Marathon Read

Marathon Read

2023 Penn State Marathon Reading

Arrivals: Borders and Belongings

 

 

This Marathon Read organizers thanks our co-sponsors, volunteers and readers for another successful Marathon Read. Details about the 2024 Marathon Read will be provided in May 2024.

Marathon Read returns to Pattee Mall! Join us for the 11th straight year of this community read event on September 21st!

The School of Global Languages, Literatures, and Cultures invites you to participate in the annual Marathon Read, which will take place on Thursday, September 21, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., in a tent on the Mall in front of Pattee Library. As in previous years, the Marathon Read is a public event that aims to promote the shared pleasure and value of reading by inviting people of all ages to read aloud, in English or another spoken language, for about 5 minutes. This year the event celebrates the theme “Arrivals,” with topics including immigration journeys, arriving at new horizons in actual or imaginary journeys, cultural assimilation and acculturation (or resistance), language learning, and community identity through different types of literary works — graphic novels, speculative fiction, children’s books, poems, plays, memoirs, novels, (auto)biographies. If you don’t have a work on this theme at hand, we’ll gladly supply a brief reading for you. No preparation needed! Instructors, if you’re planning a Fall syllabus that might have room for a work of world literature that deals with Arrivals, we’d be glad to share a list of possibilities that we plan to include in the Marathon Read (you’d be welcome to bring your class).

When: September 21, 2023                                                                    Time: 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m                                                                  Where: Pattee Mall (in between Sparks/Burrowes building)

Marathon Read is free and open to the public. Participants are invited to read out loud for 5-minute intervals. Special guests will also join the reading throughout the day. Food will be provided during the morning, around midday, and after the sun goes down. 

Questions? Email: marathonread@psu.edu

Sep 15, 2022 - 10:00 am

2022 Penn State Marathon Reading

“The Pursuit of Sustainability”

When: September 15, 2022 Time: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Where: Pattee/Paterno Lawn (in front of Sparks/Burrowes building)

Marathon Read returns to Pattee Mall! Join us for the 10th straight year of this community read event on September 15, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The theme is “The Pursuit of Sustainability” and will include Rachel Carson’s foundational  Silent Spring, as well as writing from  Wendell Berry, Ross Gay, Dina  Gilio -Whitaker,  Pitchaya Sudbanthad  Diego Enrique Osorno , and Central Pennsylvanian poet, K. A. Hays.

The readings explore the complex challenges of climate change and its effects on environments, economies, and cultures. The list also aims to illustrate the joys that can arise from pursuing sustainability through individual action.

Marathon Read is free and open to the public. Participants are invited to read out loud for 5-minute intervals. Special guests will  also  join the reading throughout the day.  Food will be provided during the morning,  around midday , and after the sun goes down. 

More information here:  Penn State Marathon Read – (psu.edu)

Sign up to read here.

Sep 15, 2022
10:00 am

2022 Penn State Marathon Reading

“The Pursuit of Sustainability”

When: September 15, 2022 Time: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Where: Pattee/Paterno Lawn (in front of Sparks/Burrowes building)

Marathon Read returns to Pattee Mall! Join us for the 10th straight year of this community read event on September 15, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The theme is “The Pursuit of Sustainability” and will include Rachel Carson’s foundational  Silent Spring, as well as writing from  Wendell Berry, Ross Gay, Dina  Gilio -Whitaker,  Pitchaya Sudbanthad  Diego Enrique Osorno , and Central Pennsylvanian poet, K. A. Hays.

The readings explore the complex challenges of climate change and its effects on environments, economies, and cultures. The list also aims to illustrate the joys that can arise from pursuing sustainability through individual action.

Marathon Read is free and open to the public. Participants are invited to read out loud for 5-minute intervals. Special guests will  also  join the reading throughout the day.  Food will be provided during the morning,  around midday , and after the sun goes down. 

More information here:  Penn State Marathon Read – (psu.edu)

Sign up to read here.

Sep 9, 2021 - 10:00 am

2021 Penn State Marathon Reading

“Escape it All”

When: September 9, 2021
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Where: Pattee/Paterno Lawn (in front of Sparks/Burrowes building)
Email marathonread@psu.edu to sign up to read!

Our theme for this year’s Marathon read is Escape It All.  The concept is a universal theme that can be found in literature through the ages.  Globally, people are escaping from situations that are either difficult or mundane.  The “Escape” gives the readers freedom or allows them to gain a new perspective on their everyday lives.

