NEA Big Read at ODU

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read is a national initiative that aims to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. Managed by Arts Midwest, this program provides grants to support dynamic community reading programs, each designed around a single book selection. By bringing people together through literature, the NEA Big Read fosters meaningful conversations and a deeper appreciation for diverse perspectives.

Old Dominion’s Legacy with the NEA Big Read

Old Dominion 91��Ƶ has a proud history of being a two-time recipient of the NEA Big Read Grant in 2009-10 and 2018-19. Our previous themes have explored various social issues, fostering community engagement and enriching the cultural landscape of our region. This legacy underscores our ongoing commitment to using literature as a catalyst for important conversations and community building. Our past successes with the NEA Big Read have laid a strong foundation for this year’s focus on health equity, and we look forward to continuing this tradition of impactful programming.

Big Read 2009

ODU talks the Big Read on The Hampton Roads Show.

Big Read 2018

Former ODU President John R. Broderick, Claudia Rankin and other attendees at 2018 Big Read event.

Featured Read

Health Equity: Where We Live

As the 2024-25 recipients of the NEA Big Read grant, our common read is Rebekah Taussig’s powerful memoir Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body, a profound exploration of disability, identity, and resilience, that offers a poignant and insightful perspective on navigating the world as a person with a disability. It also allows us to explore the theme of “Health Equity: Where We Live.” Under this theme, all programming will highlight the critical intersections between health and community well-being. Through a series of events, discussions, and activities, we aim to explore how the environments we live in influence our health outcomes and what we can do as a community to promote equitable health opportunities for all.

Contact

Institutional Equity & Diversity

757-683-3141 office

757-683-5844 fax

equityanddiversity@odu.edu

Next Event + Featured Author

Tuesday, November 19 at 7 p.m.!

Join us for a transformative film screening series as part of ODU's Big Read program, inspired by Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig. Titled "In Sickness and in Wealth," this four-part series will explore the critical issue of health equity, focusing on healthcare access, the disparities faced by marginalized communities, and the systemic barriers contributing to unequal health outcomes. Each film will highlight a different dimension of health inequity, fostering dialogue and reflection on how we can collectively work toward more just and inclusive healthcare systems.

Don't miss this opportunity to engage with powerful narratives and explore what it truly means to achieve health equity for all.

View Event

Our Featured Author

Rebekah Taussig will challenge everything you think you know about disability as she invites us into her experience of living in a body that looks and moves differently than most. “What would it mean for disabled folks if society saw us as acceptable, equal, valuable parts of the whole?” she writes in her memoir, Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient DisabledBody (HarperOne).

Meet Rebekah