The Big Read: The Call of the Wild
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About The Big Read
Audience members listen to sled dog historian Jeff Dinsdale talk about working dogs on the Klondike Trail and how they were depicted by Jack London in The Call of the Wild. The event was co-sponsored by Santa Clara University's California Legacy Project as part of the NEA Big Read event organized by the Santa Clara City Library and hosted by the Triton Museum as part of their Family Art Day celebration. Larger.
"Sled dog historian Jeff Dinsdale displays a decorated leather dog harness, as he explains how working dogs pulled sleds on the Klondike Trail." Larger.
Fifteen Santa Clara organizations were involved with this grant. Major events were hosted by the Santa Clara University's California Legacy Project, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, and the de Saisset Museum; Mission College, the Santa Clara Unified School District, the Triton Museum, and the Santa Clara City Library. Activities, exhibits, book discussions, and other events were also provided by:
This year was the first time Santa Clara undertook a city-wide reading program. The Santa Clara City Library Foundation staff wrote the grant; they were amazed that every local group they contacted about participating in The Big Read was enthusiastic. They received a $6,000 grant from the NEA, and were matched by $6,000 in local funding. Events and activities included:
Santa Clara University's John Farnsworth lecture's on Jack London's The Call of the Wild, hosted by SCU's DeSaisset Museum and co-sponsored by the California Legacy Project. Larger.The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read has been provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Boeing Company, the Poetry Foundation, and the Ford Motor Company. For more information about the Big Read, please visit neabigread.org.
Father Hubbard
As part of The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture, and in connection with Jack London's The Call of the Wild, the de Saisset Museum hosted an exhibition related to Father Hubbard, "The Glacier Priest." A Jesuit priest from California, Father Hubbard led annual expeditions to Alaska. He used Santa Clara University as his base camp while he explored the "wilds" of Alaska by foot, plane, boat, and dogsled. This exhibition focused on images and artifacts from Father Hubbard's numerous trips to Alaska, placing special emphasis on objects relating to his dogsled expeditions.
Canadian Sled Dog Historian Jeff Dinsdale
Jeff Dinsdale, a Canadian sled dog historian, gave a talk titled, "Sled Dogs on the Klondike Trail" on April 2 at the Triton Museum's Family Day. Much to the delight of the children attending the event, California Legacy Project Director Terry Beers brought four of his sled dogs to the event and gave a demonstration on a four-wheeled cart. "That helped me understand what it was like on the Klondike Trail during the gold rush" remarked 8-year old Jessica to reporter Larry Sacks. "Without the snow and the sub-zero temperatures" added a nearby spectator. For more information about the event, see Larry Sack's write-up in the Santa Clara Weekly.
California Legacy Project Intern Kaelin Holland introduces speaker John Farnsworth, lecturing on "When Santa Clara Dogs Go Bad: An Ecocritical Look at Jack London's Most Feral Protagonist." Larger.Ethics Reading
Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the California Legacy Project presented "Echoes, Ethics, and the Wild: Dramatic Readings and Ethical Reflections on 'The Call of the Wild' a Century After Its Publication" as part of the Ethics at Noon series. SCU faculty and students read from the novel and made brief ethical reflections.
When Good Dogs go Bad
John S. Farnsworth, a California Legacy Project Scholar and Lecturer for Environmental Writing and Literature with the SCU Environmental Studies Institute, talked about Jack London's most famous protagonist in an eco-critical discussion at the de Saisset. He provided an overview of the historical and cultural climate of the U.S. during Call of the Wild's publication, and explained the novel's significance to environmental attitudes of the time. He also brought up issues pertaining to the complicated literary portrayals of animals in the Call of the Wild and other nature writing.
- Read Santa Clara
- Mission City Memorial Park
- Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society
- South Bay Historical Railroad Society
- Anime Group of Santa Clara
- Santa Clara Arts & Historical Consortium
- City Council
- City Youth Commission
This year was the first time Santa Clara undertook a city-wide reading program. The Santa Clara City Library Foundation staff wrote the grant; they were amazed that every local group they contacted about participating in The Big Read was enthusiastic. They received a $6,000 grant from the NEA, and were matched by $6,000 in local funding. Events and activities included:
- Book discussions at various venues throughout the city
- Demonstrations by Canadian dog sled historian Jeff Dinsdale
- An exhibition focused on Father Bernard Hubbard, who led annual expeditions to explore the "wilds" of Alaska
- A keynote speech by Jack London expert Dr. Daniel Dyer
- A kick-off & book giveaway at Mission College
Santa Clara University's John Farnsworth lecture's on Jack London's The Call of the Wild, hosted by SCU's DeSaisset Museum and co-sponsored by the California Legacy Project. Larger.
Father Hubbard
As part of The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture, and in connection with Jack London's The Call of the Wild, the de Saisset Museum hosted an exhibition related to Father Hubbard, "The Glacier Priest." A Jesuit priest from California, Father Hubbard led annual expeditions to Alaska. He used Santa Clara University as his base camp while he explored the "wilds" of Alaska by foot, plane, boat, and dogsled. This exhibition focused on images and artifacts from Father Hubbard's numerous trips to Alaska, placing special emphasis on objects relating to his dogsled expeditions.
Canadian Sled Dog Historian Jeff Dinsdale
Jeff Dinsdale, a Canadian sled dog historian, gave a talk titled, "Sled Dogs on the Klondike Trail" on April 2 at the Triton Museum's Family Day. Much to the delight of the children attending the event, California Legacy Project Director Terry Beers brought four of his sled dogs to the event and gave a demonstration on a four-wheeled cart. "That helped me understand what it was like on the Klondike Trail during the gold rush" remarked 8-year old Jessica to reporter Larry Sacks. "Without the snow and the sub-zero temperatures" added a nearby spectator. For more information about the event, see Larry Sack's write-up in the Santa Clara Weekly.
California Legacy Project Intern Kaelin Holland introduces speaker John Farnsworth, lecturing on "When Santa Clara Dogs Go Bad: An Ecocritical Look at Jack London's Most Feral Protagonist." Larger.
Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the California Legacy Project presented "Echoes, Ethics, and the Wild: Dramatic Readings and Ethical Reflections on 'The Call of the Wild' a Century After Its Publication" as part of the Ethics at Noon series. SCU faculty and students read from the novel and made brief ethical reflections.
When Good Dogs go Bad
John S. Farnsworth, a California Legacy Project Scholar and Lecturer for Environmental Writing and Literature with the SCU Environmental Studies Institute, talked about Jack London's most famous protagonist in an eco-critical discussion at the de Saisset. He provided an overview of the historical and cultural climate of the U.S. during Call of the Wild's publication, and explained the novel's significance to environmental attitudes of the time. He also brought up issues pertaining to the complicated literary portrayals of animals in the Call of the Wild and other nature writing.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. Support for The Big Read has been provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the Boeing Company, the Poetry Foundation, and the Ford Motor Company. For more information about The Big Read, please visit neabigread.org.
