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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">May 9, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">CONTACT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Farrell Howe</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Marketing and Communication Manager<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Kalamazoo Public Library<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">269-553-7879<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b>Update on the Reading Together 2019 Author Visit with Angie Thomas<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Kalamazoo, MI – Thursday, May 9, 2019.
<a href="http://www.kpl.gov/">Kalamazoo Public Library</a> regrets to announce that, for a variety of reasons, the Angie Thomas author visit originally scheduled for Wednesday, April 17 at Miller Auditorium will not be rescheduled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a href="http://readingtogether.us/" title="Reading Together">Reading Together</a>, the library’s annual “one book one city” program, operates on a particular timeline. When Ms. Thomas canceled for health
reasons, KPL was hopeful her appearance could be rescheduled for later this spring, before turning its attention to the selection of a title for 2020. Her availability, however, was not was not made known in a timely fashion, forcing the library to make the
decision to move on. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">“<i>While we are very disappointed with the cancellation, all of the book discussions, special programming, and community conversations inspired by “The Hate U Give” made this year’s Reading Together event
truly impactful.</i>” said Kalamazoo Public Library Director, Ryan Wieber. “<i>Thank you to our community for its active participation, the KPL staff, and all the local organizations who promoted Reading Together by incorporating the themes presented in the
book in their own programming and events</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">According to data collected by Kalamazoo Public Library, more than 800 teens and adults attended book discussions and/or other events related to <i>The Hate U Give</i> as part of the 2019 Reading Together
program. This figure does not include private book clubs who also discussed the book on their own. More than 3,000 copies of <i>The Hate U Give</i> (print, digital, audio and the movie) have circulated from all KPL locations since October 1, 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">KPL would like to recognize the many local organizations who participated in Reading Together 2019 by hosting discussions, planning special events, and/or participated on the Reading Together steering committee: <a href="https://reason.kzoo.edu/csjl/" title="Arcus Center for Social Justice">Arcus
Center for Social Justice</a>; <a href="https://www.kalamazooarts.org/" title="Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo">Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo</a>; <a href="https://blackartskalamazoo.org/" title="Black Arts and Cultural Center">Black Arts and Cultural
Center</a>; <a href="https://bgckzoo.org/" title="Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo">Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kalamazoo</a>; <a href="https://www.bronsonhealth.com/locations/bronson-methodist-hospital/" title="Bronson Hospital">Bronson Hospital</a>;
Brown Sugar Book Club; <a href="https://www.kalamazoocity.org/" title="City of Kalamazoo">City of Kalamazoo</a>; <a href="http://www.dnswm.org/" title="Disability Network of Southwest Michigan">Disability Network of Southwest Michigan</a>; <a href="https://www.dcakalamazoo.com/" title="Douglass Community Association">Douglass
Community Association</a>; <a href="https://fetzer.org/" title="Fetzer Institute">Fetzer Institute</a>; <a href="http://www.thisisfire.org/" title="Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative">Fire Historical and Cultural Arts Collaborative</a>; <a href="https://friendshipvillagemi.com/" title="Friendship Village">Friendship
Village</a>; <a href="https://www.gulllakecs.org/" title="Gull Lake Community Schools">Gull Lake Community Schools</a>; <a href="http://www.kzoo.edu/" title="Kalamazoo College">Kalamazoo College</a>; <a href="https://kalamazoopublicsafety.org/" title="Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety">Kalamazoo
Department of Public Safety</a>; <a href="https://www.kiarts.org/" title="Kalamazoo Institute of Arts">Kalamazoo Institute of Arts</a>; <a href="https://www.kalamazoopublicschools.com/" title="Kalamazoo Public Schools">Kalamazoo Public Schools</a>; <a href="https://www.kvcc.edu/" title="Kalamazoo Valley Community College">Kalamazoo
Valley Community College</a>; <a href="https://kydnet.org/" title="KYD Network">KYD Network</a>; <a href="http://www.lakesideacademy.net/" title="Lakeside Academy">Lakeside Academy</a>; <a href="https://www.lawestmi.org/" title="Legal Aid of Western Michigan">Legal
Aid of Western Michigan</a>; <a href="https://wmich.edu/olli" title="Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU">Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at WMU</a>; <a href="https://www.parchmentlibrary.org/" title="Parchment Community Library">Parchment Community
Library</a>; <a href="https://www.peacehousekzoo.org/" title="Peace House">Peace House</a>; <a href="http://peopleschurch.net/" title="People’s Church">People’s Church</a>; <a href="http://www.portagelibrary.info/" title="Portage District Library">Portage
District Library</a>; <a href="https://portageps.org/" title="Portage Public Schools">Portage Public Schools</a>; <a href="https://www.portageucc.org/" title="Portage United Church of Christ">Portage United Church of Christ</a>; <a href="http://www.publicmedianet.org/" title="Public Media Network">Public
Media Network</a>; <a href="http://www.readandwritekzoo.org/" title="Read and Write Kalamazoo (RAWK)">Read and Write Kalamazoo (RAWK)</a>; <a href="https://www.richlandlibrary.org/" title="Richland Community Library">Richland Community Library</a>; <a href="http://sharekazoo.org/" title="SHARE (The Society for History and Racial Equity">SHARE
(The Society for History and Racial Equity</a>); <a href="https://www.kalfound.org/About/TRHTKalamazoo/tabid/535/Default.aspx" title="TRHT Kalamazoo (Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation)">TRHT Kalamazoo (Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation)</a>; <a href="https://www.ucmkalamazoo.org/" title="United Campus Ministry">United
Campus Ministry</a>; <a href="http://www.wmich.edu/" title="Western Michigan University">Western Michigan University</a>; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/YKQInc/" title="Young Kings and Queens">Young Kings and Queens</a> and <a href="https://www.kzooymca.org/" title="YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo.">YMCA
of Greater Kalamazoo.</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Special thanks to this year’s Reading Together sponsors: <a href="http://www.isgilmore.org/" title="The Irving S. Gilmore Foundation">The Irving S. Gilmore Foundation</a>, <a href="http://www.kalfound.org/" title="The Kalamazoo Community Foundation">The
Kalamazoo Community Foundation</a>, and <a href="http://www.kpl.gov/friends" title="Friends of Kalamazoo Public Library">Friends of Kalamazoo Public Library</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">If you participated in any of this year’s Reading Together programs, events or book discussions and would like to provide your feedback, please take a moment to complete this brief <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MJJSLX8" title="survey">survey</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">####<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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