Join The Big Read Miami!
Monday, March 20 - Thursday, April 20
Book Discussions Please visit mdpls.com for dates and locations A minimum of 12 book discussions will take place at public libraries, independent bookstore Books & Books, and MDC campuses. Free books will be distributed to all participants. Educational and promotional materials provided by the NEA will accompany the books to serve as springboards for discussion.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, designed to revitalize the role of reading in American culture.
/miamibookfair
#NEABigRead
Special thanks to our partners:
Author Vaddey Rattner
Big Read 2017 | March 20 - April 20 Miami Book Fair celebrates Cambodian culture and commemorates the plight of Cambodia’s refugees who fled the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. In the Shadow of the Banyan is a brilliantly wrought tale of human resilience: Raami, a young girl who comes of age during the Cambodian genocide, finds strength by clinging to the mythical legends and poems told to her by her father.
With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
Visit miamibookfair.com for more information.
Want to join The Big Read?
Wednesday - Friday, April 5 - 7
Miami Book Fair will give away copies of In the Shadow of the Banyan throughout the month. Come to our Big Read events, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and sign up for our newsletter.
Various locations
Event Highlights
Wednesday, April 19 6:30 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables
Poetry Workshops with Peuo Tuy
Keynote Address: In the Shadow of the Banyan: A Conversation with Vaddey Ratner
Khmer-American author Peuo Tuy will facilitate community poetry workshops for high school students, with a focus on trauma healing. She will visit local high school classes, where each student in the workshop will receive a copy of her poetry book, Khmer Girl. She will also speak to several Miami Dade College classes about her book and writing process.
Vaddey Ratner is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. She graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University, where she specialized in Southeast Asian history and literature. In addition to delving into her own personal story of survival from the Khmer Rouge, Vaddey Ratner will address various themes in her novel such as hope and resilience, beauty and truth, and the redeeming power of art and storytelling. She will take questions from the audience and autograph books.
Cambodia in Film
After a golden age of cinema in the 1960s, the Cambodian film industry suffered during the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, under which entertainment and arts were dismantled. In the 1980s and 1990s, the industry started making a gradual comeback.
Monday, March 20 6:30 p.m. | Books & Books @ Arsht Center 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami
Farm-to-table Dinner Featuring Cambodian Flavors Join Chef Allen at this special edition of his famed Farm-to-table dinners. Listen to live music and enjoy the flavors of Cambodia and fresh, organic produce. Dinners are served family style. Reservations recommended, walk-ins welcome. For reservations call 786-405-1745. Tickets are $25, with the option of a wine pairing for an additional $14. Free copies of In the Shadow of the Banyan will be distributed to all diners.
Tuesday, April 18 7:30 p.m. | The Lightbox at Goldman Warehouse 404 NW 26 Street, Miami
The Origin of the Tiger: A Cinematic Shadow Puppetry Performance The ancient art of shadow puppetry has been performed in Cambodia for thousands of years. The art form, nearly wiped out under the Khmer Rouge, has seen a revival in recent years. Using puppets made of large leather panels carved with intricate designs, puppeteers dance and move to music against a backlight to bring to life in silhouette the myths and stories of Cambodia. Created by artist Dan Walker, The Origin of the Tiger is based on a Cambodian folk tale of a king’s obsession with obtaining power and the consequences that follow.
Saturday, April 8
Saturday, April 15
1 p.m. | O Cinema Wynwood, 90 NW 29th St, Miami
1 p.m. | O Cinema Wynwood, 90 NW 29th St, Miami
Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten
The Missing Picture
During the 60s and early 70s, as the war in Vietnam threatened its borders, a new music scene emerged in Cambodia that took Western rock and roll and stood it on its head. Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten tracks the twists and turns of Cambodian music as it morphs into rock and roll, blossoms, and is nearly destroyed under the Khmer Rouge.
On April 17, 1975, the day the Khmer Rouge seized the capital, Phnom Penh, 13-year-old Rithy Panh, his family, and millions of other Cambodian citizens were driven from their homes into the hell of the Killing Fields. Mr. Panh uses clay figures, archival footage, and narration to tell his story in this film in which the act of remembrance serves as a form of resistance.
Want to join The Big Read?
