The Living Book Project brings together high school teachers and more than 250 students from five districts across Suffolk County to Stony Brook University.

The annual event revolves around themes from a non-fiction book that explores the human condition and comes to “life” through a day of music, movement, art, discussion, theatrical performances and interactive workshops.

Ward Melville High School students perform a play written by Lauren Kaushansky adapted from themes from The Complete Persepolis.

Lauren Kaushansky, a lecturer in Stony Brook’s Professional Education Program and Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Elizabeth Kelso, an English teacher at Ward Melville High School are co-founders of The Living Book Project. “University faculty, community members and public school teachers provide interdisciplinary experiences, transforming story into advocacy, conversation, art, movement and interactive workshops,” said Kelso.

 For the 2014 event, Kaushansky and Kelso chose Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novel The Complete Persepolis, which recounts the author’s life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.