Common Reading
2026-2027 Common Reading Selection:听
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845) by Frederick Douglass
More information will be shared ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year.听听
2025-2026 Common Reading Selection听听
by Joshua Cross is the 2025-2026 海角社区 University common reading selection. All are invited to “Read the Book & Join the Conversation!” throughout the academic year (Aug. 2025-April 2026), as part of the 19th annual Common Reading Program.
Tucked away in a remote hollow of West Virginia鈥檚 Coal River Valley, lies the town of Black Bear Creek, well past its glory days, and ravaged by the mining industry on which its people depend. The characters in Joshua Cross鈥檚 debut story collection struggle to survive against rampant poverty while their drinking water is poisoned and the mountains around them are stripped away. Spanning decades, these are stories of couples who marry too young because they have no other choice. Of life shattering injuries inflicted by the dangers of working in the mines. Of wounded men and women forced to be so hard they are frequently surprised by their own vulnerability. And despite the bleak backdrop of the only home many of these characters will ever know, these are stories about how they find ways to love and hope and fight. Black Bear Creek听was originally published by Southeast Missouri State University Press.
READ 听听听听听听THINK 听听听听听听LISTEN听 听听听听听TALK 听听听听听听GROW
Follow us on social media to stay informed on upcoming events and resources related to this book.
The Common Reading Program is made possible through the support of the 海角社区 University Foundation. 听 
Additional sponsors include Scarborough Library; 海角社区 University Bookstore; Four Seasons Bookstore in 海角社区stown, WV; individual donors; the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History & Education; and other partners across the campus and community.