Lowell Reads Great Expectations (June—August 2012)

In concert with the citywide Dickens in Lowell Celebration, the Pollard is reviving the Lowell Reads program. The aim of this program is to promote literacy and to foster a better sense of community by creating an opportunity for Lowellians engage with their neighbors in a meaningful discussion over a treasured classic. Beginning June 2nd, the Pollard Library will have book club kits of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations available for patrons to borrow to host and facilitate  discussions. We will have copies of the novel in many formats for individuals to borrow.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION...

• Readers can pose questions and share their thoughts on the online discussion forum at www.lowellreads.org 
• Join the conversation on Twitter @pollardml #lowellreads12. 

EVENTS....

• Lowell Reads Kick Off - Saturday, June 2nd - 11AM-3PM - To kick off our Lowell Reads! Great Expectations program, the Pollard Memorial Library is teaming up with The Lowell, MA Humane Society for a fun family event! Join us from 11am-12pm as we create animal face masks and then at 1pm enjoy a showing of a special animated feature film starring loveable kittens - based on Dickens' Oliver Twist. Crafts session followed by an hour break. All children and their grown-ups are welcome. No registration required. This event is open to the public. FREE! 
• Lowell Reads: Film Night - Dickens in America & Biography - Thursday, June 28th - 6:30PM.  BBC's Dickens in America and A&E Biography of Charles Dickens Film Screening: Join us as we follow Miriam Margolyes, aka Harry Potter's Professor Sprout, follow Charles Dickens's route through America. We'll be showing the portion of this 10-part BBC documentary chronicling Mr. Dickens's trip through Boston and up to Lowell. We'll follow this episode up with a fascinating A&E Biography episode featuring Charles Dickens. The event is FREE and open to the public
• Lowell Reads: Film Night - David Lean's adaptation of the novel - Thursday, July 12th - 6:30PM - The story of a poor young boy who receives the financial backing of a mysterious benefactor who becomes a man of means and learns the true meaning of life. Classic black & white film. Please contact 978-674-1542 for more information. This event is open to the public. FREE!
• Lowell Reads: Book Discussion - The First Stage of Pip’s Expectations (aka Volume 1). Thursday, July 19th - 6:30PM & Friday, July 20th - 10AM - Join us at the Pollard for a discussion focused on the first volume of Great Expectations (Chapters 1-19).
• Lowell Reads: Book Discussion - The Second and Third Stages of Pip’s Expectations (aka Volume 2 & 3) - Thursday, August 16th - 6:30PM & Friday, August 17th - 10AM. Join us at the Pollard for a discussion focused on the second and third volumes of Great Expectations (Chapters 20-59).

For a full list of events you can visit our library calendar page, 

or our facebook events page, or stop by the library to pick up a brochure. 

ABOUT THE BOOK: Widely considered the best of Dickens’ novels, Great Expectations, tells the story of a young man named Pip and his education and ascension through the classes in Victorian England. Originally released in weekly installments between 1860-1861 the novel is full of intrigue, mystery and suspense. It unfolds in a masterful plotted scheme as engaging to modern readers as it was to those subscribers who originally read it in weekly serial format. The richly drawn characters speak highly of Dickens’ keen awareness of the universal foibles of human nature. So whether you’re reading this masterwork for the first time, or you’re reacquainting yourself with the likes of Estella, Miss Havisham, Joe Gargery and Pip join in on the conversation this summer as Lowell Reads Great Expectations.

LOWELL READS GREAT EXPECTATIONS is part of the citywide DICKENS IN LOWELL CELEBRATION happening throughout 2012. For more information please visit www.uml.edu/dickens. Dickens in Lowell is sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Lowell, in partnership with the Lowell National Historical Park, the Tsongas Industrial History Center, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and the Charles Dickens Museum London, and with generous support from the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation and the University of Massachusetts President’s Office. In addition, Lowell Reads Great Expectations, is made possible  by The Pollard Memorial Library Foundation and the Friends of the Pollard Memorial Library.

If you have any questions, or want more info please call or email Sean Thibodeau, Community Planning Librarian, 978-674-1542 or sthibodeau@mvlc.org. Happy Reading!