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Please email Grace Li at gli39@uic.edu to sign up and/or for more info, please include your name and which Book + Start-End Lines you'd like. If your professor/teacher is offering extra credit for participation, please include the class/professor in which you are in.
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NOTE:
You do not bring a copy of the book or to stay for the entirety of the event, but we do ask that you be present during the hour in which the book you are reading out of is scheduled.
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Gray boxes indicate reading slots already taken by other students, white boxes are still available. Students are welcome to sign-up in person, on the day-of the event as well.
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Readers get FREE FOOD and PRIZES!!!
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If you are interested in volunteering, please refer to the "Sign-Up to Volunteer!" sheet at the bottome of this page!
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Book Starting LineEnding Line# of LinesPagesDescriptionAvailability
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1 - The Boy and the Goddess (begins at 9:00am)
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16363105-107The poet invokes the Muse. The gods hold a council: Athena appeals to Zeus about Odysseus, who is trapped far from home, on the island of the nymph Calypso.
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6412259107-109Zeus promises to send Hermes, the messenger god, to make Calypso help Odysseus go home. Athena goes to Ithaca.
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12317755109-111In the guise of Mentor, Athena visits Ithaca and Telemachus greets the stranger, inquiring who she is.
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17825174111-113Athena introduces herself as Mentor and Telemachus tells her the problems the suitors are causing.
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25230554113-114Athena assures Telemachus that his father, Odysseus, is alive and inspires him to go on a journey and find out more about his father's whereabouts.
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30636459115-116The singer, Phemius, begins to sing about Troy; Penelope is made upset by the topic, and tries to stop him. Telemachus, to her surprise, intervenes, scolds her, and makes her go upstairs.
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36541248116-118Telemachus announces that he will be calling a meeting the next day. Antinous and Eurymachus speak to him nastily and try to find out who Athena was.
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41344432118-119Telemachus answers the suitors taunts without revealing Athena's identity. He goes to his room to rest for the night.
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2 - A Dangerous Journey (begins at around 9:30am, may extend into 10:00am)
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13838120-121Telemachus calls an assembly and speaks to the elite men of Ithaca.
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398143121-123Telemachus describes the trouble caused to him by the suitors.
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8214665123-124Antinous, a leading suitor, explains Penelope’s trick with the loom in an attempt to justify their behavior. Telemachus defends his mother.
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14720761124-126Zeus sends two eagles that attack the faces of the men in the crowd, and an Ithacan named Halitherses explains that this is a prophecy that Odysseus is on his way home.
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20825952126-128Mentor speaks up for Telemachus; the suitors (Eurymachus and Leocritus) resist the warnings.
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26032162128-130Telemachus prays for Athena’s help; disguised as Mentor, she appears to him and promises to help him and equip a ship for him. At dinner, the suitors tease Telemachus.
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32238160130-132Telemachus slips out secretly, gets provisions with the help of Eurycleia, his old nurse. Eurycleia begins to wail at the idea of Telemachus leaving.
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38243453132-134Athena disguises herself as Mentor and prepares a ship, borrowed from Noëmon, and assembles a crew. She meets with Telemachus down at the shore and they pack up and set sail.
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3 - An Old King Remembers (begins at around 10:00am)
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15050135-136Telemachus reaches Pylos, home of old King Nestor, where he receives a warm welcome.
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5110151137-138After feasting, Telemachus introduces himself to King Nestor and asks for information of his father.
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10214746138-140Nestor tells how the Greeks destroyed Troy, and then were cursed by Athena. He lists off their misfortunes--including how the brothers Agamemnon and Menelaus quarreled.
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14820154140-141Nestor continues to tell Telemachus about the war; how the troops split up and scattered on their homeward journey.
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20225251141-143Telemachus, hearing the perilous journey homeward, is convinced his father may be dead after all. He changes the subject and asks how King Agememnon died.
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25330149143-144Nestor explains that he himself reached home safely; Agamemnon was killed by Aegisthus, who had seduced his wife; Menelaus was swept off to Egypt by a storm.
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30237069144-147Nestor advises Telemachus to go visit Menelaus, and then go back home to Ithaca. He insists that Telemachus must stay the night.
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37142858147-149The next morning, Nestor has gifts and provisions prepared for Telemachus to take on his journey.
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42949769149-151Nestor sends Telemachus off with gifts, a carriage to get to Sparta, and his son Pisistratus as a companion.
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4 - What the Sea God Said (begins at 11:00am)
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16363152-154Telemachus and Pisistratus find Menelaus and Helen in their rich home at Sparta, in the midst of a lavish celebration of the marriages of Menelaus’ two children.
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6411249154-155They are welcomed warmly; Menelaus tells the story of his long journey back from Troy, expressing grief for those who died and were lost—especially, his brother Agamemnon and his dear friend Odysseus.
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11316856155-157Telemachus starts crying. Helen appears and identifies Telemachus; Pisistratus explains the reason for their visit.
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16921547157-159Everyone weeps about the absence of Odysseus, but Pisistratus intervenes.
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21628974159-161Helen pours a magical drug into the wine to remove all capacity for grief. She describes how Odysseus at Troy disguised himself and snuck through the city on a spy mission; Menelaus tells how determined he was inside the Wooden Horse.
