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00000179-cdc6-d978-adfd-cfc6d7a40000The National Endowment for the Arts' "Big Read" looks to encourage literacy by holding community events around the country celebrating a single book each year. This year's book selection is Into the Beautiful North" by Luis Alberto Urrea, which follows a nineteen-year-old woman who travels to the United States to bring back seven men--including her father--to help defend her Mexican village from danger.Of course, the stories of people who come to this country are wide and varied, and many of those stories live right here in Wichita. Over the next few weeks, we'll hear some of those stories. Follow them below.-The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of citizens. The Big Read brings together partners across the country to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.

'Station Eleven' Is Selected For Big Read Wichita 2018

Big Read Wichita

“Station Eleven,” a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Emily St. John Mandel, is the Big Read Wichita book for 2018.

Mayor Jeff Longwell, one of the co-chairs for the event, made the announcement Thursday. Big Read Wichita, which returns for an 11th year, runs from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15. It will include several events, including a kickoff party this fall and a visit from Mandel.

"Station Eleven" was published in 2014 and is set 20 years after a flu pandemic destroys civilization. It won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for best science fiction novel published in the United Kingdom and was a finalist for the National Book Award.

The Big Read is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Susan Estes, wife of U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, will serve as the other honorary co-chair.

Tom Shine is director of news and public affairs for KMUW. Follow him on Twitter @thomaspshine. To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.

Tom joined KMUW in 2017 after spending 37 years with The Wichita Eagle where he held a variety of reporting and editing roles. He also is host of The Range, KMUW’s weekly show about where we live and the people who live here. Tom is an adjunct instructor in the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University.