The 2024 Winter Read — a collaboration between The Community Library in Ketchum, Hailey Public Library, Bellevue Public Library, and Stanley Community Library — kicks off on Wednesday, January 31, at The Community Library in Ketchum with author Maureen Corrigan.
The community-wide read, now in its sixth year, is a deep dive into one book that invites adults and high school students around the Wood River Valley, Sawtooth Valley, and beyond to read a book together. This year’s selection is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Corrigan, NPR Fresh Air book critic, authored So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why it Endures. During the January 31 Kickoff, from 5:30–6:30 p.m., she will share the history of the book’s writing and reception, and reflections on why some people hate it, others love it, and why we should keep reading and re-reading it. During her time in the Valley, Corrigan will be a guest at the historic Ernest and Mary Hemingway House’s Writer-In-Residence apartment, owned and operated by The Community Library.
“I had the privilege of briefly touring the Hemingway House in the company of Salman Rushdie and Erik Larson the summer of 2016,” says Corrigan, “when we were all at the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to return as a guest and to work in such a hallowed place.”
“We are beyond thrilled to have Maureen helping kick off this year’s Winter Read,” says Martha Williams, the director of programs and education at The Community Library. “For those new to reading Gatsby, she will share reasons to care about this 100-year-old book, and for those revisiting its pages she will deliver keen observations about Fitzgerald’s characters and story, the 1920s’ social environment, and connections between the novel and the author’s own well-known but little understood life.”
Following the kickoff event, throughout February and March the community is invited to participate in more programs and book discussions that help delve into the book’s many themes: of class and wealth, industrialization and change, and the hopes and disillusionment of the American Dream. Registration is recommended for most events, and some events require preregistration. All events are free and will be hosted by Valley libraries, and many events will also be livestreamed.
Event and press inquiries can be directed to Martha Williams, Director of Programs and Education, at (208) 806-2621 or mwilliams@comlib.org.