Call for Go Big Read book selection committee members

A collage of past Go Big Read book covers. The book selection committee plays an essential role in determining each year’s shared reading experience.

The Go Big Read Program invites all interested academic staff and faculty lend their diverse perspectives to the 2023-2024 book selection committee, which will help pick the book for the upcoming academic year. Applications to join the committee are due by 5 p.m. on Nov. 14.

The time commitment for serving on the Go Big Read book selection committee will vary on a week-by-week basis. Most of the committee’s work will be concentrated in late November through February. The committee can expect to meet synchronously via Teams approximately three to four times during those months. Additionally, the committee will be assigned asynchronous work, like reviewing and ranking book nominations.

Timeline of the book selection process

In early November, there will be an open call to the campus and community for book nominations for the upcoming year. By the end of November, the committee and the Office of the Chancellor will be sent a list of book nominations with relevant information to help rank those nominations. In early to mid-December, the committee will meet to create a short list of books to review. During winter break, the committee will read their assigned books and prepare to discuss why those books should be chosen for the following year. In January and February, the selection committee will meet with the Office of the Chancellor and other stakeholders to narrow down the list to the top books. From there, Go Big Read Program Coordinator Bethany Willig Go Big Read Program Coordinator will work with the Office of the Chancellor and book publishers to finalize a book selection and negotiate author contracts.

Please feel free to reach out to Willig (bwillig@wisc.edu) with any questions about serving on the Go Big Read book selection committee.

Thank you for your consideration, and don’t forget to attend the Go Big Read author keynote event Nov. 7, from 7–8:30 pm. The event will be hosted in Memorial Union’s Shannon Hall, and it will also be livestreamed. The livestream link will be available on the Go Big Read website.