Mike Kennedy, President and CEO of the Human Service Center in Peoria, will moderate four (10/22 – PPL Main Library Auditorium; 11/02 – PPL Lakeview Branch; 11/7 – PPL North Branch; and 11/17 – PPL Lincoln Branch) community discussions about the increasing use and abuse of heroin and opiates in the Peoria area.

There will be time allotted for brainstorming community strategies to address the increasing use and abuse of heroin and opiates in the Peoria area.

To attend any of these discussions, please contact Roberta Koscielski at 309-497-2186 or RobertaKoscielski@ppl.peoria.lib.il.us.

These discussions are part of Peoria Public Library’s 2016 Peoria Reads! initiative. They are presented in partnership with the Human Service Center, Peoria Mayor’s Community Coalition Against Heroin, and the City of Peoria.

Peoria Reads! is encouraging community members to read Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic. Written by Sam Quinones, this book is described as “an explosive and shocking account of addiction in the heartland of America.” This story of how heroin addiction became epidemic in small-town America was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction in March 2016.

Copies of Dreamland are available for checkout and limited numbers of additional copies are available for pick-up at all Peoria Public Library locations. To reserve a copy, contact Roberta Koscielski at RobertaKoscielski@ppl.peoria.lib.il.us or at 309-497-2186.

These discussions are funded, in part, by an Illinois Humanities Community Grant as part of its Illinois Speaks program. To see other upcoming Illinois Speaks events, visit our events page. Apply here for an Illinois Speaks Community Grant. Learn more about our Community Grants program.