World Book Night - Free Books to Be Given Out in Manchester

Julia Strimer and Patty Swaney distributing books at the Coffee Mill last year. Their 40 books were gone in just over an hour. Photo courtesy of Julia Strimmer.

by Julia Strimer

This Wednesday, seven Manchester residents will be giving away brand new, free books in different strategic locations around the village in celebration of World Book Night. World Book Night is an annual celebration dedicated to spreading the love of reading, person to person.  Each year on April 23 (Shakespeare's birthday), tens of thousands of people go out into their communities and give half a million free World Book Night paperbacks to light and non-readers.

Successfully launched in the U.K. in 2011, World Book Night was first celebrated in the U.S. in 2012. It was first celebrated in Manchester last year when Patty Swaney and Julia Strimer served as Manchester’s first book givers. This year we will have seven book givers in our village: Anne Buckalew, Lorrie Coburn, Kathleen Dimond, Sue LaRocque, James Miller, Julia Strimer, and Patty Swaney. Anne and Sue will be giving their books to younger readers, while the other five will be doing their giving at the Manchester Market, the Coffee Mill, and the Village Tap.

Actress and comedian Amy Poehler has been named the honorary chairperson for this year's World Book Night literary giveaway. "I grew up loving books," Poehler, 42, best known for her roles on Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation, said in a statement. "In today's digital world, it's more important than ever to know how it feels to have a good book in your hands. I'm thrilled to be part of World Book Night. People who read are people who dream, and we connect through the stories we live and tell and read."

World Book Night enlists 25,000 volunteers who give away a total of 500,000 free books to spread the joy of reading. “World Book Night U.S. books are specially produced, not-for-resale paperbacks. Book givers receive 20 copies of one book, a book they love, from the list of 30 World Book Night U.S. selections. The list of the 2014 selections can be seen HERE.

If you’d like to get involved in being a book giver, sign up for the World Book Night newsletter HERE. If you have questions about World Book Night in Manchester, contact Julia Strimer at jstrimer@gmail.com.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.