Kevin Wilson’s “Nothing to See Here” is this year’s NEA Big Read in the St. Croix Valley.

The purpose of the program, run by ArtReach St. Croix in Stillwater, is to “have as many people as possible finding connection through the joy of sharing a good book,” said ArtReach executive director Heather Rutledge.

Kevin Wilson is the author of “Nothing to See Here,” this year’s NEA Big Read in the St. Croix Valley. (Courtesy of Leigh Anne Couch)

This year’s events and programs should spark conversations about neurodiversity, self-control, caring for each other and finding community, she said.

An art exhibit, “Mental Health, finding creative solace,” will open with a public reception from 6-8 p.m. April 3 at ArtReach St. Croix in Stillwater. The exhibit will be on view through May 10; part of the exhibition will be on view April 3 through May 11 at the Washington County Historic Courthouse in Stillwater.

Wilson will be the featured speaker at an event, “An Evening with Kevin Wilson,” at 6:30 p.m. April 24 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater. “He will speak to how he uses remarkable, escapist plots to introduce longed‐for conversations about caring for kids, caring for oneself and caring for community,” she said. “He also will talk about his inspiration, writing process and his own anxiety and unpredictability.”

Other activities include: screenings of “The Family Fang,” the movie adaptation of Wilson’s story about a family of performance artists; an interactive display; and a talk featuring Christine Wilder, the Midwest regional medical director for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

This is the 10th year that ArtReach St. Croix has received a $15,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to host NEA Big Read in the St. Croix Valley. Ninety percent of the federal funding has been received; the remaining 10 percent is eligible to be requested after the programs and the final report are complete, Rutledge said.

For more information, go to https://artreachstcroix.org/bigread/.

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