TC Reads is in its seventh year

TRAVERSE CITY -- For many in northern Michigan, summer means boating, swimming, cycling and other outdoor pursuits. But officials at TC Reads are hoping that the season soon becomes synonymous with something else -- squeezing in a certain good book.

Now in its seventh year, TC Reads is one of the longest-running "one book, one community" projects in the state, attracting individual readers, book clubs, community groups and even schools. Established in 2002, the project is aimed at bringing people together by encouraging them to read and discuss the same book.

"I think Traverse City is a real book-reading community and a lot of people belong to book clubs and exchange books and ideas about books," said Chris Allen, coordinator of the Munson Community Health Library and a TC Reads organizer. "It gives people a basis to have dialogue, communicate, connect and share."

Initiated by the Washington Center for the Book in 1998, "one book" projects have spread around the world. Traverse City is one of 25 Michigan communities and regions that have participated, according to the The Center for the Book at the Library of Congress.

Co-sponsored by Friends of the Traverse Area District Library and ForeWord Magazine, a Traverse City bimonthly that reviews independently published books, TC Reads initially focused on Midwest fiction from "small press" or independent publishers. More recently it has showcased memoirs by authors across the country.

Picking the right title is almost an art form, said Richard Schneider, formerly of the Traverse Area District Library and a co-founder of the program. Besides choosing a book "that's not over the radar, something that's a little less known," he said the volunteer selection committee tries to select one by a living author like Leif Enger ("Peace Like a River") or Larry Watson ("Montana 1948") who can appear locally to read, sign books and answer questions.

"We found that bringing the author in to town really generated a lot of excitement and interest in the book, so the last few years we've really tried to pick a book where the author was available to make a visit," said Allen, whose library collection on long-term care, heart disease, depression and other health-related topics also includes the latest TC Reads selection.

Bringing a national author to northern Michigan is expensive, said Cindi Malin, president of Friends of the Boyne District Library, which raises funds for the Boyne Reads program in Boyne City. That's why authors and the cost of hosting them there traditionally have been shared with the community of Alpena.

"It cost roughly $20,000 to bring the name authors we've had," Malin said, referring to Jodi Picoult, Chris Bohjalian and Catherine Ryan Hyde. "It was a pretty filled three days here and two days in Alpena."

Not surprisingly, it was the TC Reads program and Schneider's presentation at a conference that got former Boyne District Library director Nannette Miller excited about starting Boyne Reads.

"Any program that gets people reading, thinking and discussing ideas is important," said Miller, now director of the Haines Borough Public Library in Alaska. "The biggest challenge, as with any program, was getting people out of their houses, or off the lake, to participate."

As a result, Malin said the timing of the program -- currently on hold -- is set to change. Instead of running spring through fall and the busy summer season, it will start after the first of the year and end with the author visit in the spring. That way more schools can participate too, she said.

Marvine Stamatakis plans to use this year's TC Reads book, "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School At A Time," to teach her second-year English As a Second Language students at Interlochen Arts Academy. The book, which chronicles the journey of American Greg Mortenson from mountain climber to school builder in some of the most remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, has spent 80 weeks on the New York Times best-sellers list.

"I'm always looking for something to engage them with the rest of the world," said Stamatakis, whose students come from Russia, Japan, China and South Korea. "I think this would be a great opportunity for them."

Mortenson's book with journalist David Oliver Relin has galvanized readers like no other, say TC Reads officials. Area librarians report that they can hardly keep the book on their shelves and many readers have been inspired to raise money for Mortenson's Central Asia Institute.

Peninsula Community Library's "Page Turners" reading and discussion group already has filled a five-gallon jar with pennies for Mortenson's "Pennies for Peace" project, said library director Vicki Shurly. The project was designed to teach children the rewards of sharing and working together to bring hope and educational opportunities to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where a penny buys a pencil and opens the door to literacy.

Friends of Interlochen Public Library is so interested in Mortensen's education mission that it is helping to underwrite this year's event.

"If you're teaching children, you're teaching them to read, and that's important to the group," said Janette Grice, Interlochen Public Library director and TC Reads Webmaster.

Dennis Murphy has read six of the seven TC Reads books on the recommendation of a friend -- a former high school librarian -- but said he is especially drawn to this one.

"I think they've been wonderfully diverse in term of their scope, interest," said Murphy, a stock trader with a special interest in non-fiction and history. "This one appeals to me because it's a true story."

He said he plans to be in the audience when Mortenson gives a presentation in Traverse City on Sept. 21.

"He's amazing," Murphy said. "He's the kind of ambassador America should have everywhere."

Now TC Reads officials are hoping to build on the popularity of this year's project.

"I think every year's gotten bigger and better -- partly because people are becoming aware of the project and partly because we're better at knowing what to do," said Grice.

--Fundraising reception with author Greg Mortenson, 2 p.m. at Fire Fly Cafe, $50

-- Reception for author Greg Mortenson, 6 p.m. at City Opera House, $10 includes 7 p.m. presentation

--Presentation and book signing by author Greg Mortenson, 7 p.m. at City Opera House, $10 includes 6 p.m. reception

-- Presentation to high school and college students by author Greg Mortenson, 9:25-10:25 a.m. at Traverse City West Senior High, free

Tickets are available at all Traverse Area District Library loca-tions, Horizon Books and Borders Books in Traverse City, and at the door

Photos

Peninsula Community Library patron Gloria Butler leafs through the book, 'Three Cups of Tea,' after buying tickets for author Greg Mortenson-s September appearance in Traverse City. The book, this year-s TC Reads selection, is one of the most popular picks of the 'one book, one community' project now in its seventh year. Record-Eagle