Author Tim O’Brien will talk about his book The Things They Carried at two public appearances; April 18 at 7 pm at the Avalon Theater in Easton, MD and on April 19 at 7 pm, at Stephen Decatur High School in Berlin, MD. Both events are free and no tickets are required.
A musical review of the Vietnam War Era will precede each event with musicians Frank Nanna and Mike Armstrong to embrace the period through the songs popular at the time.
The Things They Carried is this year’s Big Read selection hosted by the Somerset and Worcester County Libraries. The Big Read challenges community members to read, discuss, and celebrate the same book. Additional public programs are scheduled for March and April, including book discussions, history lectures, music performances, and documentary and film viewings. Details about all the programs are available on the libraries’ websites: www.somelibrary.org and www.worcesterlibrary.org.
O’Brien is a veteran of the Vietnam War and served in the United States Army in the 46th Infantry during 1969-1970. He earned a National Book Award in 1979 for his work, Going After Caccicato and the The Things They Carried was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist in 1991.
O’Brien’s visit is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Somerset County Library, Worcester County Library, and Worcester County Arts Council.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. For more information on the national initiative, visit www.NEABigRead.org.