Beyond the Book
Fact Sheet
WHAT Beyond the Book: Read it. See it. Live it.
The mission of Beyond the Book is to inspire reading, community connection, and literacy on Florida’s GulfCoast through engaging initiatives focusing on a single book. Asolo Repertory Theatre is modeling the project after similar programs in Buffalo and Syracuse, New York whereby social service agencies, schools, libraries, bookstores, book clubs, neighborhood associations, and others all read the same book and are united through powerful and shared community experiences. In this inaugural year, Beyond the Book will focus on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
WHO Sponsors: Beyond the Book is sponsored by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice and Asolo Repertory Theatre. Comcast and The Herald-Tribune are corporate media sponsors. Additional foundations, corporations, and individuals will support this project by funding specific events within it.
Partners: This project could not exist without the participation and collaboration of these community organizations and dedicated individuals. Listed below are the project partners involved to date:
· Asolo Repertory Theatre
· Barnes & Noble
· Books Alive!
· Books-A-Million
· Borders
· Church of the Palms
· Girls, Inc.
· GulfCoast Community Foundation of Venice
· LWR Communities, LLC (Lakewood Ranch)
· Literacy Council of Sarasota, Inc.
· Literacy Volunteers of SouthSarasotaCounty
· ManateeCommunity College
· Manatee County Schools
· New College of Florida
· Northern Trust
· North Sarasota Library
· RinglingMuseum
· Sarasota County Schools
· Sarasota Film Festival
· Sarasota Film Society
· Sarasota Library System
· Sarasota News & Books
· Sarasota Reading Festival
· The Education Channel 20
· The Hispanic Latino Coalition
· The Source
PRESS
PARTY Tuesday, October 3, 2006, Northern Trust sponsored a press party/conference at which members of the community celebrated the inauguration of this community wide project. A brief presentation and unveiling of the 2006 Beyond the Book program was followed by cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.
EVENTS There will be promotional booths at both the Reading Festival on November 4, 2006 and Arts Day on January 14, 2007. The majority of the community events will be taking place in March and April of 2007.
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