March on Sexual Assault Kicks Off Event Series in Marshfield
An upcoming event series is bringing readers together.
Marshfield is part of a statewide project called the NEA Big Read, which brings communities together to discuss The Round House by Louise Erdrich and host events related to the novel and Native American culture throughout March and April.
These events include an art exhibit, book discussions, film series, a natural medicine discussion, and a trip to a festival at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College which Erdrich will be attending.
“It’s a way for the entire community to share a single experience,” said Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library director Lori Belongia. “When people read, they bring their own life to the table. People have different perspectives. By having a lot of people read together and then discuss it, we get to look at those different ways that they look at the world.”
The Round House is the story of a 13-year-old Chippewa boy who witnesses his mother’s trauma after she has been sexually assaulted. The novel works with several themes, including the effects of the assault on both the family and the entire community. “For anybody who thinks it’s just a one person crime, it’s not,” said Belongia. “Sexual assault is devastating to everyone.”
To officially kick off the Big Read and raise awareness in the community, the public library will host a March Against Sexual Assault on Saturday, March 10 for anyone who wishes to be involved. Sign-making begins at three, and a march at 4 p.m. that will route to Thimbleberry Books and back to the library for the kickoff party from 5-7 p.m.
The main purpose of the march is to get people talking about the issue. “That’s the biggest thing, that people are aware of what constitutes sexual assault,” said Belongia. “Then perhaps less of it will happen.”
“This is a problem not by age, not by education, not by income level,” she added. “It happens throughout our society, and it’s wrong.”
At the party, marchers will gather in the library atrium and get introduced to the Big Read, learn about the Personal Development Center, and listen to other speakers. The Legal Program Coordinator/Supervisor and SA/DV Legal Advocate with the Personal Development Center will speak about the local sexual assault landscape. The speakers will also include a medical professional who will talk about the impact and treatment of sexual assault.
Three Sisters soup, Great Northern vegetarian cassoulet, and pumpkin fry bread will be served at no cost with coffee, tea, and dessert, with a chance for open discussion.
The Big Read is partly funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. “The whole idea behind the Big Read is really just to bring people together and have a discussion, and to look at different points of view in a respectful way,” said Belongia.
Additional funds by Marshfield Area Community Foundation, the Library Foundation and FOMPL made it possible for The Round House e-book to be available beginning March 5 with unlimited access to the community through April. The book can be accessed through Overdrive via the library website, with no waiting list. Physical copies will also be available.
Though The Round House deals with adult themes, kids aren’t left out of the equation. The library will have kids activities based on Erdrich’s popular children’s book, The Birchbark House, about an Ojibwe family’s life and struggles in the mid-nineteenth century in a settlement near Lake Superior.
For more information visit http://wisconsinreads.org/marshfield/ A complete schedule can be found below.
Wed. Feb. 28-Sat. March 31: Thomas Lindfors’ “Everyday Brave” at Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library (Artist’s Talk on March 29, 7 PM)
- Sat. March 10: A March to End Sexual Assault (from Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library to Thimbleberry Books) 3 pm sign-making, 4 pm march, 5-7 pm Big Read Kickoff & Party
- Mon. March 12: UW-Marshfield/Wood County Library Book Club discussion of The Round House, 6-8 pm
- Tues. March 13: Native American Women’s Film Series presents Big Sister, Little Sister, American Indian Women’s Stories, UW-Marshfield/Wood County Library, noon-1 PM
- Tues. March 20: Dinner and a Movie with Julie Tharp (traditional meal and movie The Jingle Dress), $33, please contact UW-Marshfield Wood County Continuing Education Office: [email protected] to register
- Thurs. March 22: Dinner and a Movie with Julie Tharp (traditional meal and movie The Jingle Dress), $33, please contact UW-Marshfield Wood County to register (see link above)
- Tues. March 27: Native American Women’s Film Series presents Her Mother Before Her: American Indian Women’s Stories of Mothers and Grandmothers, UW-Marshfield/Wood County Library, noon-1 PM
- Thurs. March 29: Artist Talk with Photographer Thomas Lindfors, Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library
- Tues. April 3: The Round House book discussion with Julie Tharp, Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library, noon
- Tues. April 10: Native American Women’s Film Series presents Mountain Wolf Woman: 1884-1960, UW-Marshfield/Wood County Library, noon-1 PM
- Thurs. April 12: Discussion on Native American Herbs and Natural Healing by Misty Cook at the Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library, 7 PM
- Tues. April 17: Native American Women’s Film Series presents Sisters and Friends: American Indian Women’s Stories, UW-Marshfield/Wood County Library, noon-1 PM
- Tues. April 24: Native American Women’s Film Series presents Winnebago Women: American Indian Songs and Stories, UW-Marshfield/Wood County Library, noon-1 PM
- Wed. April 25: The Round House book discussion with Julie Tharp, Everett Roehl Marshfield Public Library, 7 PM
- Sat. April 28: Native American Literary Feast and Festival at LCO with b:william bearhart, Kim Blaeser, Heid Erdrich, Louise Erdrich, and Roberta Hill (coach bus provided from UW-Marshfield with a late return; watch website for further details)
