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Appalachian’s Common Reading Program announces 2018-19 selection

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“The Laramie Project” — a play by Moisés Kaufman and members of Tectonic Theater Project — is the 2018-19 Common Reading Program selection for first-year students at Appalachian.

Common Reading Program
Common Reading Program

Since 1997, incoming first-year students at Appalachian have been asked to read a book as part of their orientation to the University. By participating in the Common Reading Program, students establish a common experience with other new students that helps develop a sense of community and introduce them to a part of the academic life they are beginning at Appalachian. This program is an exciting facet of the first year experience at Appalachian.

Learn more
See previous Common Reading Program selections
Courtesy of University College
Posted Feb. 16, 2018 at 3:36 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — The Common Reading Program at Appalachian State University announces its 2018-19 book selection — “The Laramie Project,” by Moisés Kaufman and members of Tectonic Theater Project.

“The Laramie Project” is a play about the community of Laramie, Wyoming, in the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, who was a gay student at the University of Wyoming. The murder, which was denounced as a hate crime, sparked a national debate.

“‘The Laramie Project’ represents a creative and illuminating response to an act of inhumane violence. The various perspectives about exclusion, violence, and community membership offered by ‘The Laramie Project’ are quite relevant for our incoming first-year students, whom we hope will engage in discussions about the issues that shape our community,” said Dr. Martha McCaughey, director of Appalachian’s Common Reading Program.

Judy Shepard, mother of the late Matthew Shepard and president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, will speak at Appalachian’s Black and Gold Convocation on Monday, Aug. 20.

Jason Marsden, executive director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, stated, “Over the last two decades, Judy Shepard has delivered her message of inclusion and compassion to more than 800 colleges, workforces and community organizations. I can easily say that Appalachian’s 2018 programs are amongst the rare few that include such a comprehensive, and impressive set of events around the common theme of erasing hate.”

Additionally, Appalachian will welcome Moisés Kaufman — playwright, director and founder of the Tectonic Theater Project — to campus on Monday, Sept. 17. He will read from his work and sign copies of the play in the Parkway Ballroom (Room 420) of Appalachian’s Plemmons Student Union at 2 p.m. and will give a public address at the university’s Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Throughout the academic year, students will remain engaged with the play’s themes through Welcome Weekend discussions, their first year seminar classes and at various events held on campus. Appalachian’s Department of Theatre and Dance will be producing “The Laramie Project,” directed by Teresa Lee, professor of theatre. The play runs Oct. 2-9 in Appalachian’s Valborg Theatre.

“The Laramie Project” is for sale at the University Bookstore, and each first-year student will receive a special edition of the book during their summer orientation visit. In providing first-year students with a common book, the Common Reading Program supports a culture of intellectual engagement, both inside and outside the classroom, and helps students develop an appreciation of the authorial and creative process.

University faculty members who wish to lead a 75-minute discussion about the play, as well as what to expect in college classes with new students during Welcome Weekend on Saturday, Aug. 18, should contact Clinton Marsh, assistant director of orientation, at marshrc@appstate.edu or McCaughey at mccaugheym@appstate.edu by May 1.

Moisés Kaufman – Lecture: “Theater in 2018 - The Vicinity of Hope”
Apr
8
Moisés Kaufman – Lecture: “Theater in 2018 - The Vicinity of Hope”

A public address by the author of “The Laramie Project”

April 8, 2019
7 p.m.
Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts

Moisés Kaufman is the founder and artistic director of Tectonic Theater Project, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated director and playwright, and a 2015 recipient of the National Medal of Arts. His play “The Laramie Project” is about the community of Laramie, Wyoming, in the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, who was a gay student at the University of Wyoming. The murder, which was denounced as a hate crime, sparked a national debate.

Learn more about this event
Reading and book signing with ‘The Laramie Project’ author Moisés Kaufman
Apr
9
Reading and book signing with ‘The Laramie Project’ author Moisés Kaufman

Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series

April 9, 2019
9:30 - 11 a.m.
137 Plemmons Student Union (Grandfather Mountain Ballroom)

Moisés Kaufman is co-author of the play “The Laramie Project,” which explores the community of Laramie, Wisconsin, following the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard.

Learn more about this event
Black and Gold Convocation
Aug
20
Black and Gold Convocation

With guest speaker Judy Shepard

Aug. 20, 2018
10 a.m.
Holmes Convocation Center

Judy Shepard, mother of the late Matthew Shepard and president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, will speak at Appalachian’s Black and Gold Convocation. Appalachian’s Common Reading Program selection “The Laramie Project” by Moisés Kaufman is a play about the community of Laramie, Wyoming, in the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, who was a gay student at the University of Wyoming.

Learn more about this event
Common Reading Program
Common Reading Program

Since 1997, incoming first-year students at Appalachian have been asked to read a book as part of their orientation to the University. By participating in the Common Reading Program, students establish a common experience with other new students that helps develop a sense of community and introduce them to a part of the academic life they are beginning at Appalachian. This program is an exciting facet of the first year experience at Appalachian.

Learn more
See previous Common Reading Program selections

About the Common Reading Program at Appalachian

Since 1997, incoming first-year students at Appalachian State University have been asked to read a book as part of their orientation to the university. By participating in the Common Reading Program, students establish a common experience with other new students that will help develop a sense of community with their new environment and introduce them to a part of the academic life they are beginning at Appalachian. This program is an exciting facet in Appalachian's orientation of new students to life on campus. Learn more at https://commonreading.appstate.edu/about.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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