The National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read is a community-wide reading program where libraries and other organizations apply for competitive grants to fund local activities organized around a single book. In 2017, all the library systems in the Kansas City area joined with Kansas City PBS for a Big Read featuring Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam War novel The Things They Carried.

I designed the suite of marketing materials and managed production of collateral used by all partners to promote the three-month lineup of events, book discussions, art exhibits, film series, and other activities.

The Big Read tentpole event was author Tim O'Brien's visit to the Kansas City Public Library for a public conversation about his book and its legacy.

Throughout the Big Read, the Library hosted a number of events and activities related to the themes found within The Things They Carried. As part of a cohesive campaign experience, I designed all graphics with our Big Read visual identity so audiences would connect each event with the larger initiative.