Westmoreland Reads, in collaboration with its community partners, will welcome author Eli Saslow to Greensburg on Thursday, Oct. 13.
Saslow, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, is the author of Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist. In the book, Saslow charts the rise of white nationalism through the experiences of Derek Black, the one-time heir to America’s white nationalist movement who came to question the ideology he helped to spread. When Black chose to attend a tiny liberal arts college, his ideological foundations cracked. Black’s experience is a testament to the power of education to broaden minds and spark conversations—and spark conversations was exactly what Sheila Confer, EdD, wanted to do when she initiated Westmoreland Reads this past year. There is still time for members of the community to join the Westmoreland Reads experience of reading Saslow’s book prior to Saslow’s visit to Greensburg.
“This is our first common book reading,” said Confer. After reading the book, she designed the program to bring people together in small, informal discussion groups. As the director of the Academic Village and a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Confer is always looking for ways to share new ideas with her students and her community.
An interview with Saslow on NPR moved her to read the book. When she finished the book, she became passionate about sharing it with others—which led to the formation of Westmoreland Reads and coordinating Saslow’s visit.
“Folks really came together,” said Confer, who credits the support of community partners Adelphoi Village, Blackburn Center, the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County, Friends of Millstein Library, PFLAG Greensburg, the United Way of SWPA, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Westmoreland Community Action, the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition, Westmoreland Library Network, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, and the YWCA of Westmoreland County for sharing the project with their constituents and for financially supporting Westmoreland Reads.
At Pitt-Greensburg, first-year students are reading the book as a common read, and Cornerstone course faculty are incorporating it into their classes. “Throughout the campus, faculty are encouraging students to read Saslow’s book and participate in small group discussion,” noted Confer.
“The Westmoreland Library Network and the YWCA sponsored reading groups, too.” said Confer, “but groups can form on their and use the resources on the webpage for their post-reading discussions. Conversation around these kinds of topics are often more effective among people with whom you’re comfortable—talking about the book with friends, your family, or members of your church will often feel like a safe way to engage with the subject matter.”
Saslow will start the day at Pitt-Greensburg where he will provide a keynote address at noon to the campus community. The address will be live-streamed here for members of the greater Greensburg community to watch. Following the keynote, he will meet with Pitt-Greensburg students for an informal question-and-answer session.
Then, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saslow will participate in an information community question-and-answer session at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Pre-registration is required for this event, which will include a reception and light refreshments.
“We plan to do this common read as an annual event,” said Confer. “If other community organizations or people would like to be involved, they can contact me at 724-836-9905 or by email. We’ll start talking about our next book in the spring.”
(photo credit: Joanna Ceciliani)