A Musical Exploration of 'True Grit'
The National Endowment for the Arts started the initiative called Big Read as a way to encourage reading. This year, for its Big Read selection, the Kansas City Public Library chose the novel True Grit. It's the story of a teenager, in the late 1800s, who seeks to avenge her father's murder. The library is hosting a series of public events, including a performance of songs inspired by the era of the novel.
Writing songs from Mattie's perspective
Five musicians gathered recently for a rehearsal in the basement of a brick bungalow in Brookside. Jeff Harshbarger and his band, The Revisionists, are breathing new musical life into True Grit, a tale of vengeance. In the novel by Charles Portis, the main character, Mattie Ross, recounts tracking her father's killer through Indian territory, as a teenager, in 1873.
Harshbarger says he hopes that the sounds of True Grit will bring a deeper meaning to the reading of the novel.
The Kansas City Public Library is hosting a community-wide celebration of the iconic western novel True Grit by Charles Portis. Surrounding The Big Read 2013, is a range of free public events, programs, book discussions as well as a special exhibit at the Central Library. Jeff Harshbarger and The Revisionists will perform at 6:30 p.m. (with a reception at 6 p.m.), Wednesday, October 2, 2013, at the Kansas City Public Library's Plaza Branch, 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo. 816-701-3481.