Program and activity ideas
Involve your mayor
Contact your mayor and ask him or her to declare October 2002 "The Grapes of Wrath" month, or a particular day "The Grapes of Wrath" day. Ask you Mayor to bring publicity and other resources to your project.
Notable October events for Steinbeck
- October 26, 1930, Steinbeck completed "The Grapes of Wrath." He noted in his journal, "Working Days," "Finished this day--and I hope to God it's good."
- October 25, 1962, Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
For a chronological look at Steinbeck's life, please visit www.sjsu.edu/depts/steinbec/chron.html
Resources
Make the library the place to go to for information relating to and inspired by "The Grapes of Wrath." Use the bibliographies, filmographies (available soon), and Web links on our website as a springboard for the creation of pathfinders and resources aimed at children, teens or adults. Highlight internet resources and items in your collection that can be used by others organizing "Grapes of Wrath" programs. Use the bibliographies on our website to create bookmarks featuring further reading suggestions. Put together informational fact sheets relating to the themes in "The Grapes of Wrath." Work with a homeless shelter to create a list of information (such as addresses and telephone numbers of shelters, health information) for the homeless. Create a bilingual fact sheet about your town or city to help orient people new to your community. Put together a list of "Grapes of Wrath" activities taking place in your town or city. Promote programs taking place outside the library, and ask other program organizers to promote your activities.
Exhibitions and decorating the library
Display prominently California Stories: Reading "The Grapes of Wrath" program posters and other related materials to encourage people to borrow, read, and discuss "The Grapes of Wrath." (available soon) Create an exhibition focusing on the history of migrant workers and workers rights in California from Steinbeck's time to the present day. Highlight the achievements and legacies of union leaders such as Cesar Chavez. Invite local immigrant artists to decorate the library with artwork that represents their coming to California and their experiences in the state. Decorate the library with photographs of members of your community whose families migrated to California. Annotate the display with some of the stories that go along with the photographs. Put on a labor art exhibit using photography, posters, graphics and flyers. Organize an art or poetry exhibit on the theme Views of the U.S./Mexican Border... Views from the U.S./Mexican Border. Invite your teen group or council to read "The Grapes of Wrath" and then decorate the library with items that reflect their interpretation of how the book relates to the contemporary California experience Create special book displays or photography exhibitions for October. Possible themes include:
- California today California and its history The homeless Human rights Migration Workers rights and trade unions Censorship, intellectual freedom, and the First Amendment
- Steinbeck
Publications
Convene a writing program and compile a booklet of poems, letters and essays that tell the migration stories of members of your community. Write an article on "The Grapes of Wrath, migration, homelessness, man's inhumanity to man, or the rights of migrant workers, for your library newsletter.
Invite people to contribute their stories about coming to California, and life in the state to your library newsletter.