The 2024 NEA Big Read has completed, but you can still check below for our program recordings
Through the 2024 NEA Big Read initiative, the Pennington Public Library aims to brought our community together around one book, Circe by Madeline Miller. This program broadened our imaginations and understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. See below for program recordings.
Book Summary
Circe retells the story of the eponymous Greek mythological figure. Although traditionally viewed as a heartless, beautiful witch who turns men into swine, the Circe of Madeline Miller’s imagining has more depth. This Circe is a multidimensional, flawed, and empathetic character struggling to find meaning and worth in her immortal life. Through Miller’s detailed and honest first-person narrative, which takes place over thousands of years, Circe becomes relatable.
Born to Helios, god of the sun and the mightiest of Titans, Circe is strange, not powerful like her father, nor alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power–the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts, and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods from whom she is born or the mortals she has come to love.
We have also curated a list of age-appropriate companion titles for our community’s young readers. These books explore traditional stories from cultures around the globe, ranging from the Greek mythology of Circe to Vietnamese legends.
Past Programs & Events
Speaker & Lecture Recordings
Sunday, February 25 @ 3:00 pm via Zoom
Kickoff: Author Daniel Mendelsohn (An Odyssey: A Father, A Son and an Epic) in Conversation with Rev. Dr. Gordon S. Mikoski, Ph.D.)
Recording Available
Thursday, February 29 @ 7:00 pm via Zoom
When a Bit-Part Player Becomes the Protagonist: Examining the Impact of a Retelling
with Storyteller Joanne Epply-Schmidt
Recording Available
Thursday, March 14 @ 1:00 pm Hybrid In-Person and via Zoom
Nutrition the Mediterranean Way with Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health
Recording Available
April 2, @ 7:00 pm via Zoom
Author Keynote: Madeline Miller in Conversation with Author/Illustrator George O’Connor.
In partnership with the Hopewell Valley Regional School District and the Miami Book Fair
Recording Available
Speakers & Workshops
March – April 2024 Available @ Pennington Public Library & through listed local businesses
Take Home Craft: God’s Eye Weaving Kits
Sunday, March 3 from 1:00 – 4:30 pm @ Hopewell Valley Central High School
A Little Like Spell Work: Writing About Crafts and Crafting
(A Guided Autobiography Workshop)
Wednesday, March 6 @ 7:00 pm via Zoom
Art Talk: Explore Ancient Greece with the Princeton University Art Museum
Saturday, March 9 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm @ YWCA Princeton
Circe’s Strength: Self Defense for Women, Teens & Adults
Sunday, March 10 @ 3:00 pm @ Pennington Public Library
Cultivating the Herb Garden of the Gods with Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County
Wednesday, March 13 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm @ The Watershed Institute
Circe’s Magic: A Family Exploration of Plants (with a Craft and Tea!)
Saturday, March 16 @ 2:00 – 3:30 pm @ Pennington United Methodist Church
Family-Friendly Art Workshop: Discovering Your Magic
with Jane Zamost and the Hopewell Valley Arts Council
Wednesday, March 20 @ 7 pm @ Pennington Public Library
Circe’s Loom: Hands-on Weaving Presentation with Twist Knitting and Spinning
Saturday, March 23 from 10:00 – 11:30 am @ Pennington Public Library
Family Art Workshop: Daily Life in Ancient Greece & Make Your Own Greek Vase
with the Princeton University Art Museum
Wednesday, March 27 from @ 7 pm via Zoom
Flavors of Greece Cooking Class with Thirsty Radish
Recipes:
Marinated Pork
Feta Dip
Quinoa Salad with Grilled Lemon Dressing
March 28 – April 6, Drop-In @ Pennington Public Library
Make and Take Eclipse Viewers
Saturday, April 6, @ 1:00 – 2:30 pm @ Pennington Public Library
Wild Edibles: A Foraging Talk & Walk with Author Debbie Naha-Koretzky
Sunday, April 14, @ 3:00 pm @ The Pennington School
A Way with Words: An Afternoon of Multicultural Storytelling
with Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum
Friday, April 26, 8 pm @ Washington Crossing State Park Observatory
“Such a Constellation Was He to Me”: Stargazing
with Amateur Astronomers Association of Princeton
Book Discussions
Thursday, March 7 @ 2:00 pm via Zoom
Companion Book Discussion: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Pennington Library Adult Book Club
Tuesday, March 12 @ 7:30 pm, Pennington Public Library
Companion Book Discussion: Galatea by Madeline Miller
Too Busy for Books Book Club
Thursday, March 28 @ 7:00 pm via Zoom
Book Discussion: Circe by Madeline Miller
Thursday, April 11 @ 7:00 pm, Pennington Public Library
Book Discussion: Circe by Madeline Miller
Daniel Mendelsohn is an internationally bestselling author, critic, essayist, and translator. Born in New York City, he received degrees in Classics from the University of Virginia and Princeton. After completing his Ph.D. he moved to New York City, where he began freelance writing full time; since 1991 he has been a prolific contributor of essays, reviews, and articles to many publications, most frequently The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books. In February 2019, he was named Editor-at-Large of the New York Review of Books and the Director of the Robert B. Silvers Foundation, a charitable trust that supports writers of nonfiction, essay, and criticism.
Gordon Mikoski, MDiv ’88, MA ’89, associate professor of Christian education, earned his MDiv and MA degrees from the Princeton Theological Seminary, and his PhD from Emory University. His research and teaching interests focus on Christian education, the sacraments, the doctrine of the Trinity, and practical theology. During the season of Lent for the past nine years, Rev. Dr. Mikoski has taught courses on classical literature in biblical perspective. In the first six years, he taught every one of Shakespeare’s 38 plays. For the past three years, he has focused on Homer and Virgil. This year’s focus will be on Dante’s Divine Comedy.
This event is part of the 2024 NEA Big Read – an initiative designed to broaden our imaginations and understanding of our world, our neighbors, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The featured book 
Born in Princeton, NJ, Luke Momo (Director, Writer, Producer) earned his undergraduate degree in philosophy with a minor in visual arts from Fordham College Lincoln Center in the Class of 2019. As a student, he founded the Fordham Filmmaking Club. As a filmmaker, he directed Capsules, a feature film, alongside a series of short films including The Stamp Collector. He also interned for Marie-Louise Khondji at Le Cinema Club, a dynamic online cinema space.
Taryn Krietzman completed her Bachelor’s degree and Dietetic Internship with the University of Massachusetts. After working as manager of the ‘Healthy & Sustainable Option’ dining facility at her alma mater, Taryn returned home to NJ to manage a plant-forward café at Rutgers. When the pandemic upended her career in food service, Taryn shifted gears from serving food to growing it. At the end of the growing season, she became the coordinator and driver of a Mobile Food Pantry. These two positions were incredibly transformative in igniting her passion for learning about agricultural food systems, public health and the links where the two meet. Taryn now works as a Community Nutrition Educator with RWJBarnabas Hamilton. She gets the most joy from seeing her pupils light up when learning where real food comes from and how transformative food can be.
their family trees since 1977. She specializes in US and European family history research, presenting at webinars and conferences in the US, Canada, and Australia. Nancy’s genealogy e-books and free monthly newsletter are available at sassyjanegenealogy.com. Nancy works on her own tree in the US, Prussia, Scotland, Austria, Romania, Norway, and Sweden. So far, she has visited seven of the eight villages of her great-grandparents in Europe.
