Read on to learn about Little Free Library Unbound, a new digital events series for book-lovers.
The first event takes place Thursday, January 14th, 2020, at 5 p.m., and features panelists:
- Tameka Fryer Brown, Charlotte-based children’s book author
- Dionne Sims, owner of Black Garnet Books
- Anita Merina, Little Free Library national board chair
The Little Free Library® (LFL) nonprofit organization is going outside the book-sharing box with a new digital event series, premiering Thursday, January 14, at 5 p.m. “Little Free Library Unbound” connects book-lovers of all kinds with authors, booksellers and Little Free Library stewards.
The first episode of Little Free Library Unbound will highlight Read in Color, LFL’s initiative to bring diverse books to neighborhoods across the U.S. Guests will include Dionne Sims, owner of Black Garnet Books—Minnesota’s only black-owned bookstore—and Tameka Fryer Brown, children’s book author, contributor at The Brown Bookshelf and member of Read in Color’s diverse-book advisory group. The episode will be moderated by LFL national board chair Anita Merina.
“We’re delighted to have a new way to connect with our stewards, patrons and supporters and look forward to engaging conversations about our shared love of books, community and all things Little Free Library,” said LFL program director Shelby King.
Through Read in Color, which launched in October in Minneapolis, more than 5,500 diverse books (sourced from BIPOC and independent bookstores when possible) were acquired for Twin Cities Little Free Libraries. In addition 20 new little libraries were established in underserved neighborhoods in the area. The Read in Color program will roll out in six additional cities this year to increase access to diverse books.
“In addition to representation, one of the most important things children of all ages need is access,” says Sims. “With the Read in Color initiative, Little Free Library is providing kids with access to diverse books that they can keep, mark up, re-read, and pass along. Getting to take home a book featuring characters that look like you, who engage in a world that feels like your own…it’s something I wish I’d had more of as a child. I’m so happy to be able to support an initiative set on making that happen!”
Brown concurs: “When children read inclusive books, seeds are planted in their minds, hearts, and souls—seeds of awareness, self-esteem, and connection. If enough such seeds are sown, they will blossom into a society that is far more just and equitable than we’ve ever experienced. Reading in Color is not just fancy for our children’s entertainment. It is necessary for our collective survival.”
Following the free event, copies of Brown’s book Brown Baby Lullaby will be offered in a giveaway for select attendees, and a recorded version of Little Free Library Unbound will be available on LFL’s YouTube channel.
A new episode of Little Free Library Unbound will be released each month, with future topics including Little Free Libraries during the pandemic, literacy and book access in Indigenous communities and authors who steward Little Free Libraries of their own. Follow Little Free Library on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates.
Register to attend the Little Free Library Unbound digital event at LittleFreeLibrary.org/lfl-unbound.
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