Hey there, Literary Travelers! Last year on our blog we told you about World Book Night – an amazing event kicking off its second year in the U.S. Many of you may be familiar with the fabulous organization, which promotes the spreading of book love to light and non-readers far and wide. The basic premise is this: On April 23rd, tens of thousands of “givers” all over the country will be out in their individual communities giving away a combined total of 500,000 free copies of one of 32 titles, ranging from classic literature and biography to YA Fiction, to those who do not consider themselves typically avid readers. World Book Night is a non-profit organization and all of the books are donated, made possible by the generosity of supporters ranging from community volunteers to book publishers.
“Givers” are volunteers, picked to cover a wide range of geographic locations and a variety of community environments. This year 6,200 towns will be represented on World Book Night, up 400 from last year’s event! Givers run the gamut from teachers to authors… to Literary Travelers!
Yes, that’s right. This year, Literary Traveler feels incredibly fortunate to be World Book Night givers! We feel doubly lucky because we will be spreading the love for one of our favorite early twentieth-century authors, Willa Cather, by giving away copies of her celebrated 1918 novel, My Antonia.
We feel a particular affinity for Cather because of her inspiring connection to Place. Many of her novels paint a remarkably vivid picture of early pioneer life on the expanding frontier of the Great Plains. We also feel that Cather’s novel is incredibly accessible and a great way to begin a long lasting love affair with the classics.
Please stay tuned over the next couple months for more on Willa Cather and World Book Night 2013. In the meantime, check out the Literary Traveler article, “Red Cloud, Nebraska: Willa Cather’s Lifelong Muse.”