LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library announces that free copies of Jack London’s book “The Call of the Wild” are now available for the public in both English and Spanish.
The free books are funded by a grant from National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that supports the NEA Big Read in Lake County.
“Come pick up your free copy of The Call of the Wild at any branch of the Lake County Library and participate in all of the various NEA Big Read events that happen in October,” said County Librarian Christopher Veach.
There are library branches located at 1425 N. High St. in Lakeport, 14785 Burns Valley Road in Clearlake, 21256 Washington St. and 310 Second St. in Upper Lake.
There are many ways to get involved in the NEA Big Read here in Lake County.
The public is invited to submit photos of their pets, write an original short story about animals or host a pop-up book discussion of “The Call of the Wild.”
Take a photo of your pet doing something wild and share it on Facebook with the hashtag #LakeCountyBigRead or email it to the library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as an attachment so they can showcase just how wild the pets get here in Lake County.
Do you have a flair for storytelling? Write a short story and they will feature it on www.lakecountybigread.com . If enough people submit stories, the library will publish a special keepsake compilation that will live in the libraries for the community to enjoy for years to come.
Stories should be original creations primarily from the perspective of an animal, less than 1,500 words, and submitted via email as an attachment as either a Microsoft Word document or a rich text file to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
You also can sign up to host a pop-up book discussion of “The Call of the Wild” during October. Sign up on to the website www.lakecountybigread.com to receive a free discussion kit. The kits will be available in October.
The library and its partners will be hosting an array of other events related to “The Call of the Wild” around Lake County during October.
For more information about the NEA Big Read events call 707-263-8817 or check www.lakecountybigread.com .
Managed by Arts Midwest, the NEA Big Read offers grants to support innovative community reading programs designed around a single book.
The program supports organizations across the country in developing community-wide reading programs which encourage reading and participation by diverse audiences.
Organizations selected to participate in the NEA Big Read receive a grant, access to online training resources and opportunities, and educational and promotional materials designed to support widespread community involvement.
The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .
Jan Cook is a technician at the Lake County Library.