NEA Big Read
Massillon 2024
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi
The 2024 NEA Big Read Massillon book selection is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. For seventeen consecutive years, the Massillon Museum has been honored to be awarded the NEA Big Read grant. NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.
What is the NEA Big Read program?
The NEA Big Read is a community reading program focused on a single book. Massillon Museum and its amazing community partners create innovative and critical programs highlighting the book themes, exposing participants to new genres and ideas. The selected book is offered to the community for free so many can participate. Since 2008, Massillon Museum has proudly distributed more than 32,000 books to Massillon and its surrounding communities.
Visit www.arts.gov/initiatives/nea-big-read/homegoing to learn more about the author and book selection, and to access discussion questions from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Book Pick-Up Locations
Free copies of Homegoing are available at the following locations:
Canal Fulton Public Library, 154 Market St E, Canal Fulton, OH 44614 |
Kent State University Downtown Gallery, 141 East Main Street, Kent, Ohio 44240 |
Kent State University at Stark Library, 6000 Frank Ave NW, North Canton, OH 44720 |
Kozmo's Grille, 37 1st St SW, Massillon, OH 44647 |
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646 |
Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646 |
Massillon Recreation Center, 505 Erie St N, Massillon, OH 44646 |
Massillon Senior Center, 39 Lincoln Way W, Massillon, OH 44647 |
Massillon WestStark Chamber of Commerce, 50 North Ave NE, Massillon, OH 44646 |
Perry Sippo Branch, Stark Library, 5710 12th St NW, Canton, OH 44708 |
Strauss Studios, 236 Walnut Ave. NE, Canton, OH, 44702 |
Tremont Coffee Company, All Locations, 215 Erie St N, Massillon, OH 44646; 4859 Tuscarawas St W, Canton, OH 44708; 540 N Main St, North Canton, OH, 44720 |
Walsh University Library, 2020 E Maple St, North Canton, OH 44720 |
YMCA - North Canton, 200 S Main St, North Canton, OH 44720 |
YMCA - Paul and Carol David, 7389 Caritas Cir NW, Massillon, OH 44646 |
YMCA - Schalmo Family, 976 S Canal St, Canal Fulton, OH 44614 |
YMCA - Towpath Trail, 1226 Market St NE, Navarre, OH 44662 |
We recommend calling a location to check availability regarding the number of remaining copies before arriving to pick one up.
2024 NEA Big Read Programs
Main Gallery, Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Contemporary Black artists complement the 2024 NEA Big Read: Chesley Antoinette, Chepape Makgato, Woodrow Nash, Francine Terry, and quilts by Gee's Bend artists. Guest curated by Dr. Tameka Ellington.
A reception will be held during the NEA Big Read Kickoff on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Open during regular Museum hours.
Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
During the month of April, visit the Massillon Public Library to pick up a spice kit and adult craft inspired by Homegoing.
Spice Club: Suya (Yaji) spice
Adult Craft: Krobo and wood bead jewelry kit
Kits are available free of charge while supplies last. No registration required.
Perry Sippo Branch of the Stark County Library, 5710 12th St NW, Canton, OH 44708
Ages 18+
Discuss this year's Big Read book selection, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Books are available at the library desk upon arrival.
No registration is necessary for this free event.
Studio M, Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Portrait of US is an evolving audiovisual archive of intimate stories told by ordinary people. The artists Monica Jane Frisell and Adam Scher create the audiovisual portraits in their Nomadic Photo Ark, a roaming black and white darkroom and art studio, as they weave their way across the United States.
A reception will be held during the NEA Big Read Kickoff on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Open during regular Museum hours.
Fred F. Silk Community Room, Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
K-12 student artwork from throughout NE Ohio.
A reception will be held during the NEA Big Read Kickoff on Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Open during regular Museum hours.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Enjoy a free, family-friendly neurographic drawing activity during Do the Mu on Saturday, April 6. Stop by the Museum anytime between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. All ages and ability levels are welcome and all supplies will be provided.
No registration necessary.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Join the Massillon Museum for the 2024 NEA Big Read Kickoff celebrating Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi and pick up your free copy of the book! Massillon Public Library will be onsite with the Bookmobile. Receptions for the complementary exhibitions Home Again: The Embodiment of Africa through Art and Fabric in the Main Gallery, Monica Jane Frisell and Adam Scher: Portrait of US in the Studio M Gallery, and Family Means to Me in the Fred F. Silk Community Room Gallery will take place. Enjoy a performance by the EN-RICH-MENT of Stark County drumline in Gessner Hall at 2:00 p.m.
No registration is necessary for this free event.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Eclipse-related art activities will take place in Gessner Hall and PBS Western Reserve will be onsite with giveaways from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. A screening of the PBS NOVA episode "Star Chasers of Senegal" will begin at 3:00 p.m. Registered guests will receive one free pair of eclipse glasses while supplies last.
Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets.
Women's Impact - Zoom
Join members of Women's Impact for a virtual discussion of Homegoing.
Visit www.WomensImpactInc.org or email Education@MassillonMuseum.org for the Zoom meeting link.
Massillon Public Library - Zoom
Grades K-6
In conjunction with the Big Read, create your own West African clay project. In this recurring online series, Children's programmers at Massillon Public Library create crafts and other fun projects on the second Tuesday of each month.
