“It’s so important for people to celebrate all different kinds of voices in literature and we think it’s very important for readers to be able to see themselves in the books and the stories that they read,” Jess Turner of Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, Vermont, told NBC-5 TV, of the store’s first-ever Pride Readathon.
Reports NBC-5 TV:
The event will last the entire month of June.
“There’s no rule, you pick whatever number of books you want to read and you read whatever you want, as long as it celebrates an LGBTQ+ author’s voice,” Turner said. “So, graphic novels, memoirs, novels, fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, all the genres within that, anything goes.”
Plus, the readathon has a goal to raise $40,000 for scholarships to Camp Outright, a summer camp with a “queer twist” for teens run by Outright Vermont.
“They want to ensure that no camper is turned away due to financial need,” Turner said.
In a statement given to NBC5, Outright Vermont’s executive director, Dana Kaplan, said in part that “all kids deserve to have access to safe and inclusive spaces that support their self-discovery and encourage connection.”
Read the complete NBC-5 TV story here.
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