Monday: UC to Participate in 'On the Same Page' Community-Wide Reading Program

Steve Lopez, the featured author in the eighth-annual “On the Same Page” community-wide reading program, will speak and discuss his book at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 9, in the Great Hall of Tangeman University Center (TUC) at the University of Cincinnati. The CCM Beijing String Quartet will provide music beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Great Hall. The event will be followed by a book-signing and is free and open to the public.

Lopez is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times and is the author of “The Soloist – A Lost Dream, An Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music.” The book, featured on the New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists, is based on Lopez’s columns that described his friendship with a homeless man who suffered from schizophrenia and who was once a promising classical-bass student at The Juilliard School.

Additional copies of “The Soloist” are available at UC Bookstores, as the UC community is encouraged to take part in the community-wide reading program to promote reading and community dialogue. The UC appearance is sponsored by UC’s Just Community initiative.

Because Lopez’s bestselling book revealed the triumphs and tragedies of a person suffering from mental illness, Lopez will also be featured at a discussion with UC medical students from noon-1 p.m., Monday, Feb. 9, in Room E-351 of the Medical Sciences Building (MSB).

“This ‘On the Same Page’ selection reflects the ideals of UC’s Just Community initiative to celebrate the uniqueness of each individual, pursue learning and scholarship, embrace freedom and openness, and promote justice,” says Mitchel D. Livingston, chief diversity officer and UC vice president for Student Affairs. “We are pleased to participate in this community-wide program while at the same time reinforcing our commitment to these ideals.”

“On the Same Page” is a project of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County and is made possible in part by the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Magazine, CET, 91.7 WVXU, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Panera Bread and the Friends of the Public Library.

During the kickoff of “On the Same Page” activities beginning at 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Main Library downtown, students, faculty and staff from UC’s College-Conservatory of Music will perform classical selections related to the “On the Same Page” reading project. Attendees are encouraged to bring new or used instruments to donate to CCM’s Lonely Instruments for Needy Kids (LINKS) program, which provides instruments to students throughout Greater Cincinnati. The LINKS program will also be collecting instruments at the Feb. 9 “On the Same Page” event at UC. Here’s the schedule for additional “On the Same Page” CCM performances featuring faculty and students, as well as sites for LINKS donations:

• 2 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 8 – Main Library
• 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 9 – Instrument collections at the “On the Same Page” event in the Great Hall at UC
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 10 – Green Township Branch
• 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 24 – Anderson Branch
• 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 11 – Harrison Branch

Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Rookwood Pavilion will accept instruments March 7-8 as part of its annual LINKS donation weekend.

For information on additional author visits and book discussions, visit the “On the Same Page” Web site.

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