(Source: litglutton)
Here are some blurry, red-eyed photos of my awesome posse from World Book Night. Despite the rain, we still managed to find plenty of people out and about who were excited at the idea of a free copy of The Stand!
Lovely!
World Book Night 2012
I gave out A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. From a Starbucks to the Department of Labor to a worship center, I tried my best to get a plethora of readers with the help of my family. There were tons of smiles, despite the terrible weather. Yeah, there were some people who didn’t accept my offerings, but at least they were thinking about the crazy girl who wanted to give them a free book, so they’ll think about reading! YAY!
Fun times. Fun people. Great books. An even greater purpose. A fantastic job to everyone at WBN Headquarters! It doesn’t have to be World Book Night to spread the love of reading. ;)
Thank you for being such a wonderful book giver! <3
GPOYW: World Book Night—April 23—with longtime employee Mark Billingsley at Explore Booksellers in Aspen, Colorado.
On Monday I spent an hour or so approaching strangers in seemingly literary venues and watching their faces light up when I offered to give them free books.
The day before, I had volunteered to distribute specially bound copies of classic and contemporary novels for World Book Night, a nonprofit literacy movement supported by publishers and distributors in North America, through Explore Booksellers in Aspen, and sort of by accident: When I called to inquire about a calendar listing I’d seen in the paper, I was informed that the 6 p.m. “event” was actually an informal volunteers’ meeting. When the clerk added, with a twinge of regret, that I was the only person who had called, I pitied the bookstore. As a writer I felt a sense of duty to spread word of this great cause, so I agreed to pass out some copies around town the next day.
In the morning I approached ladies at our favorite juice bar—“I’m flying out to New York tomorrow, perfect timing!” one said gratefully—and in the afternoon I hit a bustling coffee shop, where a home-bound Aussie accepted Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I popped into the Wheeler Opera House, where I’d listened to a lovely lecture by Ann Patchett last month, and surprised the box-office attendants with her universally adored Bel Canto. There I ran into a coworker, to whom I gifted The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. We headed around the corner to Aspen Brewing Company for happy hour, where I unloaded my final two tomes: John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.
One guy on crutches was especially thankful the award-winning reading material. “What a cool thing you’re doing!” he enthused. I felt good, standing on the brewery patio in the light of the sunset with my empty shopping bag, because despite its origin from a definite pill- and booze-soaked stupor, his statement was strikingly heartfelt.
Just like a good book.
World Book Night was an amazing night. I am incredibly grateful that was able to take part in such an event. I spent the evening carting around copies of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian in my little red wagon. I met some fabulous people and some horrible people. However, the award for best book recipient goes to a fantastically charismatic guy who I stopped while he was jogging. He was quite intrigued by my wagon of books, but didn’t want to carry one whilst jogging. He felt bad, so I told him I would go to great lengths to make sure he could get this book. He responded by saying he always goes to great lengths to get free things from people wearing Star Wars shirts. I told him I would tuck the book behind an ashtray in front of the hotel he was staying in and he agreed to the plan. When I eventually looped back around to the ashtray the book was gone and in its place was a note that read “got it.” All in all, it was a successful and wildly fun night.
Amazing story!! Thank you for that commitment :)
