The Duck Store and the Eugene Public Library Foundation have come together to co-sponsor an evening for literature lovers. Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry, author of best-selling novels such as “The Giver” and “Number the Stars,” will give a free talk at the Eugene Public Library Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. as part of the “Author! Author!” series.
In celebration of Banned Books Week (Sept. 29 – Oct. 6) and Teen Read Week (Oct. 14 – 20), the Eugene Public Library decided to bring the controversial author to Eugene because her novels fall into both categories.
“She writes across the ages,” said Mary Ginnane, Youth Services Manager at the Eugene Public Library and one of the event’s coordinators. “The content and themes in her books – for instance, utopian worlds gone awry – speak to adults as well as teens.”
In honor of Banned Books Week, the Eugene Public Library designed display cases for parents and children to look at and discuss in their own time.
“I’m very proud of the displays because parents can choose what discussion points to bring up,” Ginnane said. She said the displays are not too “in your face,” but simply make people aware of the content without revealing more than necessary.
The purpose of Wednesday’s event is to commemorate teens and to emphasize that literature of all ages has value, Ginnane said.
“I hope people take away the core value of honoring humanity; lessening the fear that (being exposed to) information can hurt people; the importance of archetypes in literature and what they can mean in daily life; the value of fiction and of debriefing important societal issues.”
– Talia Schmidt