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29033142161-162They all go to sleep. In the morning, Menelaus asks why Telemachus has come to his kingdom and Telemachus explains.
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33239664.5162-164Menelaus tells the story of how, on his way back from Troy, he stopped and accrued wealth in Egypt. End at "…not easy for a man to catch a god."
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39647074.5164-167Menelaus continues to tell of how they met and temporarily captured Proteus, the old sea god, who gave him some news of his fellow warriors. Begin at "The goddess answered…"
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47153666167-168Menelaus describes how he learned of Agememnon's death.
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53759256168-170Menelaus describes what the sea god, Proteus, told them regarding Odysseus.
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59364755170-172Menelaus offers Telemachus fine gifts to take home. Meanwhile, on Ithaca, the suitors discover about the boy’s trip.
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64870356172-174The suitors devise a plot to kill Telemachus on his return journey.
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70477774174-176Penelope also finds out and is full of grief. The suitors set up the ambush.
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77884770176-179Athena sends a dream phantom to comfort Penelope.
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5 - From the Goddess to the Storm (begins at 12:00pm)
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15757180-182Zeus and Athena again discuss the fate of Odysseus; Zeus sends Athena to protect Telemachus, and Hermes to rescue Odysseus from Calypso.
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5811659182-184Hermes tells Calypso to let Odysseus go; she is angry.
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11717963184-186Reluctantly, Calypso agrees to let Odysseus go. She goes to inform Odysseus of this--who does no believe her at first.
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18022748186-187When Odysseus realizes he can finally go home, he is overjoyed.
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22829164187-189With Calypso's help, Odysseus constructs a raft to leave the island.
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29235362189-191Odysseus almost reaches Phaeacia, when Poseidon spots him and sends a storm to wreck the raft. Odysseus is helped by Ino, the White Goddess.
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35442370191-193Odysseus clings to a plank from the broken raft, and then swims towards shore.
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42449370193-194With the aid of Athena, Odysseus finds a good place to rest, in a gentle river’s mouth. He crawls out of the water, hides in some bushes, and goes to sleep.
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6 - A Princess and Her Laundry (begins at around 12:30pm, may extend into 1:00pm)
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15050197-199Athena appears in a dream to the Phaeacian princess Nausicaa and tells her to go to the washing pools and do laundry, in preparation for her putative future marriage.
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5111868199-201Nausicaa sets out on this trip with a packed lunch, a wagon full of dirty laundry, and some helpful slave girls. After laundry and lunch, the girls are playing ball and start screaming when the ball is lost.
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11918567201-203Odysseus pops up from his hiding place and appeals for help to Nausicaa.
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18624762203-205Nausicaa gives Odysseus a set of clothes, along with food and drink.
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24833184205-207Nausicaa then provides instructions about how to get into town and to her parents’ palace, keeping behind her so as to evade the criticism or suspicion of the people. Odysseus waits in Athena’s sanctuary outside the town and prays for the help of the goddess.
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7 - A Magical Kingdom (begins at around 1:30pm)
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18181208-210Nausicaa gets home. Odysseus walks to town; Athena hides him in magic mist, and then, as a little girl, guides him to the palace.
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8215372210-213Odysseus enters the palace and supplicates Arete, the queen.
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15420653213-215Alcinous, the king, welcomes him warmly and gives him food and wine.
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20729791215-217Arete notices that Odysseus is wearing clothes that she made herself. Odysseus explains that Nausicaa gave them to him.
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29834750218-219Odysseus is offered a comfortable bed out on the porch, where he goes to sleep for the night.
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8 - The Songs of a Poet (begins at 2:00pm)
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14646220-221At the Phaeacian council place, Alcinous invites the lords of Phaecia to his palace for a feast to welcome the stranger. He orders men to equip a ship, to help the visitor on his way.
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4710357221-223Everyone assembles and eats; after the meal, Demodocus the blind poet sings about a quarrel of Odysseus and Achilles. Odysseus starts crying. Alcinous, noticing, suggests that everybody go outside and play sports.
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10418683223-225There are competitions in sprinting, wrestling, discus, and boxing. Then Laodamas, Alcinous’ youngest son, invites Odysseus to participate; another son, Euryalus, taunts Odysseus that he is no athlete.
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18725569225-228Odysseus hurls a discus far beyond the others and is congratulated by Athena in disguise.
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25632166228-230Demodocus begins to sing a second, longer song, about the adulterous affair of Aphrodite and Ares.
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32236746230-232Demodocus continues to sing a second, longer song, about the adulterous affair of Aphrodite and Ares.
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36843366232-234Odysseus is pleased. The Phaeacians give Odysseus lavish gifts, bathe him, and feed him.
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43449966234-237Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing the song of the Wooden Horse.
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50058687237-239When the poet complies, Odysseus weeps desperately. Alcinous notices and asks Odysseus to explain who he is.
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9 - A Pirate in a Shepherd's Cave (begins at around 2:30pm, may extend into 3:00pm)
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16666240-242Odysseus begins to tell his story. He tells how, after sacking Troy. They reached the land of the Cicones, where they sacked the city. The Cicones retaliated, and some of Odysseus’ men were killed.