About
What is Reading Culture?
Every Fall and Spring semester, the Reading Culture planning committee selects a country and book for HCC students, staff, and faculty to learn about together. Cultural events and discussions are held throughout the semester to facilitate learning on the selected country and the lives of its people. Attendance and participation is open to all HCC students, staff, and faculty whether or not they participate in the scholarship competition.
How do I attend events?
For Fall 2025, there are separate events happening online and in-person. Most online events can be accessed in the Cisco Webex link in the online course menu. If you are not in the Reading Culture Canvas course, fill out the webform on this page to be added. Some events may be external and will be announced as opportunities arise. If you have questions about attending events online, please email treva.anderson@hccs.edu.
How do I compete for the Scholarship?
The scholarship competition is open to all students currently taking classes at HCC. To win, you must:
- Participate in at least two qualifying cultural events and write a 100-200 word reflection about each event, AND
- Write an essay and/or craft a creative project, which you will submit in the Reading Culture canvas course by December 2, 2025.
Students can submit in both categories but can only win one award. Previous winners can participate but are not eligible to compete for one calendar year (for example, if you won in Fall 2024, you are eligible to compete again in Fall 2025). See the Canvas site for submission instructions.
Join the Canvas Group!
If you want to attend Reading Culture events, please fill out this webform to gain access to Reading Culture's Eagle Online/Canvas course. (If you plan to compete for the scholarship, you must have access to the Eagle Online/Canvas course.) Attendance and participation is open to all HCC students, staff, and faculty whether or not they participate in the scholarship competition.
How to Get a Copy of One of the Books
We have a limited number of free books available for both titles. If you are interested in a copy, be on the lookout for announcements of our Book Distribution events! Limited copies will be available at each event, while supplies last. If there are books remaining after these events, an announcement will be made for how to request a copy be sent to your most convenient campus library location for pickup.
Learn about the selected books for this semester's program below and make your choice:
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Book Covers |
Titles/Authors |
Genres/Descriptions |
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Moon of the Crusted Snow |
With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow. The community leadership loses its grip on power as the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry to take control of the reserve. Tensions rise and, as the months pass, so does the death toll due to sickness and despair. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their community thrive again. Guided through the chaos by an unlikely leader named Evan Whitesky, they endeavor to restore order while grappling with a grave decision. Blending action and allegory, Moon of the Crusted Snow upends our expectations. Out of catastrophe comes resilience. And as one society collapses, another is reborn. |
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This Place: 150 Years Retold |
[Graphic Novel] Explore the past 150 years through the eyes of Indigenous creators in this groundbreaking graphic novel anthology. Beautifully illustrated, these stories are an emotional and enlightening journey through Indigenous wonderworks, psychic battles, and time travel. See how Indigenous peoples have survived a post-apocalyptic world since Contact. Each story includes a timeline of related historical events and a personal note from the author. Find cited sources and a select bibliography for further reading in the back of the book. The accompanying teacher guide includes curriculum charts and 12 lesson plans to help educators use the book with their students. This is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded through the Canada Council for the Arts’ New Chapter initiative. With this $35M initiative, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada. |
HCC Libraries offer print copies and eBook copies to borrow in-person and access online. Please see those listed below.
|
Title |
Library Access/Request link |
Restriction |
| Moon of the Crusted Snow | 1 Print Copy at Central |
1 copy available, first come, first served for 3 week loan period. |
| Moon of the Crusted Snow | eBook Copy | Unlimited users |
| This Place: 150 Years Retold | eBook Copy | Unlimited users |
Start of Semester Flyer
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Fall 2025 Flier (Before Semester Starts)A simple flyer with QR code and link
Previous Countries (Alphabetical by name in English)
