For immediate release
Chicago, IL - August 20, 2018
WTTW public media has created a dedicated microsite, at wttw.com/read, for the PBS literacy initiative THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, which kicked off in May with a curated list of America’s 100 most-loved books; the list will eventually be narrowed down to one by audiences. The new site is continually updated with fresh content; currently, in addition to the book list and a place to watch the series, site visitors will find:
- A rundown of Little Women author Louisa May Alcott's lesser-known writings
- A compendium of great books adapted for television
- 12 iconic works of Chicago literature
- Books the Chicago Tonight team has been reading this summer
- A reading list from some prominent Chicago authors
- The stories of three of Chicago's beloved independent bookstores, the beginning of an ongoing series
- A story on Chicago Books to Women in Prison
- How a Harry Potter fan reimagined characters from J.K. Rowling’s popular books
- Archival WTTW interviews with novelists Alice Walker (The Color Purple), Toni Morrison (Beloved), Frank Herbert (Dune), John Green (Looking for Alaska), and Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), all of whom are represented on the “100 books” list, along with John Updike
- WTTW’s exclusive recaps of PBS programs adapted from books, including The Durrells in Corfu and the Poldark series, with much more to come
- Quizzes for audiences on how many of the 100 books they have read, whether they can guess the title of a book by its cover, and which classic novel character they are, accompanied by a customized reading list
- A place to watch the pilot episode of THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, share their own favorite books and the reasons why they chose them, and vote for their favorite book on the list.
WTTW will also host a free event with Chicago authors in connection with THE GREAT AMERICAN READ on Saturday, October 20 at 2:00 pm at the Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theatre, 78 E. Washington Street.
THE GREAT AMERICAN READ, which launched nationwide in May, returns to WTTW11 on Tuesdays at 8:00 pm beginning September 11. The eight-part series, hosted by Meredith Vieira, explores the power of books and the joy of reading through the lens of America’s 100 best-loved novels. The winning book from this list, selected in an online poll, including on wttw.com/read, will be revealed on October 23.
About WTTW
WTTW is the PBS member station in Chicago, committed to creating and presenting unique media content across distinct television and digital channels – WTTW11, WTTW Prime, WTTW Create/WTTW World, WTTW PBS Kids 24/7, wttw.com and the PBS/WTTW video app. Recognized for award-winning journalism and local productions such as Chicago Tonight, Chicago River Tour, Check, Please!, digital-first series Urban Nature and Foodphiles and national productions 10 That Changed America, Soundstage, and Nature Cat, WTTW presents the very best in public affairs, arts and culture, nature and science, history and documentary, and children’s public media content. Connect with WTTW on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