 

BOOK LIST FOR THE 2021 MARATHON READ: ESCAPE IT ALL

  • Soredemo 3 gatsu wa, mata [March was made of yarn] (ed. by E. Luke and D. Karashima. Original language: Japanese
  • Stitching A Whirlwind: An Anthology of Southern African Poems and Translations. (ed. by Antjie Krog and Megan Hall). Various languages
  • Humus by Fabienne Kanor. Original language: French
  • Le petit prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Original language: French
  • Tschick [Why we took the car] by Wolfgang Herrndorf. Original language: German
  • La invención de Morel [The invention of Morel] by Adolfo Bioy Casares. Original language: Spanish
  • Marcovaldo by Italo Calvino. Original language: Italian
  • 北京折叠 [“Folding Beijing”] by Hao Jingfang. Original language: Chinese

We will have copies of each book in its original language and English translations. You are welcome to read from this list or bring your own text in any language about escapes, including but not limited to:

  • Escape from reality/into alternative realities
  • Escape from isolation
  • Escape from boredom
  • Escape from prison
  • Escape from everyday life (either good, as in routine, or bad, as in dangerous/violent situations)
  • Escaping social injustice
  • Perilous escape of refugees and migrants
  • Escape from imminent danger and diseas
Sep 9, 2021
10:00 am

2021 Penn State Marathon Reading

“Escape it All”

When: September 9, 2021
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Where: Pattee/Paterno Lawn (in front of Sparks/Burrowes building)
Email marathonread@psu.edu to sign up to read!

Our theme for this year’s Marathon read is Escape It All.  The concept is a universal theme that can be found in literature through the ages.  Globally, people are escaping from situations that are either difficult or mundane.  The “Escape” gives the readers freedom or allows them to gain a new perspective on their everyday lives.

 

BOOK LIST FOR THE 2021 MARATHON READ: ESCAPE IT ALL

  • Soredemo 3 gatsu wa, mata [March was made of yarn] (ed. by E. Luke and D. Karashima. Original language: Japanese
  • Stitching A Whirlwind: An Anthology of Southern African Poems and Translations. (ed. by Antjie Krog and Megan Hall). Various languages
  • Humus by Fabienne Kanor. Original language: French
  • Le petit prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Original language: French
  • Tschick [Why we took the car] by Wolfgang Herrndorf. Original language: German
  • La invención de Morel [The invention of Morel] by Adolfo Bioy Casares. Original language: Spanish
  • Marcovaldo by Italo Calvino. Original language: Italian
  • 北京折叠 [“Folding Beijing”] by Hao Jingfang. Original language: Chinese

We will have copies of each book in its original language and English translations. You are welcome to read from this list or bring your own text in any language about escapes, including but not limited to:

  • Escape from reality/into alternative realities
  • Escape from isolation
  • Escape from boredom
  • Escape from prison
  • Escape from everyday life (either good, as in routine, or bad, as in dangerous/violent situations)
  • Escaping social injustice
  • Perilous escape of refugees and migrants
  • Escape from imminent danger and diseas
Oct 22, 2020 - 10:00 am

"Voices of Power in Women’s Activism"

This year’s Marathon Read will celebrate the work of female writers and activists to expand political, social, and economic equality for women. The theme is “Voices of Power in Women’s Activism” and joins the College of the Liberal Arts in marking the 100-year anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Featured readings will include the work of Kate Chopin, Joy Harjo, Rebecca Solnit, Audre Lorde, Julie Otsuka, Sojourner Truth, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and others.

The 2020 edition of Marathon Read will be held virtually on Zoom with guest readers calling in from various Penn Stategroups. The event will begin at 10:00 AM and conclude at 10:00 PM on October 22, 2020.

Penn State Marathon Read – (psu.edu)

Oct 22, 2020
10:00 am

"Voices of Power in Women’s Activism"

This year’s Marathon Read will celebrate the work of female writers and activists to expand political, social, and economic equality for women. The theme is “Voices of Power in Women’s Activism” and joins the College of the Liberal Arts in marking the 100-year anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Featured readings will include the work of Kate Chopin, Joy Harjo, Rebecca Solnit, Audre Lorde, Julie Otsuka, Sojourner Truth, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and others.

The 2020 edition of Marathon Read will be held virtually on Zoom with guest readers calling in from various Penn Stategroups. The event will begin at 10:00 AM and conclude at 10:00 PM on October 22, 2020.

Penn State Marathon Read – (psu.edu)

Sep 19, 2019 - 10:00 am

When: Thursday, September 19 @ 10:00am – 10:00pm
Where: The lawn in front of the Pattee/Paterno Library

During this annual event, volunteers take turns reading over a 12-hour period. This year's event, Myths, Legends, and Songs from around the World. Selected short stories and songs from a number of languages taught and spoken on (our) campus at Penn State!

Anyone may volunteer for two to five minutes of reading. Groups --  classes, teams, social organizations -- are encouraged to participate by  volunteering for larger blocks of time.

There will be pizza, t-shirts, and other surprises.

Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance? Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian? EMAIL us at marathonread@psu.edu.

