You can help Fishtrap select The Big Read book for 2018 by filling out a short online survey by Dec. 6. Your input is an important part of developing this long-running and popular program and will be considered in our final selection. Access the local Big Read survey at tinyurl.com/zvl65tp.

The Big Read is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Each year the NEA curates a list of books for all communities to choose from. You can see the full list at neabigread.org/books.

The mission of the The Big Read is to provide an opportunity for the whole community to read a great work of literature together. For more than a decade, Fishtrap has created events for all ages while providing free books and teaching materials to libraries and schools. The 2017 selection for Wallowa County is “The Things They Carried,” by Tim O’Brien.

Fishtrap’s Program Committee uses several criteria in selecting each year’s book. These include selecting a title that is quality literature, will resonate with the community, relate to contemporary social issues of the day, and provide ample opportunities for community events. Additionally, Fishtrap places a high priority on selecting titles that will enhance our local school curriculum. This year, organizers feel it is important to pick a title that was written by one of the many talented female voices in literature — only two female authors have been featured during the program’s 11-year history.

2018 Book selection finalists

“The Namesake,” by Jhumpa Lahiri: This novel’s exploration of identity and cultural assimilation illuminates the question “Who am I?,” while bringing alive the colors, flavors, and textures of immigrant life in America.

“Station Eleven,” by Emily St. John Mandel: A novel about a traveling Shakespearean theater company in a post-apocalyptic North America after a flu pandemic. It’s also about friendship, memory, love, celebrity, our obsession with objects, comic books and knife-throwing.

“When the Emperor was Divine,” by Julie Otsuka: This powerful and concise novel describes the grim experiences of a Japanese-American family forced to live in an internment camp during World War II. Otsuka’s work serves as a requiem for moral and civic decency in times of strife and fragmentation.

Fishtrap is now accepting Fellowship applications for the 30th Summer Fishtrap Gathering, July 10-16, 2017 at Wallowa Lake. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 15.

Fellowships are awarded to emerging writers in recognition of the promise and dedication demonstrated at an early stage in their career. The award is designed to give exceptional writers an opportunity to take a week-long writing workshop with faculty members at Summer Fishtrap.

A Fishtrap Fellowship, valued at more than $1,200, covers the cost of the seven-day conference including a five-day writing workshop plus readings, activities and panel discussions.

For more information, visit www.fishtrap.org.