Please consider joining us for the fifth year of If All of Buffalo Read the Same Book. This program, developed as part of our 30-year mission to strengthen communities through the literary arts, provides a common point of referenceoa single bookoto inspire connections and conversations among the diverse residents of Western New York. This yearis selection, Paul Austeris The Invention of Solitude, is part elegy, part intellectual self-discovery, and part family tree. In his mediation on his father, and fatherhood in general, Mr. Auster touches readersi experiences of connection to others and to the stories that link us across distance and time. If All of Buffalo Read the Same Book began in 2000 with A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines. The event had a significant impact, drawing audiences from throughout the region to a variety of Buffalo venues. The program continued in 2001 with Joan Murrayis The Queen of the Mist, in 2003 with Lorene Caryis The Price of a Child, and in 2004 with Arundhati Royis The God of Small Things.
We hope this yearis program will build on our past successes. Featuring an autobiography of family and ideas, this yearis If All of Buffalo Read the Same Book program aims to encourage thoughtful discussions about the far-reaching web that connects us to each other and the world. Along with Just Buffalois other programsoincluding readings, workshops, interdisciplinary performances, and writers-in-education. If All of Buffalo Read the Same Book promotes the idea that the writing arts can illuminate every aspect of contemporary life within and beyond our city. We are hope that you join Just Buffalo and your neighbors in reading The Invention of Solitude. Please share it with your book group, your family, and your friends. Paul Auster will be in Buffalo on October 5 and 6, 2005 for readings and discussions of his work. Visit our website at www.justbuffalo.org for further details about Mr. Austeris visit and other events in the months to come. We look forward to seeing you there. Happy reading!
Sincerely, Laurie Dean Torrell Executive Director Just Buffalo Literary Center