2019 marathon read program

The Marathon Reading Coordinators would like to thank everyone who participated in this year's Read!

To view the Collegian clip that captures images of several of our faculty and students, as well as conveying the collaborative spirit of this project, please click here.

Sep 19, 2019
10:00 am

When: Thursday, September 19 @ 10:00am – 10:00pm
Where: The lawn in front of the Pattee/Paterno Library

During this annual event, volunteers take turns reading over a 12-hour period. This year's event, Myths, Legends, and Songs from around the World. Selected short stories and songs from a number of languages taught and spoken on (our) campus at Penn State!

Anyone may volunteer for two to five minutes of reading. Groups --  classes, teams, social organizations -- are encouraged to participate by  volunteering for larger blocks of time.

There will be pizza, t-shirts, and other surprises.

Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance? Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian? EMAIL us at marathonread@psu.edu.

2019 marathon read program

The Marathon Reading Coordinators would like to thank everyone who participated in this year's Read!

To view the Collegian clip that captures images of several of our faculty and students, as well as conveying the collaborative spirit of this project, please click here.

Sep 13, 2018 - 10:00 am

"Pages from 1968"

 

The 2018 Marathon Read joined in the commemoration of 50 years since the watershed year of 1968. The Marathon Read featured texts written or published in 1968, including Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep? and works from Joan Didion, Gwendolyn Brooks, Alice Munro, Jorge Luis Borges, Susan Sontag, Galway Kinnell, and others.

Marathon Read 2018 poster

The 2018 Marathon Read occurred on September 13 from 10am to 10pm on the Pattee Mall.

Check out a recap from Emily Morrison, intern with the Center for American Literary Studies, and coverage from the Daily Collegian.

2018 Marathon Read: Pages from 1968 (psu.edu)

Sep 13, 2018
10:00 am

"Pages from 1968"

 

The 2018 Marathon Read joined in the commemoration of 50 years since the watershed year of 1968. The Marathon Read featured texts written or published in 1968, including Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep? and works from Joan Didion, Gwendolyn Brooks, Alice Munro, Jorge Luis Borges, Susan Sontag, Galway Kinnell, and others.

Marathon Read 2018 poster

The 2018 Marathon Read occurred on September 13 from 10am to 10pm on the Pattee Mall.

Check out a recap from Emily Morrison, intern with the Center for American Literary Studies, and coverage from the Daily Collegian.

2018 Marathon Read: Pages from 1968 (psu.edu)

Sep 7, 2017 - 12:00 pm

During this annual event, volunteers take turns reading over a 24-hour period. This year's event, First Books, focuses on Author's first books that they published or their first book in a series, by authors from all around the world. Each title will be available in English and the original language in which it was published.

Anyone may volunteer for two to five minutes of reading. Groups --  classes, teams, social organizations -- are encouraged to participate by  volunteering for larger blocks of time. Remember, it gets really fun in the wee hours of the morning.

There will be pizza, t-shirts, and other surprises.

Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance? Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian? EMAIL us at .

marathon read tent

2017 Book List:

  1. JD Salinger, Catcher in the Rye - English, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic
  2. Lyriae Van Clief-Stefanon, Black Swan - English
  3. Ernset Kline, Ready Player One - English, Spanish, and German
  4. Cesar Vallejo, Black Heralds - English and Spanish
  5. Eileen Chang, Love in a Fallen City - English
Sep 7, 2017
12:00 pm

During this annual event, volunteers take turns reading over a 24-hour period. This year's event, First Books, focuses on Author's first books that they published or their first book in a series, by authors from all around the world. Each title will be available in English and the original language in which it was published.

Anyone may volunteer for two to five minutes of reading. Groups --  classes, teams, social organizations -- are encouraged to participate by  volunteering for larger blocks of time. Remember, it gets really fun in the wee hours of the morning.

There will be pizza, t-shirts, and other surprises.

Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance? Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian? EMAIL us at .

marathon read tent

2017 Book List:

  1. JD Salinger, Catcher in the Rye - English, Spanish, German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic
  2. Lyriae Van Clief-Stefanon, Black Swan - English
  3. Ernset Kline, Ready Player One - English, Spanish, and German
  4. Cesar Vallejo, Black Heralds - English and Spanish
  5. Eileen Chang, Love in a Fallen City - English
Sep 15, 2016 - 12:00 pm

2016 Penn State Marathon Reading

The Political Imagination

When: Thursday, September 15 @ 1:00pm – Friday, September 16 @ 1:00pm
Where: The lawn in front of the Pattee/Paterno Library

During this annual event, volunteers take turns reading over a 24-hour period. This year's event, The Political Imagination, focuses on literature surrounding various political themes, by authors from around the world. Each title will be available in English and the original language in which it was published.

