The Newburgh Free Library will launch its National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program exploring Hustle by David Tomas Martinez with a Hispanic Heritage Month Kick Off on Saturday, September 21st, from 12:00-3:00 p.m. The NEA Big Read in Newburgh is presented in partnership with the Newburgh Enlarged City School District, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The kick-off event, presented in partnership with Latinos Unidos, will feature a performance from Unidos Latin Jazz, Zumba and socacize classes, a poetry reading by Daniel Villegas, Empanada o Nada and Antojitos on Wheels food trucks, community organizations such as Catholic Charities and Literacy Connections, a Big Read Proclamation from Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey, and more.
“The Newburgh Free Library is thrilled to bring the poetry and energy of David Tomas Martinez to the people of Newburgh,” said Library Director Ben Gocker. “The tough, proud, and beautiful poems in Martinez’s collection Hustle, echo the experiences of our community and will provide a wonderful point of departure to explore who we are, where we live, and what ties us all together.”
An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the power of a shared reading experience.
Newburgh is one of 62 communities nationwide participating in the 2024-2025 NEA Big Read. From September 2024-April 2025, our community will celebrate Hustle by David Tomas Martinez with a full calendar of events including book discussions, poetry and creative writing workshops, Hispanic Heritage research workshops, poetry open mics, a Black History Month poetry reading, a visit from David Tomas Martinez himself, and much more.
For more information on this event, please contact Kristen Thornton-De Stafeno (kthornton-destafeno@rcls.org). You also can view a full calendar of events for the NEA Big Read in Newburgh at https://newburghlibrary.org/.
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