Copies of Julia Alvarez’s In

Festivities are officially underway for this year’s Read Across Lawrence program at the Lawrence Public Library, where staffers and patrons celebrated the launch with kickoff parties last weekend.

Around 200 copies of Julia Alvarez’s “In the Time of the Butterflies,” the library’s pick for adult readers, were distributed (free of charge) within a half hour that day, said Kristin Soper, events coordinator at the library.

“The response was really great,” she said. “And we had a line of about 60 people even before we opened the doors.”

Copies of this year’s selections for teens, Alvarez’s “Return to Sender,” also ran out quickly. As of press time Monday, copies of the library’s kids’ pick, “Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer” by Kelly Jones, were also similarly picked over, if not completely depleted.

If you missed the big giveaway, fear not: Anyone with a library card can download a free digital copy of “In the Time of the Butterflies” via Freading or Hoopla. Those with a State of Kansas library card can also snag a copy at Total BooX. Check out www.lawrence.lib.ks.us for details.

This year’s Read Across Lawrence festivities align with the National Endowment for the Arts’ 2017 Big Read, for which the library and its partners were among 77 groups nationwide to receive a grant. The funds, Soper said, have allowed the library to bring “In the Time of the Butterflies” writer Julia Alvarez to Lawrence, the Lied Center more specifically, for an author’s talk March 5 at 7 p.m.

The event will cap off a month of programming for both Read Across Lawrence and the NEA Big Read. The library’s partners in these efforts include the University of Kansas Libraries and the KU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Although “Butterflies” was selected back in December 2015, Soper recognizes the timeliness of its themes for readers in 2017. First published in 1994, the celebrated novel tells the story of the real-life Mirabal sisters, who became political martyrs in the 1960s after speaking out against dictator Rafaelo Trujillo in their native Dominican Republic.

Despite the weighty subject matter, Soper calls the book “accessible.” And, as with the library’s pick for teens, “Butterflies” lends a human face to political or social issues that may seem far removed from readers’ daily lives in Lawrence.

“It’s really just a lovely story of these women who in some ways had very traditional roles as mothers and wives, but then also had aspirations to become very educated and to become lawyers,” Soper said of Alvarez’s “Butterflies” heroines. “So, there’s this wonderful balance of having that effect on their nation with political activity, but you also get to know them as women and as people, their hopes and their fears as they see their country changing around them.”

Here, we’ve rounded up a few of this year’s Big Read/Read Across Lawrence highlights, as suggested by Soper. But there are plenty more to do and see. Check out a full rundown of events at www.lawrence.lib.ks.us.

Nerd Nite Celebrates the NEA Big Read/Read Across Lawrence

8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, Maceli’s Banquet Hall, 1031 New Hampshire St.

This special edition of the library’s ever-popular Nerd Nite will explore themes and topics from “Butterflies,” including the history of Hispaniola (the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic) as well as the often-untold stories of women in political uprisings. Lest things get too heavy, the good folks from Monarch Watch will also be on hand with some fun facts about butterflies.

Doors open at 7 p.m., while the event itself kicks off at 8 p.m. Cover is $1.

Bring Your Own Book Club at the Spencer Museum of Art

6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, KU’s Spencer Museum of Art, 1301 Mississippi St.

Literature meets art at the Spencer Museum, where guests will be led on a tour of pieces, curated by Spencer staffers, that complement the themes of Alvarez’s novel. Check out the art first, then discuss the book over complimentary refreshments.

Film Screening: “Trópico de Sangre”

7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, location TBD

Dominican filmmaker Juan Delancer’s 2010 dramatic retelling of the Mirabal sisters will be screened as part of this year’s program. It’s unrated, but given the gruesome subject matter, Soper wouldn’t recommend this film for young audiences.