Register for this free event at https://massillonlibrary.libnet.info/event/9848397.
Codex Brewing, 6305 Whipple Avenue NW, North Canton, OH 44720
Join Soroptomist International of Canton/Stark County for a free discussion of this year's Big Read book selection, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.
This discussion is a special edition of Codex's regular Beers and Books club held the second Wednesday of each month.
Register for this free event at www.tinyurl.com/BookTalkCodex.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Enjoy a screening of the PBS film Boss: The Black Experience in Business in Gessner Hall. Refreshments available from the Museum's cafe, Greatness Cafe, a Black-owned business.
Register for this free event at www.MassMu.org/Tickets.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH, 44646
Join MassMu to discuss this year's Big Read book selection, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, with Christina Haas and other guests.
Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Grades 2+
Children in second grade or older are invited to join Ke'Aunte Harris as she leads an art workshop focused on building self-confidence! This workshop will connect with the themes of Homegoing. Students will make a "Tree of Love." Each participant will decorate a canvas with a tree and hearts. Inspiration will come from students' family history, affirmations about themselves, and things they love.
Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets.
Massillon Public Library Auditorium, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Join the Massillon Public Library's Page Turners Book Club for a discussion of Homegoing.
No registration is necessary for this free event.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Admission to Brown Bag Lunches is always free. The Museum provides free cookies and coffee for attendees. Guests can purchase sandwiches, salad, and smoothies at Greatness Cafe in the Museum lobby, or they can bring their own lunches.
No registration is necessary for this free event.
Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Bring your original poems, share the work of your favorite poet, or just sit back and enjoy the art of poetry in a coffeehouse atmosphere at the Massillon Public Library! Free coffee and cookies. Open to all ages.
No registration is necessary for this free event.
Strauss Studios, 236 Walnut Ave. NE, Canton, OH, 44702
Ages 13+
Get comfy in the custom furniture of Strauss Studios, have some light refreshments, and join the conversation!
Register by emailing Jo, jo@straussfurniture.com, or John, john@straussfurniture.com.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Join the Massillon Museum for the first Rhythms concert of the year featuring Rev. Robert Jones Sr.! Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the concert starts at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10/member and $12/nonmember. Register at MassMu.org/Tickets.
Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Grades K-6
Join the Massillon Public Library for an Open House celebration for kids, including crafts, stories, activities, and more featuring the children's book In the Small, Small Night by Jane Kurtz.
No registration is necessary for this free event.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Join members of the Massillon Community Arts Council as you create art inspired by Home Again, on view in the Massillon Museum's Main Gallery. Then, enjoy an artist panel featuring the artists from the exhibition at 3:00 p.m. in Gessner Hall.
Dry media only--graphite, colored pencil, or art crayon. Attendees must bring their own supplies.
Register for this free event at www.MassMu.org/Tickets.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Join guest curator Dr. Tameka Ellington and featured artists for a panel to discuss Home Again and the artists' work.
Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets.
This program is sponsored in part by the Kent Area (OH) Chapter of the Links, Incorporated.
Massillon Public Library, 208 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Learn how to make African peanut stew and Sobolo, a drink made from hibiscus leaves. Danelle will be using an Instant Pot for the tutorial, but recipes can be modified for stovetop.
Register for this free event at https://massillonlibrary.libnet.info/event/9895646.
Massillon Museum's Facebook Page
Join the Massillon Museum for the live online NEA Big Read Keynote with Homegoing author Yaa Gyasi. The audience is welcome to submit questions during the program, which will be livestreamed via the Museum's Facebook Page. A Facebook account is not required to view the program. The program will be recorded and will remain available on the Museum's Facebook and YouTube pages for two weeks.
No registration necessary.
Lions Lincoln Theatre, 156 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Enjoy four original One-Act plays authored by Black playwrights Dr. Tameka Ellington, Willis Gordon, Olivia Matthews, and RA Washington, and directed by Stacie Morgan.
Register for this free event at MassMu.org/Tickets.
This program is sponsored in part by John and Karen Maguire.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Visit more than twenty booths! Cosponsored by the Massillon Museum, Massillon Local History and Genealogy Society, Massillon Public Library, and Stark Library.
No registration is necessary for this free event.
Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Enjoy a free, family-friendly collage activity during Do the Mu on Saturday, May 4. Students will create Gee's Bend quilt-inspired collages. Stop by the Museum anytime between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. All ages and ability levels are welcome and all supplies will be provided.
No registration necessary.
Learn More
To learn more about the NEA Big Read, visit www.arts.gov/initiatives/nea-big-read.
NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Additional support for the 2024 NEA Big Read in Massillon is provided by One Tiger, Inc., Massillon Rotary Foundation, the Kent Area (OH) Chapter of the Links, Inc., and John and Karen Maguire.
Previous NEA Big Read Massillon Book Selections
2023: Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu
2022: An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo
2021: Circe by Madeline Miller
2020: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
2019: Burning Bright by Ron Rash
2018: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin
2017: True Grit by Charles Portis
2016: In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
2015: Old School by Tobias Wolff
2014: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
2013: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2012: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
2011: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
2010: The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick
2009: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
2008: The Call of the Wild by Jack London