This fall, copies of Sister Helen Prejean’s 1993 book Dead Man Walking can be found all over Durango – in the bookbags of Fort Lewis College freshmen, on the desks of college faculty and staff and in the hands of many individual community members.
That’s because the book is at the center of FLC’s 2014-15 Common Reading Experience. The program shines its spotlight on a book each fall with the goal of getting FLC’s newest students – and the community at large – to engage in healthy dialogue about important social issues.
“The goal of the program is to bring up controversial ideas in hopes that students will think carefully, critically and thoughtfully about them, so that their journey to making decisions about their beliefs is a careful and thoughtful journey,” said program coordinator Bridget Irish.
In its nine years, CRE has tackled topics such as public health, living with wildlife, humanitarian aid and government secrecy with author presentations, panel discussions and multimedia events. This year, the program is delving into the complex and thorny issue of the death penalty with Prejean’s book.
In Dead Man Walking, the Catholic nun recounts her experience serving as a spiritual adviser to a man on death row, walking him to his execution and, in the aftermath, working to help the families of the victims of the crime he was involved in. Indelibly moved by the experience, Prejean went on to dedicate her to life to fighting for the abolition of the death penalty.
“It’s not new, but it reads as if it was written today,” Irish said of the book. “Many of the issues are still in the balance, particularly those of the pros and cons of the death penalty. What the book also brings to light and what is important to us is the needs of the families of the victims.”
A copy of the book was given to each incoming freshman at the college, as well as school faculty and staff (It is being incorporated in many rhetoric and composition classes). Several local book clubs have also selected it for fall reading and discussion, and Durango spiritual groups are getting involved as well. Off-campus reading is important, Irish said, because the program aims to involve the entire community in an exercise in healthy civic engagement.
In this way, she said it has turned into “a big book club.”
Except that in this case, it’s a multidimensional book club that explores its topics through many different venues. This year’s program will include a staged play reading, the performance of an original piece of music, panel discussion, radio interviews, a book signing with Prejean, movie screenings, a photography exhibit and more. All events are free and open to the public.
“This program exemplifies what a liberal arts college is supposed to do – open all our eyes to a subject through the lens of many disciplines, particularly in the humanities,” Irish said, adding that private donors are also crucial to the program’s success.
The CRE committee selects books based on length, relevance of the topic and the ability of the author to come to Durango to speak on the issue.
Prejean, who continues her mission with her organization Ministry Against the Death Penalty, will be in Durango next week for a busy trip that will include a public talk in Whalen Gymnasium, a visit to St. Columba Catholic Parish, breakfast with Friends of Reed Library and more.
Prejean, Irish said, “is a wonderful model for civil discourse. She accepts what others believe as long as their journey there has been a rigorous, thoughtful journey.”
In that way, the nun is a perfect guest for CRE.
“We’re not trying to change their minds,” Irish said of the program’s participants. “We’re trying to teach a thoughtful path.”
For more information about the program, email irish_b@fortlewis.edu.
kklingsporn@durangoherald.com
If you go
The Common Reading Experience Program will feature several events this month in Durango. The schedule is:
Wednesday
7-9 p.m.: Restorative Justice panel, Student Union Ballroom, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
Oct. 21
7-9 p.m.: Sister Helen Prejean presentation and book signing with the Fort Lewis College Concert Choir, Whalen Gymnasium, 1000 Rim Drive. FLC students, faculty and staff (with ID) will be admitted at 6:30 p.m., followed by the public at 6:45 p.m.
Oct. 22
4 and 7 p.m.: Reading, “Dead Man Walking,” with talk back after the 7 p.m. reading, Roshong Recital Hall, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
Oct. 28
7-9 p.m.: Documentary: “The Thin Blue Line,” Vallecito Room, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
7-9 p.m.: Ecumenical panel discussion, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango, 419 San Juan Drive.
Oct. 30
7-9 p.m.: Panel: “Walking into the Arts,” Noble Hall 130, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
Every Wednesday
5:30-6 P.M.: “Making a Difference” radio interviews, through November on KDUR Community Radio, 91.3/93.9.
Through October
“Death Penalty photo exhibit,” FLC campus, other locations
