Lighthouse Writers Workshop, in partnership with Denver Arts & Venues and the Denver Public Library, invites you to #ReadWithUs this fall! As part of the NEA Big Read program, we'll be hosting a citywide discussion based on In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, a novel about family, finding your voice, and fighting injustice.
We've partnered with arts organizations across the city to deliver a full slate of events, including book discussions, writing workshops, art-making sessions, live performances, and more. Copies of the book will be available at select locations throughout the city, as well as local bookstores and libraries. Share a photo of yourself reading the book or a favorite quote by using the hashtag #ReadWithUs and tagging Lighthouse on Instagram at @lighthousewriters or on Twitter at @lighthousewrite. And find a Big Read event below and join the conversation!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
September
FEATURED EVENT! NEA Big Read Kickoff Party
Friday, September 27, 5:00 to 7:30 PM @ Denver Botanic Gardens
Celebrate the launch of the Big Read with live music, interactive activities, readings and performances, book giveaways, and more. Free.
CÓSMICO AMERICAS
Saturday, September 28, 4:00 to 10:00 PM @ Civic Center Park
Stop by Lighthouse's table at the party marking the end of the Biennial of the Americas Festival for a fun creative writing activity. Free.
MAKING ART & WRITING
Monday, September 30, 5:30 to 6:30 PM @ Denver Public Library, Hadley Branch
Create art and writing in response to the book’s themes, with guided prompts by instructors from Art Students League of Denver and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Free.
October
FEATURED EVENT! DRAMATIC READING
Tuesday, October 29, 7:00 to 8:30 PM @ Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center
Experience a live reading of Caridad Svich’s dramatic adaptation of the novel. Tickets are $10.
MAKING ART & WRITING
Tuesday, October 1, 5:30 to 7:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Montbello Branch
Create art and writing in response to the book’s themes, with guided prompts by instructors from Art Students League of Denver and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Free.
SACRED SPACES
Friday, October 4, 5:00 to 9:00 PM @ Museo de las Americas
Make art and writing in response to the book’s themes with artists from Museo de las Americas. Free.
BUTTERFLY EFFECT OPENING RECEPTION
Friday, October 4, 6:00 to 8:00 PM @ Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Hey Hue presents Butterfly Effect, an exhibition exploring the ways political resistance ripples through a family, a community, and a nation as inspired by the book. Exhibition on view through November 7. Free.
BIG READ CLUB DEL LIBRO EN ESPAÑOL
Saturday, October 5, 1:00 to 2:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales Branch
Explore los temas de la novela con una discusión del club de lectura. Gratis.
MAKING ART & WRITING
Tuesday, October 8, 5:30 to 7:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Hampden Branch
Create art and writing in response to the book’s themes, with guided prompts by instructors from Art Students League of Denver and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Free.
MAKING ART & WRITING
Wednesday, October 9, 5:30 to 7:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Schlessman Branch
Create art and writing in response to the book’s themes, with guided prompts by instructors from Art Students League of Denver and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Free.
BIG READ BOOK CLUB
Saturday, October 12, 2:00 to 4:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales Branch
Explore the themes of the novel in a book club discussion. Free.
MAKING ART & WRITING
Tuesday, October 15, 5:30 to 7:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Bear Valley Branch
Create art and writing in response to the book’s themes, with guided prompts by instructors from Art Students League of Denver and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Free.
COLLABORATIVE COLLAGE
Tuesday, October 15, 6:00 to 8:00 PM @ RedLine Contemporary Art Center
Join resident artist Lares Feliciano for a guided tour through the art of collage in response to the book. Free.
WRITING IN COLOR
Friday, October 18, 5:30 to 7:30 PM @ Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Lighthouse's monthly program for writers of color in Colorado hosts a panel discussion and writing activity exploring arts, activism, and literature as a tool for social change. Free.
BIG READ CLUB DEL LIBRO EN ESPAÑOL
Saturday, October 19, 1:00 to 2:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Valdez-Perry Branch
Explore los temas de la novela con una discusión del club de lectura. Gratis.
DROP-IN WRITING
Tuesday, October 22, 1:00 to 3:00 PM @ Denver Art Museum
Join Michael Henry, executive director of Lighthouse, for an informal writing session in the museum galleries with prompts based on the book. Free with museum admission.
MAKING ART & WRITING
Tuesday, October 22, 5:30 to 7:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Gonzales Branch
Create art and writing in response to the book’s themes, with guided prompts by instructors from Art Students League of Denver and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Free.
LA FRONTERA DE LAS MARIPOSAS WORKSHOP
Thursday, October 24, 6:00 to 8:30 PM @ Colorado Photographic Arts Center
Discuss a photographic exhibition around the book La Frontera de Cristal, its relationship to Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies, and the intersection between politics and migration. Tickets are $10; $5 for Lighthouse and CPAC members.
4-WEEK ONLINE READING AS A WRITER—IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES BY JULIA ALVAREZ
Begins Monday, October 28, online
Spend four weeks diving into the novel to see what makes it tick and what we can learn from it to apply to our own writing. Tuition is $230; $205 for Lighthouse members.
MAKING ART & WRITING
Monday, October 28, 5:30 to 7:00 PM @ Denver Public Library, Hadley Branch
Create art and writing in response to the book’s themes, with guided prompts by instructors from Art Students League of Denver and Lighthouse Writers Workshop. Free.
November
FEATURED EVENT! INSIDE THE WRITER’S STUDIO WITH JULIA ALVAREZ
Co-Presented by the Newman Center for the Performing Arts
Wednesday, November 6, 7:30 to 9:00 PM @ Newman Center for the Performing Arts
See Julia Alvarez in person for a live on-stage reading and conversation with Denver author Kali Fajardo-Anstine. Tickets are $20; $10 for Lighthouse members.
BOOK TO FILM AT THE DENVER FILM FESTIVAL
Saturday, November 2, 11:00 AM @ Denver Film Festival, McNichols Building
Join a panel discussion between filmmakers and writers discussing the relationship between literature and film, as part of the Denver Film's annual Denver Film Festival. Find tickets at denverfilm.org.
THE WRITER'S STUDIO CRAFT TALK WITH JULIA ALVAREZ
Thursday, November 7, 1:00 to 3:00 PM @ Lighthouse Writers Workshop
Join Julia Alvarez as she explores the time and care it takes to write a beautiful, short novel. Tuition is $75; $65 for Lighthouse members.
The NEA Big Read is a partnership with Denver Arts & Venues and the Denver Public Library, with support from Denver Botanic Gardens and the Newman Center for the Performing Arts. The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
