'In the Time of Butterflies'

Author Julia Alvarez will visit Austin Wednesday, November 17, to discuss her novel “In the Time of Butterflies.” Austin Community College’s Arts and Humanities Division is hosting the event as part of this year’s Big Read program, a national initiative to promote reading in the community and on college campuses.

The discussion takes place at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River St, at 7 p.m. The Cultural Center is co-sponsoring the event, which is free and open to the public.

ACC’s Big Read adopted Alvarez’s novel to explore the theme of justice. The book, a work of historical fiction, chronicles the lives and deaths of the Mirabal sisters, leaders of the underground resistance to the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. Three of the sisters were murdered in 1960, and the fourth lived to tell the tale.

“Our programming theme centers on the idea of silent heroes, those ordinary people who make sacrifices to better our communities,” says Charlotte Gullick, chair of the Creative Writing Department.

In addition to Alvarez’s visit, the Arts and Humanities Division has scheduled a variety of performances and literary activities centering on the Big Read theme. Other events include a veterans reading, a production of Derek Walcott’s “Ti-Jean and His Brothers,” and a closing ceremony with a panel discussion of relationship violence followed by a dance performance celebrating justice. | See calendar

“This year’s Big Read has again successfully created innovative programming to emphasize the importance of reading and of encouraging people to listen to one another’s stories of courage,” Gullick says.

For more information about Big Read activities, visit the Big Read website or contact Charlotte Gullick at (512) 223.3226 or [email protected].