Do you believe that books posses such magic that they can find their way to you? Well, if you don’t, then keep reading. The Walking Book Fair titled Poems on the Road 2018-19, which will travel 10,000 km, may be coming to your town with a van full of books, with the sole purpose of making them available to more people.
Walking Book Fair is an independent bookstore, library, publisher and bookmobile based in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. This interesting venture was started in 2014 by Akshaya Bahibala and Satabdi M., to take books to different states in India and make them available at affordable rates in almost 30 cities, partnering with Speaking tiger, Harper Collins India and Pan Macmillan India. The Walking Book Fair has begun its journey this year. “This is a two-month-long pan-India tour covering 10,000km, across 20 states and 30 cities, with a travelling poetry bookstore and a free library to spread love, peace, books and no doubt, poetry,” say Akshaya Bahibala and Satabdi. For the past five years, the Walking Book Fair has been trying to reach out to people and provide books in many different ways and their only funding for the tour is through the books they sell from their travelling bookstore.
They published a new book recently, titled 100 Poems Are Not Enough and featuring the works of 79 poets from India and around the world. The book celebrates poets from everywhere.
“Poems on the Road is an initiative that will give thousands of people from across the country a chance to browse, read and buy the best poetry from our specially curated collection of about 500 poetry books in English from around the world,” they say. It’s not just that, they also provide a platform for the youth of our country to come and share their stories, ideas, and opinions. They provide a free space for the youth to debate about the issues around us, all through poetry and books.
The duo, along with their bookmobile, will make their way to Kochi on January 3. The fair is set to start at 11 am at Marigold Creative, Kakkanad, Kochi. Everyone is welcome to join them for open mic and poetry reading sessions to share your stories and experiences through songs, poems and stories. The registration for open mic is absolutely free and every participant will be receiving a certificate and a bookmark as a token of appreciation.
So, come along bookworms and poetry lovers, for a time to immerse yourselves completely in good books, poems and conversations.
The duo, along with their bookmobile, will make their way to Kochi on January 3. The fair is set to start at 11 am at Marigold Creative, Kakkanad
