This month DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St., is hosting “The Big Read” event for the third year in a row.

Sponsored by National Endowment for the Arts, The Big Read is an initiative designed to “revitalize the role of reading for pleasure in American pop culture,” the National Endowments for the Arts Web site states.

According to “Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America,” a 2004 National Endowment for the Arts report, America has seen a drastic decline in reading for pleasure among American adults. The Big Read addresses this issue by bringing communities together to read, discuss and celebrate books and writers from American and world literature.

As a contribution to this initiative, DeKalb Public Library is hosting this event throughout October.

This year’s event will feature the works of the poet and mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe, an apt choice, because as DeKalb Librarian Steve Roman of DeKalb puts it, “Poe really lends himself well to The Big Read in October with Halloween.”

“We also chose Poe because he is so versatile: He was a poet, a mystery writer, and he perfected the short story.” Roman said. “We try to choose authors that are both classic and have popular appeal.”

Poe, whose bicentennial birthday is this year, is widely recognized as a brilliant writer of fiction, poetry and horror, and is credited with being the grandfather of the modern detective story. In recognition of Poe, The Big Read has been giving away free copies of a collection of his works entitled “Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.”

Not only is the library giving away free books, various activities are being held throughout the month to celebrate Poe’s works. Among these activities are “Poe”-try readings, contests, crafts and children’s activities, theatrical presentations featuring Poe enactments, as well as musical tributes.

Additional activities for the remainder of the month include “Poe in Person,” presented by nationally acclaimed actor David Keltz at Barsema Alumni Center, 231 N. Annie Glidden Road, on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.; poetry readings most nights of the week; and a “Library After Dark” costume party at 6 p.m. on Oct. 31.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.