One Book unites city with readings, more

HOLYOKE - The first time James H. Lightfoot III picked up the book city residents are planning to read together, he was so fascinated he didn't want to stop.

The second time he read "A Lesson Before Dying," by Ernest Gaines, it was in front of a crowd of people who were celebrating the start of One Book Holyoke, which will have hundreds of people reading the same book.

"This was a teaser from the first chapter to give a feeling of the beauty of the language," said Priscilla Kane Hellweg, executive director of Enchanted Circle.

Today and tomorrow, the Enchanted Circle theater company will present a dramatic reading of the book with Lightfoot as one of the featured actors. It is scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Holyoke Public Library.

"I had never read this before. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down," said Lightfoot, of Springfield, an associate artist with Enchanted Circle and assistant to the director for Jelupa Productions.

This is the third time a variety of organizations, including the public schools, the library, Holyoke Community College and adult education classes, will join together to encourage as many people as possible to read the same book.

The program received approximately $7,500 from the National Endowment for the Arts' The Big Read. That money is being used to purchase books and to help fund some of the presentations, said Vivian A. Ostrowski, student activities director at Holyoke Community College.

The program includes a number of events, among them an art display of works done by students involved in the Unlocking the Light program that will run from Nov. 7

through Dec. 2 at Wistariahurst Museum.

Derek Fenner, project director for Unlocking the Light, was the keynote speaker during the recent kick-off.

The program brings the arts into 56 different juvenile detention facilities as a learning tool, he said.

"We use the arts to teach the core curriculum," Fenner said. "Our kids become really engaged and they get to experience success."

All One Book Holyoke readers have been invited to submit designs for a book jacket contest to Holyoke High School art teacher William Greaney for a new jacket for "A Lesson Before Dying." The deadline is Saturday. Two winners, one among young people aged 18 and younger and the other for readers over the age 18, will receive $100 prizes.

A program to celebrate the conclusion of One Book Holyoke! will be held on Nov. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. at St. Paul's Church. Community leaders are to read from their personal lessons before dying, winners of the contest will be announced and there will be an ice cream social.