NEA Big Read: Lawton Kickoff
Featured Speaker: Neal West who has over 28 years of experience practicing criminal and civil law on both sides of the courtroom.
The City of Lawton Arts and Humanities Division and McMahon Auditorium Authority is thrilled to announce that it has been selected as one of only 71 organizations nationwide to receive funding through the 2026–2027 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read program.
The division was awarded a $20,000 grant, marking its fifth consecutive NEA Big Read award and bringing its total federal funding for the program to $100,000.
The NEA Big Read is designed to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate diverse voices and perspectives, and strengthen community connections through shared reading experiences. A partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Arts Midwest, the program encourages communities to explore literature to better understand themselves, their neighbors, and the world around them.
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, of the 250th anniversary of the United States, this year's NEA Big Read selections highlight the cultural diversity and richness of the American experience.
“In this year's NEA Big Read, grantees from across the nation are bringing their communities together through reading, discussion, and creative activities that dig into stories from American history, classic American literature, and contemporary American novels, reminding us all that American stories are still being written, and that every reader has a part in that telling,” said Torrie Allen, president and CEO of Arts Midwest.
McMahon Auditorium Authority has chosen a modern American classic for this year’s selection: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961, only one year after its release, the novel explores themes of injustice, courage, empathy, and the roots and consequences of prejudice.
This October, the Lawton community will have opportunities to participate in discussions, activities, and events centered around the novel. Set during the 1930s, To Kill a Mockingbird remains one of the most widely assigned books in American schools and continues to spark conversations about community, understanding, and social responsibility.
For more information on this event please contact arts@lawtonok.gov. Further details will be shared as we approach the fall season. Stay informed by signing up for our newsletter.