COUNTY OF SLO PUBLIC LIBRARIES  
Book of the Year
 
We Share Stories
A countywide literary event in partnership with Cuesta College and Cal Poly Student Diversity & Belonging, the Book of the Year program encourages community members to read together and engage in discussion and programming.  
 
It’s our mission to connect our community to creativity, culture, and knowledge–and we’re doing that through stories. We believe that connecting readers to timely books and current issues can inspire important discussions and can help bring a community together. 
 
 
 
THE STORY: THERE, THERE
 
One of The New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year and winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award, Tommy Orange’s wondrous and shattering bestselling novel follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Together, this chorus of voices tells of the plight of the urban Native American—grappling with a complex and painful history, with an inheritance of beauty and spirituality, with communion and sacrifice and heroism. Hailed as an instant classic, There There is at once poignant and unflinching, utterly contemporary and truly unforgettable. (PenguinRandomHouse.com)
 
THE AUTHOR
 
Tommy Orange is a 2014 MacDowell Fellow and a 2016 Writing by Writers Fellow, as well as a recent graduate from the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts. He is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, and was born and raised in Oakland, California. He now lives in Angels Camp, California, with his wife and son. (PenguinRandomHouse.com)
 
 
 
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
 
 
Tommy Orange Lecture
& Book Signing
THURS, APRIL 21 | 5p
Cuesta College Performing Arts Center
$5 general | Free for students
 
**Tickets available at tickets.cuesta.edu **
 
Hear Tommy's story in a live presentation hosted by Cuesta College, Cal Poly Student Diversity & Belonging, and County of SLO Public Libraries.
 
 
 
Community Seed Exchange
SAT, MAR 5 | 2 pm
Arroyo Grande Library
 
   
 
 
There, There Book Discussions
FRI, MAR 18 | 10 am
Arroyo Grande Library
 
THURS, MAR 24 | 3:30 pm
Shell Beach Library
 
SAT, APR 2 | 10 am
Atascadero Library
 
Join the discussion by reserving or downloading a copy of There, There, or reserve a kit for your own book group. Each kit has 10 copies. 
 
 
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Plains Indians Parfleche Craft
MARCH 1–31 
Arroyo Grande, Oceano, Shell Beach, Nipomo Libraries
 
Grab a traditional leather bag kit to make at home. Ages 4 and up. While supplies last.
 
  
 
 
Land Acknowledgements
with Alan Salazar
SAT, MAR 5 | 11 am
San Luis Obispo Library
 
FRI, MAR 18 | 1 pm
Live via Zoom
 
SAT, APR 2 | 2 pm
Arroyo Grande Library
 
Chumash and Tatavium elder Alan Salazar discusses land acknowledgements and Central Coast history.
 
 
 
 
Welcome to Sue-meg Village
with California State Parks
TUES, MAR 15 | 11 am
LIVE VIA ZOOM
 
A guided tour of the Yurok Village that touches on the disruptive history of European immigration and colonization to the indigenous people of Northwest California.  
 
 
 
Kashtayit State Marine Conservation Area 
with California State Parks
TUES, APR 19 | 10 am
LIVE VIA ZOOM
 
An interactive program led by a State Park PORTS interpreter on location at Santa Barbara County's Gaviota coast.
 
  
 
Visit our events calendar at SLOLibrary.org or sign up for email notification for the latest Book of the Year program information.
 
 
COMMUNITY STORIES
 
 
Learn about local diversity and our shared history with these community agencies and partners.

 
Cuesta College Book of the Year Events
yak tityu tityu tilhini yak tityu Northern Chumash Tribe
Cal Poly Native American & Indigenous Cultural Center
Salinan Tribe of Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties
History Center of San Luis Obispo County 
 
 
 
MORE STORIES
 



 
Suggested reading: Thrillers, American history, and more.