by Kristina Gabalski
Even in today’s technology driven world, there’s still nothing like the personal touch and World Book Night is a relatively new, annual celebration with the purpose of spreading the love of reading person to person.
Archie Kutz, owner of Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport, says World Book Night “is a unique program that aims to put more books in the hands of more people. World Book Night invites participants to select a title, pick up 20 copies of a special not-for-sale edition at a local book store or library and then distribute the books to casual or non-readers on April 23, 2013.”
Lift Bridge Book Shop is participating as a pick-up/distribution location, Kutz says.
“This is the second year for this literary effort,” he explains. “It started in England in 2010 and last year in the United States 500,000 books were given away to light or non-readers to spread the joy of reading. More books will be given away this year with the increased popularity of the program.”
World Book Night is a non-profit organization. “We exist because of the support of thousands of book givers, book sellers, librarians and financial supporters,” the www.us.worldbooknight.org website states.
The event is about more than reading, the organization says. “It’s about people, communities and connections, about reaching out to others and touching lives in the simplest of ways – through sharing of stories.”
An independent panel of booksellers and librarians selects the books using lists curated by experts in the book selling and library world. Givers from the previous year’s World Book Night also nominate books for the panel to consider. Special paperback editions are made possible by authors who agree to waive royalties in order to print the free World Book Night editions.
This year’s list includes more than two dozen books. Titles range from Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury and My Antonia, by Willa Cather to Bossypants, by Tina Fey and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain.
“Participants must be 16 years old or older and able to pick up 20 copies at the Brockport book shop or at a library which might also be participating,” Kutz says. “(Volunteer) givers will be chosen based on where, to whom and why they want to give books away.”
Fill out an application online at www.us.worldbooknight.org. You will be asked what your first, second and third book choices are, why you wish to share these books and where you will go to personally hand out the books.
The application deadline in January 25, 2013.
Note: Contact Lift Bridge Book Shop, 45 Main Street, Brockport, 637-2260. Visit www.liftbridgebooks.com.
