Iowa City and the Iowa City Public Library are participating in this year's National Endowment of the Art campaign "The Big Read" with many other community organizations including Summer of the Arts and the Public Libraries of Johnson County. The "The Big Read" kicks off this month with this year's book, Ray Bradbury's “Fahrenheit 451.” There will be events and activities throughout Johnson County running through the beginning of March. During the month of February, public libraries in Coralville, Iowa City, North Liberty and Solon will show a number of Bradbury films as well.

Learn more about the campaign and view a list of the events at the "Big Read" website.

Simultaneously, "Carry a Poem 2010", an initiative by the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust, has kicked off in Edinburgh. It is their fourth citywide reading campaign, being run in conjunction with the Scottish Poetry Library and City of Edinburgh Libraries. The campaign launched formally in February and a range of events and celebrations will take place during the whole month.

To read more about the campaign and to see an an event overview, visit their website: http://www.carryapoem.com