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Programs on history and culture of Afghanistan to be presented in conjunction with community reading project

January 18, 2006

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PORTLAND, OR – More than 70 free programs are scheduled to take place in February highlighting the history, politics and culture of Afghanistan as part of Everybody Reads 2006, Multnomah County Library's community reading project made possible by The Library Foundation and presented by The Fred Meyer Foundation.

This year's selection is The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini's best-selling debut novel about the friendship of two Afghan boys and the tragic events which change their lives forever. The related programming is designed to give project participants (and the public in general) a better understanding of the country where the novel takes place and an opportunity to connect with others interested in these topics.

The following is a sample; a complete list of programs (including book discussion groups) is available at the Everybody Reads website www.multcolib.org/reads/. All addresses are in Portland.

"A Taste of Afghanistan," a sampling of a selection of Afghan delicacies prepared by Fred Meyer will take place Sat., Feb. 4, at 1 p.m. at Hillsdale Library, 1525 S.W. Sunset Blvd.; Tues., Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. at North Portland Library, 512 N. Killingsworth St. and Sat., Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. at Sellwood-Moreland Library, 7860 S.E. 13th Ave.

Performances of Middle Eastern music by Americanistan will take place Sat., Feb. 18, at 11 a.m. at Central Library, 801 S.W. 10th Ave.; Sunday, Feb. 19, at 1 p.m. at Midland Library, 805 S.E. 122nd Ave. and Sat., Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. at North Portland Library, 512 N. Killingsworth St.

Christopher Zinn, executive director of the Oregon Council for the Humanities, presents "A Tale of Two Countries: Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner," a look at the personal, family and national history which influenced the novel, on Tue., Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. Angie Chuang and Stephanie Yao of The Oregonian, present "A Journey in Today's Afghanistan," a look at the reconstruction efforts and the everyday lives of Afghans post-Taliban on Wed., Feb. 22, at 6:30 p.m. Both programs take place at Central Library, 801 S.W. 10th Ave.

Portland State University (PSU) will present a series of lectures on Afghanistan beginning with "Afghanistan: Politics, History and Culture" on Thu., Feb. 9 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. and "The Kite Runner: Literary Criticism and Cultural Studies" on Thu., Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Both programs take place in PSU's Smith Memorial Student Union, 1825 S.W. Broadway.

Other PSU lectures feature visiting scholars. On Fri., Feb. 24 at 7 p.m., Amardeep Singh, assistant professor of English at Lehigh University presents "The Kite Runner and the Myth of Afghanistan." On Mon., Feb. 27 at 7 p.m., M. Nazif Shahrani, professor of Anthropology, Central Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana University presents "Afghanistan Four Years After the Invasion: A Success Story or Squandered U.S. Credibility?" Both programs take place in the PSU Library at 1835 S.W. Park Ave. and are sponsored by the Portland Center for Cultural Studies.

Osama, a searing portrait of life under the fundamentalist regime and one family's daily struggle to survive, will be screened Mon., Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Northwest Film Center's Guild Theater, 829 S.W. Park Ave.; Sat., Feb. 11 at 3:30 p.m. at Hillsdale Library, 1525 S.W. Sunset Blvd. and Tue., Feb. 28 at 6:30 p.m. at North Portland Library, 512 N. Killingsworth St. The film is rated PG-13.

The finale of the Everybody Reads project will be a theatrical adaptation of the novel starring Aasif Mandvi and presented by The American Place Theatre's Literature to LifeŽ arts education program, led by Artistic Director Wynn Handman and Executive Director David Kener on Wed., March 1, at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church, 1126 S.W. Park Ave.

Everybody Reads 2006 is presented by The Fred Meyer Foundation. Major sponsors are Portland State University, Verizon Yellow Pages, Clear Channel Outdoor, Oregon Public Broadcasting and TriMet. More information on the project is available at www.multcolib.org/reads/.