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What are Common Readings?
“Common readings” play a strong role at many universities across the nation. Common Readings connect students to their peers and their campus. They promote critical thinking skills and discussion capabilities, and can be considered a “common intellectual experience,” one of the high impact educational practices recognized by AAC&U to benefit college students from many backgrounds (Kuh, 2008).
MSU Denver’s own common reading program, 1 Book/1 Project/2 Transform, was developed in 2010.
Mikkilynn Olmsted from the English department speaks about her experience.
María Rey-López from the Spanish department speaks about her experience.
Past Common Readings Featured At MSU Denver
The 1 Book/1 Project/2 Transform program has featured the following books and authors:
- The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez
- Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homelessness to Harvard by Liz Murray
- Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario
- Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America by Helen Thorpe
- Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World by Doc Hendley
- The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore
- Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets by Carissa Phelps
- The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, & Communities by Will Allen
- Little Three Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
- In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
- The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton
- We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Better Planet by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez
- Sabrina & Corina by MSU Denver alumna Kali Fajardo-Anstine
- A Mind Spread Out on the Ground by Alicia Elliott
- Good Talk by Mira Jacob
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
- First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Luong Ung
Past Author Visits
Alicia Elliot signing her book, "A Mind Spread Out On The Ground"
Alicia Elliot speaking at MSU Denver about her book "A Mind Spread Out On The Ground"
Anthony Ray Hinton and his book, "The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row"
Anthony Ray Hinton speaking to a crowd at MSU Denver about his book, "The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row".
Anthony Ray Hinton signing his book, "The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row", for a student
Anthony Ray Hinton Speaking at MSU Denver in Tivoli
Mira Jacob reads a portion of her book "Good Talk" at the 1 Book/1 Project/2 Transform event held my MSU Denver at the Auraria Campus on Nov. 2, 2022. Photo by Travis Brooks.
Mira Jacob speaks about her book "Good Talk" at the 1 Book/1 Project/2 Transform event held my MSU Denver at the Auraria Campus on Nov. 2, 2022. Photo by Travis Brooks.
Diane Guerrero signs a copy her book "In The Country We Love" on the MSU Denver Campus on Wednesday, April 4th 2018. Photo/Mark Stahl
Diane Guerrero speaks about her book "In The Country We Love" on the MSU Denver Campus on Wednesday, April 4th 2018. Photo/Mark Stahl
American Book Award-winner Kali Fajardo-Anstine dishes on international acclaim of Sabrina & Corina, impact of local community and the most important thing for artists to do right now.
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez signing his book, "We Rise", for students.
Author Xiuhtezcatl Martinez and a group of local Indigenous Dancers.
Check out this 2023's Common Reading:
Follow this link to learn about “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Johnson