Wednesday - Friday, April 5 - 7
Miami Book Fair will give away copies of In the Shadow of the Banyan throughout the month. Come to our Big Read events, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram, and Twitter, and sign up for our newsletter.
Various locations
Event Highlights
Wednesday, April 19 6:30 p.m. | Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables
Poetry Workshops with Peuo Tuy
Keynote Address: In the Shadow of the Banyan: A Conversation with Vaddey Ratner
Khmer-American author Peuo Tuy will facilitate community poetry workshops for high school students, with a focus on trauma healing. She will visit local high school classes, where each student in the workshop will receive a copy of her poetry book, Khmer Girl. She will also speak to several Miami Dade College classes about her book and writing process.
Vaddey Ratner is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. She graduated summa cum laude from Cornell University, where she specialized in Southeast Asian history and literature. In addition to delving into her own personal story of survival from the Khmer Rouge, Vaddey Ratner will address various themes in her novel such as hope and resilience, beauty and truth, and the redeeming power of art and storytelling. She will take questions from the audience and autograph books.
Cambodia in Film
After a golden age of cinema in the 1960s, the Cambodian film industry suffered during the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, under which entertainment and arts were dismantled. In the 1980s and 1990s, the industry started making a gradual comeback.
Monday, March 20 6:30 p.m. | Books & Books @ Arsht Center 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami
Farm-to-table Dinner Featuring Cambodian Flavors Join Chef Allen at this special edition of his famed Farm-to-table dinners. Listen to live music and enjoy the flavors of Cambodia and fresh, organic produce. Dinners are served family style. Reservations recommended, walk-ins welcome. For reservations call 786-405-1745. Tickets are $25, with the option of a wine pairing for an additional $14. Free copies of In the Shadow of the Banyan will be distributed to all diners.
Tuesday, April 18 7:30 p.m. | The Lightbox at Goldman Warehouse 404 NW 26 Street, Miami
The Origin of the Tiger: A Cinematic Shadow Puppetry Performance The ancient art of shadow puppetry has been performed in Cambodia for thousands of years. The art form, nearly wiped out under the Khmer Rouge, has seen a revival in recent years. Using puppets made of large leather panels carved with intricate designs, puppeteers dance and move to music against a backlight to bring to life in silhouette the myths and stories of Cambodia. Created by artist Dan Walker, The Origin of the Tiger is based on a Cambodian folk tale of a king’s obsession with obtaining power and the consequences that follow.
Saturday, April 8
Saturday, April 15
1 p.m. | O Cinema Wynwood, 90 NW 29th St, Miami
1 p.m. | O Cinema Wynwood, 90 NW 29th St, Miami
Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten
The Missing Picture
During the 60s and early 70s, as the war in Vietnam threatened its borders, a new music scene emerged in Cambodia that took Western rock and roll and stood it on its head. Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten tracks the twists and turns of Cambodian music as it morphs into rock and roll, blossoms, and is nearly destroyed under the Khmer Rouge.
On April 17, 1975, the day the Khmer Rouge seized the capital, Phnom Penh, 13-year-old Rithy Panh, his family, and millions of other Cambodian citizens were driven from their homes into the hell of the Killing Fields. Mr. Panh uses clay figures, archival footage, and narration to tell his story in this film in which the act of remembrance serves as a form of resistance.
Join The Big Read Miami!
Monday, March 20 - Thursday, April 20
Book Discussions Please visit mdpls.com for dates and locations A minimum of 12 book discussions will take place at public libraries, independent bookstore Books & Books, and MDC campuses. Free books will be distributed to all participants. Educational and promotional materials provided by the NEA will accompany the books to serve as springboards for discussion.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, designed to revitalize the role of reading in American culture.
/miamibookfair
#NEABigRead
Special thanks to our partners:
Author Vaddey Rattner
Big Read 2017 | March 20 - April 20 Miami Book Fair celebrates Cambodian culture and commemorates the plight of Cambodia’s refugees who fled the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. In the Shadow of the Banyan is a brilliantly wrought tale of human resilience: Raami, a young girl who comes of age during the Cambodian genocide, finds strength by clinging to the mythical legends and poems told to her by her father.
With the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
Visit miamibookfair.com for more information.