Silicon Valley Reads Kicks Off Jan. 31
Artist Favianna Rodriguez on Campus Next Wednesday
De Anza will host the Jan. 31 kickoff for the 2024 Silicon Valley Reads campaign, with an on-campus event featuring four writers and activists aligned with the theme “A Greener Tomorrow Starts Today.”
Additional activities include a related art exhibit at the Euphrat Museum and a separate campus event next Wednesday, Jan. 24, with artist and climate activist Favianna Rodriguez. (See more details below.)
The annual community reading campaign focuses on books and activities that explore the challenges and opportunities of creating a more environmentally sustainable future – both locally and worldwide.
This year’s kickoff will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31. It will be held in person at the Visual and Performing Arts Center (VPAC) and simultaneously livestreamed by the Commonwealth Club of Silicon Valley.
During the kickoff, NBC Bay Area reporter Damian Trujillo will moderate a conversation with four of this year's featured authors and contributors:
Lily Brooks-Dalton, author of "The Light Pirate"; Favianna Rodriguez and Alexandria Villaseñor, activists and contributors to "All We Can Save"; and Heather White, author of "One Green Thing."
Admission is free and advance registration is required for both the campus event and livestream. Details can be found at deanza.edu/svreads.
Additional Event: Favianna Rodriguez
- Wednesday, Jan. 24: 10-11 a.m.
- Media & Learning Center (MLC) Room 109
Artist and activist Favianna Rodriguez will also visit campus to speak with students in CHLX 10: Introduction to Chicanx and Latinx Studies, taught by Alicia Cortez. This appearance is open to all De Anza students and employees.
Rodriguez's work includes visual and public art, writing, cultural organizing and power building – with a focus on migration, gender justice, climate change, racial equity and sexual freedom. She is co-founder and president of the Center for Cultural Power and a recipient of the Atlantic Fellowship for Racial Equity for her work on racial justice and climate change. (Photo by Scott La Rockwell)
"Sacred Terrain" at the Euphrat
The VPAC will open its doors at 6 p.m., an hour before the Jan. 31 kickoff event, so those attending in person can also view the related exhibition in the Euphrat Museum, which will also remain open after the program until 9 p.m.
The exhibition, "Sacred Terrain," explores the beauty and healing powers of plants and the natural world – and our
need to honor and protect both. (At right: "Morphological Complexity" by Liz Hickok)
Featured artists include Laurin Chichkanoff, Barnali Ghosh, Meesha Goldberg, Liz Hickok with Phil Spitler, Pantea Karimi, Katherine Levin-Lau, Favianna Rodriguez and May Shei. The Euphrat exhibit runs Jan. 31-March 23, with an artists' reception on Saturday, March 2.
Free Community Events
The Silicon Valley Reads campaign includes dozens of free events to be held at locations across the region in February and March.
You can read more about this year's featured books and authors at deanza.edu/svreads.
(Posted on Jan. 18, 2024)