News Release
For Immediate Release
May 3, 2006
Contact: Susan Davenport,(804) 230-2590, susandavenport@comcast.net

GO READ SELECTS I Got Somebody in Staunton

Richmond, VA. – GO READ announces I Got Somebody in Staunton by William Henry Lewis as the selection for the 2006 community reading initiative. The mission of GO READ is to build a stronger community through reading and discussion. One book of literary fiction is chosen to be read and discussed by Richmond residents. The program culminates with a residency by the featured author. Mr. Lewis may visit Richmond more than once and will speak to students and the general public.

Since 2002, over 125,000 adults and young people have participated in the GO READ project. Featured books and authors have included A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, White People by Allan Gurganus and Charming Billy by Alice McDermott.

Published in 2005, I Got Somebody in Staunton is a collection of short stories that weaves the past into the everyday of contemporary American issues. The book is a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner Award and named an honor book by the American Library Association’s Black Caucus. Ann Reinke from the book selection committee talks of why this work was chosen by so many people in the selection process - “Hank’s stories work so beautifully at recapturing times and places and the memories of growing up. The main character in the title story has his expectations of racial attitudes challenged; this story has strong regional connections in a city that deals with its past and with race. ” The title story of the book will likely be a focus for many in the community, including high schools from the surrounding counties.

William Henry Lewis was born in Denver, and grew up in many cities, most significantly Chattanooga, Tennessee. He also has ties in Virginia and received his graduate degree from the University of Virginia. In addition to teaching elementary through high school students, he has taught at the UVA, Denison University, Mary Washington College, Trinity College, the College of the Bahamas and Centre College and most recently, as an English Professor at Colgate University in New York.

Lewis’ fiction has appeared in America’s top literary journals and several anthologies, including Gumbo and Best American Short Stories of 1996. His first book, In the Arms of Our Elders, was published in 1995. He has been honored with many awards, including a Prize for Short Fiction from the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Foundation, the first Fellowship of Southern Writers’ Special Award for Fiction and the University of Virginia’s Balch Prize for Best Short Story.

GO READ programs are held in libraries, schools, and book discussion groups. Community organizations are encouraged to be involved in the way that best meets their mission. While most events will take place in the fall and winter, GO READ will promote I Got Somebody in Staunton for summer reading. GO READ will culminate with a visit by the author in February 2007. Many schools will celebrate the author’s visit in conjunction with Black History Month. For more information on GO READ resources and events visit www.goreadrichmond.com or call 804-646-0290.