About the Peay Read

After attending The Common Reading Program, a conference session at the 2008 San Francisco, California, First Year Experience national conference, Dr. Dixie Dennis, an Austin Peay State University (APSU) administrator, decided to create a similar reading initiative for APSU students. Following this conference, Dr. Dennis invited faculty from the academic colleges and the library, personnel from new student programs, public relations, the book store, student life and leadership, and an APSU student to form a committee. This committee established The Peay Read to provide a sense of community and to contribute to the academic experiences for APSU 1000 students. Unlike traditional first-year-experience common reading programs, The Peay Read opportunity includes sophomore, junior, and senior students.

The Peay Read was designed with the university vision in mind to “create a collaborative, integrative learning community, instilling in students habits of critical inquiry as they gain knowledge, skills, and values for life and work in a global society.” After reviewing several books, the committee chose The  Other Wes Moore as the 2012 common reading. Written by Wes Moore, the book explores divergent paths taken by two young men growing up at the same time in Baltimore, Maryland, and how the choices they made and those made for them shaped their separate paths. Through monthly meetings, committee members worked diligently to plan related activities to enhance students’ knowledge, skills, and values as they participate in The Peay Read experience. These activities will culminate in Moore’s address to the APSU student body and the Clarksville community on September 27, 2012.

Each year, all first-year students will submit creative responses centered on themes in the selected book. Finalists will be invited to a dinner with Moore and will have an opportunity for Moore to sign their copies of his book. Additional on-campus activities include a Kick-off speaker, book discussions and a panel discussion. Furthermore, all first-year students will receive book marks with quotations from The Other Wes Moore to encourage discussion and inquiry.

This year, The Peay Read Committee hopes that after reading The Other Wes Moore, our students will apply this message from Wes, "Learning the details of his story helped me understand my own life and choices, and I like to think that my story helped him understand his own a little more"(xiii).