Anyone may volunteer for two to five minutes of reading. Groups --  classes, teams, social organizations -- are encouraged to participate by  volunteering for larger blocks of time. Remember, it gets really fun in the wee hours of the morning.

There will be pizza, t-shirts, and other surprises.

Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance? Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian? EMAIL us at .

Book list:

Declaration of Independence

Declaration of the Rights of Man

Seneca Declaration

Univeral Declaration of Human Rights

Letter from Birmingham Jail

The Hunger Games

The Hour of the Star

Selections from Whitman

Sep 15, 2016
12:00 pm

2016 Penn State Marathon Reading

The Political Imagination

When: Thursday, September 15 @ 1:00pm – Friday, September 16 @ 1:00pm
Where: The lawn in front of the Pattee/Paterno Library

During this annual event, volunteers take turns reading over a 24-hour period. This year's event, The Political Imagination, focuses on literature surrounding various political themes, by authors from around the world. Each title will be available in English and the original language in which it was published.

Anyone may volunteer for two to five minutes of reading. Groups --  classes, teams, social organizations -- are encouraged to participate by  volunteering for larger blocks of time. Remember, it gets really fun in the wee hours of the morning.

There will be pizza, t-shirts, and other surprises.

Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance? Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian? EMAIL us at .

Book list:

Declaration of Independence

Declaration of the Rights of Man

Seneca Declaration

Univeral Declaration of Human Rights

Letter from Birmingham Jail

The Hunger Games

The Hour of the Star

Selections from Whitman

Sep 24, 2015 - 12:00 pm

2015 marathon read posterMarathon of Madness

During this annual event, volunteers take turns reading over a 24-hour period. This year's event, Marathon of Madness, focuses on literature surrounding madness and psychological themes, by authors from around the world. Each title will be available in English and the original language in which it was published.

Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance?
Want to read in Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian?
We’ve got you covered. Email .

Thursday, Sept 24 at 12pm
Continuing overnight (Sleeping bags and downy-soft pillows recommended for overnighters) and finishing Friday afternoon

Pizza at 7pm on Thursday
Donuts, coffee and orange juice at 8am on Friday

To read or listen, just show up. Alums welcome!

Sep 24, 2015
12:00 pm

2015 marathon read posterMarathon of Madness

During this annual event, volunteers take turns reading over a 24-hour period. This year's event, Marathon of Madness, focuses on literature surrounding madness and psychological themes, by authors from around the world. Each title will be available in English and the original language in which it was published.

Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance?
Want to read in Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese or Russian?
We’ve got you covered. Email .

Thursday, Sept 24 at 12pm
Continuing overnight (Sleeping bags and downy-soft pillows recommended for overnighters) and finishing Friday afternoon

Pizza at 7pm on Thursday
Donuts, coffee and orange juice at 8am on Friday

To read or listen, just show up. Alums welcome!

Sep 25, 2014 - 12:00 pm

Join us during BANNED BOOKS WEEK for readings of Fahrenheit 451, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Brave New World!

Marathon Reading 2014Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance?

Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Italian, Arabic or Russian?
We’ve got you covered. Email .

Thursday, Sept 25 at 12pm
Continuing overnight (Sleeping bags and downy-soft pillows recommended for overnighters) and finishing Friday afternoon

 

Pizza at 7pm on Thursday
Donuts, coffee and orange juice at 8am on Friday

To read or listen, just show up. Alums welcome!

I read banned books posterSponsored by the College of the Liberal Arts, School of Languages and Literatures, Department of English, Department of Comparative Literature, Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, Department of French and Francophone Studies, Department of Asian Studies, Department of German and Slavic Languages and Literatures, Department of Women’s Studies, Paterno Fellows Program, Center for Democratic Deliberation, Center for American Literary Studies, and Alpha Phi Omega.

Sep 25, 2014
12:00 pm

Join us during BANNED BOOKS WEEK for readings of Fahrenheit 451, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Brave New World!

Marathon Reading 2014Questions? Want to sign up to read in advance?

Want to read in Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Italian, Arabic or Russian?
We’ve got you covered. Email .

Thursday, Sept 25 at 12pm
Continuing overnight (Sleeping bags and downy-soft pillows recommended for overnighters) and finishing Friday afternoon

 

Pizza at 7pm on Thursday
Donuts, coffee and orange juice at 8am on Friday

To read or listen, just show up. Alums welcome!

I read banned books posterSponsored by the College of the Liberal Arts, School of Languages and Literatures, Department of English, Department of Comparative Literature, Department of Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese, Department of French and Francophone Studies, Department of Asian Studies, Department of German and Slavic Languages and Literatures, Department of Women’s Studies, Paterno Fellows Program, Center for Democratic Deliberation, Center for American Literary Studies, and Alpha Phi Omega.