20, 2004, noon | Author Visit with Roz Chast on Zoom
January 25, 2024, 6-8pm | BONUS EVENT at Wordcrafters: Thumbnailing Scenes: Comics and Graphic Novels with Jen Hernandez
January 27, 2024, 12-2pm | Book Discussion #2 at the River Road Community Center Annex
February 8, 2024, 12-2pm | Panel Discussion at the Campbell Community Center: Can’t it all just go away?
February 17, 2024, 12-2pm | Book Discussion #3 at the Fern Ridge Library, Veneta
February 27, 2024, 5-7pm | Book Discussion #4 at the Springfield Public Library
February 29, 2024, 6-8pm | BONUS EVENT at Wordcrafters: Have the Last Laugh: Humor Writing with Sarina Dorie
March 7, 2024, 6-8pm | Book Discussion #5: Reading Like a Writer Edition! at Wordcrafters
March 19, 2024, 4-6pm | Book Discussion #6 at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House
About the Book:
From the NEA website: Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, written by Roz Chast, a longtime cartoonist for the New Yorker, is a “tour de force” (Elle), “remarkable” (San Francisco Chronicle), “revelatory” (Kirkus), “deeply poignant and laugh-out-loud funny” (New York Times), and “one of the great autobiographical memoirs of our time” (Buffalo News). A finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Kirkus Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Books for a Better Life Award, the memoir tells the story of Chast’s parents’ final years through cartoons, family photos, found documents, and narrative prose. “So many have faced (or will face) the situation that the author details, but no one could render it like she does” (Kirkus). “Anyone who has had Chast’s experience will devour this book and cling to it for truth, humor, understanding, and the futile wish that it could all be different” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). “I want to recommend it to everyone I know who has elderly parents, or might have them someday” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).
