NEW YORK — September 18, 2008 — The Women's National Book Association (WNBA) launches its second National Reading Group Month in October 2008 to promote reading groups and to celebrate the joy of shared reading.

WNBA national president Joan Gelfand says, “Reading groups are to the literary world what slow food is to our fast food nation. They encourage people to slow down and think deeply about themes, characters, and plot. They encourage discourse in a culture where most communication is by text message.”

The organization is collaborating with readers, publishers, trade organizations, bookstores and libraries in annual National Reading Group Month events.

Events featuring reading group favorite authors are planned nationwide in the Association's chapters, including Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and the newly formed Seattle chapter.

National Reading Group Month Signature Event Sponsored by WNBA-Seattle Chapter

The highly anticipated National Reading Group Month signature event to be held in Seattle at University Book Store on October 20 spotlights best-selling authors Nancy Pearl (Book Lust, More Book Lust and Book Crush, Sasquatch Books) and Nancy Horan (Loving Frank, Ballantine), along with Stesha Brandon (University Book Store), Mary Ann Gwinn (The Seattle Times, Book Editor), Cheryl McKeon (Third Place Books), and Rebecca Willow (Parkplace Books).

Other Seattle area National Reading Group Month related events include “Readings Around the Sound” — a month-long line-up of author appearances held at local libraries and independent bookstores: Seattle Public Library on Oct. 2 (co-sponsor: Elliott Bay Book Co.); Edmonds Library, Oct. 3 (co-sponsor: Edmonds BookShop); University Book Store and University Temple Chapel, Oct. 4; Queen Anne Books, Oct. 5; Santoro’s Books, Oct. 11; Third Place Books, Oct. 16; Inn at Port Ludlow, Oct. 17 (co-sponsor: Liberty Bay Books); Elliott Bay Book Co., Oct. 21; Eagle Harbor Books, Oct. 23; Ballard Library, Oct. 25; King County Libraries, Oct. 28; University Book Store, Oct. 28; Parkplace Books, Oct. 30.

Author appearances: Sherman Alexie; Amy Bloom; Ivan Doig; Richard Farr;

Neil Gaiman; John Green; Debbie Macomber; Theo Pauline Nestor; Sara Nickerson; David Oliver Relin; Marilynne Robinson; Jon Scieska; Garth Stein; Miriam Toews.

Events:

Boston

WNBA-Boston at Hotel 140 (Sat., Oct. 25; 2–5 p.m.) with event co-sponsor Village Books/Roslindale: a readers’ round-robin with Joan Anderson (The Second Journey, Hyperion/Voice); Ann Harleman (The Year She Disappeared, Univ. of Texas Press); Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp (The Book Club Cook Book and The Kids' Book Club Book, Tarcher); Jennifer Haigh (The Condition, HarperCollins); Judith Nies (The Girl I Left Behind, HarperCollins); Deborah Noyes (Angel and Apostle, Unbridled Books); and Gina Ogden (The Return of Desire, Trumpeter-Shambhala Publications). Contact: Laurie Beckelman, lbeckelman at aol.com, or Katherine Dibble, kdibble at att.net

Detroit

WNBA-Detroit at the Huntington Woods Public Library (Thurs., Oct. 2; 7 p.m.): Thomas C. Foster (How to Read Novels Like a Professor, Harper Paperbacks). Contact: Cynthia Dooley, Cdooley at co.wayne.mi.us, or Celia Morse, cmorse at Berkley.lib.mi.us

Los Angeles

WNBA-Los Angeles at Book Soup (Sat., Oct. 25; 2–4 p.m.): David Fuller (Sweetsmoke, Hyperion); Yxta Maya Murray (The Red Lion Series: The King’s Gold, Harper Paperbacks); Lisa See (Peony in Love, Random House Trade Paperbacks). Contact: Kelly Sullivan-Walden, kellygq at mac.com, or Ruth Light, ruthabc at ca.rr.com

Nashville

WNBA-Nashville with event co-sponsor Nashville Downtown Public Library in conjunction with the Southern Festival of Books (Sat., Oct. 11; 9 a.m.): Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge, Random House Trade Paperbacks). Contact: Lee Fairbend, lfairbend at comcast.net

New York City

WNBA-New York City at the New York Center for Independent Publishing (Mon., Oct. 27; 6–8:30 p.m.): Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp (The Book Club Cook Book and The Kids' Book Club Book, Tarcher) join Anisha Lakhani (Schooled, Hyperion); Alice Mattison (Nothing is Quite Forgotten in Brooklyn, Harper Perennial); Dalia Sofer (The Septembers of Shiraz, Harper Perennial); Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge, Random House Trade Paperbacks); Anya Ulinich (Petropolis, Viking). Contact: Valerie Tomaselli, VTomaselli at mtmpublishing.com, or nrgm at wnba-nyc.org

San Francisco

WNBA-San Francisco with event co-sponsor Book Passage/Corte Madera (Thurs., Oct. 16; 6:30 p.m.): Philippa Gregory, (The Other Queen, Touchstone-Fireside Books). Contact: Mary Knippel, copywriter at coastside.net, or Linda Lee, info at netglobalbooks.com

Seattle

WNBA-Seattle at the University Book Store (Mon., Oct. 20; 7 p.m.): Nancy Pearl (Book Lust, More Book Lust and Book Crush, Sasquatch Books) leads a panel discussion with guest speakers Stesha Brandon (University Book Store); Mary Ann Gwinn (The Seattle Times); Nancy Horan (Loving Frank, Ballantine); Cheryl McKeon (Third Place Books); Rebecca Willow (Parkplace Books). Contact: Henriette Anne Klauser, henriette at henrietteklauser.com, or Anna Johnson, anna at picturebookoriginals.com

Washington, D,C.

