Cathy Fussell presents “Hometown Columbus, Georgia - Carson in Context,” at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 18, in the second floor gallery of Town/Craft, 2nd and Willis Avenue, Perry. The multimedia presentation is part of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read focus on novelist Carson McCullers. McCullers set her masterpiece, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, in her hometown of Columbus, GA, a mill town and military town. Fussell, director of Columbus State University’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers and Musicians, will discuss the social context of the novel, showing vintage photographs and playing a rare audio recording of McCullers. Fussell also will show vintage film footage of McCullers, saying that everyone who sees it “comes away with a renewed perspective of Carson.” Christie Vilsack, Iowa’s former First Lady and long-time literacy advocate, will begin the program with opening remarks and introduce guest speaker Cathy Fussell.  As founder and president of the Vilsack Foundation, Christie Vilsack is actively involved in strengthening communities in Iowa and nationally by promoting family literacy, public libraries, school libraries, and computer and technology literacy.    The Big Read is an NEA initiative to revitalize the role of literature in America. NEA created the program with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. The Big Read works with multiple partners across the country to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.  The Big Read in Perry is a joint project of the City of Perry, Perry Community Schools, Perry Chamber of Commerce, Perry Public Library, and Hometown Perry, Iowa. Fussell’s presentation is free and open to the public. The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts—both new and established—bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation’s largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.  For more information, please visit www.arts.gov. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov. Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit www.artsmidwest.org.