Edmonds CC Community Read

The Edmonds CC Community Read brings the campus and community together to read one book in order to:

• Build community through a common intellectual experience.
• Promote literacy across the campus and community through the adoption of thoughtful, noteworthy works of literature or scholarship.
• Offer faculty an opportunity to invigorate curriculum with vital issues and great ideas.
• Enrich the lives of students, faculty, staff and the people of South Snohomish County.

Here are some ways to join in:

• Nominate a book.
• Read this year’s featured book.
• Join in discussions.
• Take related classes at the college.
• Meet the author on campus.
• Contribute to our online discussion group.
• Attend community read events.

2009-10 Community Read

We’re reading Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World (2007) by nature and science writer Dan Koeppel. The book chronicles the fruit’s history, from early cultivation to modern popularization, and suggests ways to save it from extinction. Koeppel has written for magazines including the New York Times Magazine, Outside, Audubon, Popular Science, and National Geographic Adventure. He is also the author of To See Every Bird on Earth (2005).
 
Why read about bananas? Read Koeppel’s opinion article in The New York Times, “Yes, We Will Have No Bananas”and visit his blog at bananabook.org to find out more about the issues involved in growing and distributing the most popular fruit in America.
 
Join us, and talk with the author on campus 12:30-2 p.m., Tues., March 2 in the Black Box Theatre. Free. Ask your questions about the book and get answers from Dan Koeppel.

Read Banana: $1,000 Scholarships Available!

Three scholarships of $1,000 for spring quarter tuition are available to Edmonds Community College students who participate in the book read. Apply by 5 p.m., Mon., Nov. 30. Scholarship recipients will be announced Mon., Dec. 7. These scholarships are provided by the Edmonds Community College Foundation. Visit www.edcc.edu/foundation for more scholarship opportunities.

To apply for the scholarship:

• Read Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World. Copies are available at the library and for purchase at the College Store.
• Create and complete a project (it could be an essay, a visual presentation, performance, or Web site — be creative!) that addresses key themes of the book.
• Submit your application (both a hard copy to the Humanities and Social Sciences Division in Alderwood Hall 218 and an electronic copy to instructor Christopher Bell at cbell@edcc.edu).  Your application should include:
  --A 500 word or less description of the project and its connection to the book.
  --A letter of recommendation from a faculty member that endorses your project.

Get more details about how to apply and what to say.
Questions? Email cbell@edcc.edu.