WNBA-Washington, D.C. at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives (Tues., Oct. 21; 7–9 p.m.): Shireen Dodson (The Mother-Daughter Book Club, Tenth Annviersary Edition, Harper Paperbacks); Mark La Framboise (Poetry & Prose Bookstore); Lorine Kritzer Pergament (book club founder/facilitator); Emily Sachs (Graduate thesis: “Beyond Oprah: An In-depth Look at American Book Clubs”). Contact: NC Weil, ncweil at patriot.net

Library & Other Events

New Jersey

NRGM partner New Jersey Library Association and State Libraries of New Jersey at the Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library (Thurs., Oct. 30; 9 a.m.–1 p.m.): “The ABCs of Reading Groups” with Jack Getze (Big Money, Hilliard & Harris Publishers); Chris Grabenstein (Hell Hole: A John Ceepak Mystery, St. Martin’s/ Minotaur); Christina Baker Kline (The Way Life Should Be, Harper Paperbacks); Alison Larkin (The English American, Simon & Schuster); Maryann McFadden, (The Richest Season, Hyperion). Contact: April Judge, bookdirector at yahoo.com

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ABOUT THE WOMEN'S NATIONAL BOOK ASSOCIATION: The Women's National Book Association, is a 501 ( c ) 3 national professional and literacy-outreach organization comprised of women and men who work with and value books — promoting the value of books and reading since 1917. It honors outstanding contributions in the community of the book through its prestigious awards and grant programs. (www.wnba-books.org)

WNBA National Reading Group Month 2007 founding sponsors: HarperCollins Publishers; Penguin Group Inc.,; The Random House Publishing Group

WNBA National Reading Group Month 2008 sponsors: Harper Perennial;

Random House Publishing Group/Reader’s Circle; Susannah Greenberg Public Relations

WNBA National Reading Group Month 2008 participating publishers: Avon A/an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers; HarperCollins Publishers/Harper Perennial; Hilliard & Harris Publishers; Hyperion Books; The Random House Publishing Group/Random House; Sasquatch Books; Sourcebooks; St. Martin's/Minotaur; Touchstone-Fireside Books/Simon & Schuster; Viking/Penguin Group; Trumpeter/Shambhala Publications; Unbridled Books; Univ. of Texas Press

WNBA National Reading Group Month 2008 bookstore partners (co-sponsors): Book Passage (Corte Madera, CA) and Village Books (Roslindale, MA)

Readings Around the Sound participating bookstores/libraries/others:

Elliott Bay Book Co. (Seattle, WA); Edmonds BookShop (Edmonds, WA); Seattle Public Library (Seattle, WA); Edmonds Library (Edmonds, WA); Queen Anne Books (Seattle, WA); Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park, WA); Santoro's Books (Seattle, WA); Liberty Bay Books (Poulsbo, WA); Eagle Harbor Books (Bainbridge Island, WA); Ballard Library (Seattle, WA); The Secret Garden Bookshop (Seattle, WA); King County Libraries; University Book Store (Seattle, WA); Parkplace Books (Kirkland, WA)

WNBA National Reading Group Month 2008 participating bookstores /libraries /others (venues): University Book Store (Seattle, WA); Book Soup (Los Angeles, CA); Huntington Woods Public Library (Huntington Woods, MI); New York Center for Independent Publishing (New York, NY); Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library (Parsippany, NJ)

WNBA National Reading Group Month 2008 library partners (co-sponsors): New Jersey Library Association and State Libraries of New Jersey and Nashville Public Library (Downtown Branch)

Accolades and endorsements:

The American Booksellers Association and IndieBound applaud the efforts of the WNBA in the National Reading Group Month initiative, and the American Library Association's Booklist Online is proud to partner through its Book Group Buzz blog.

The Association of American Publishers — book publishing's national trade industry organization representing the book publishers nationwide — supports WNBA's National Reading Group Month.

NATIONAL READING GROUP MONTH — Celebrating the joy of shared reading

·         Furthering the values reading groups encourage

·         Fostering growth and development of reading groups throughout the country

·         Promoting literature and reading as conduits for transmitting culture and advancing civic engagement

·         Collaborating with readers, publishers and trade organizations, bookstores and libraries in annual National Reading Group Month events

·         Inspiring love of the book

Join Us!

Women's National Book Association

P.O. Box 237 • FDR Station

New York, NY 10022-9998

(212) 208-4629

www.wnba-books.org

www.NationalReadingGroupMonth.org