In 2017, a group of librarians, educators, civic and faith leaders, and community residents from Lee, Madbury, and Durham gathered together to create Oyster River Community Read (ORCR), a collaborative program that brings people together through books and reading. Inspired by similar programs across the country, the group saw the potential gained when neighbors read together around topics and themes that invite a sharing of ideas, stories, art, and learning. The Read is a bi-annual event, although it does offer occasional pop-up programs in between its main events. In 2022, we welcomed Newmarket Public Library as a new collaborator.

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Past book reads include: 

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*Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by author and racial justice educator, Debby Irving (2017) 

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 *The United States of America’s Founding Documents, including the Federalist Papers, The Declaration of Independence, and the US Constitution (2019)

 

*Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich. This was an added event created to provide discussion space around events happening in Ukraine (spring 2022) 

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*Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life, by Eric Klinenberg (fall 2022) 

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ORCR is led by a committee of Lee, Madbury, Durham, Newmarket, and Newfields volunteers, librarians, educators, and our collaborative partners listed below.