What’s your typical Sunday afternoon like? Why not switch things up and head to the library for an engaging conversation between some truly remarkable authors? The Richmond Public Library is throwing its annual Read Up Richmond event on Sunday, October 13th, and you should check it out.
This year, they’re putting the spotlight on Dolen Perkins-Valdez, the New York Times bestselling author of Take My Hand, who will be in lively conversation with Linda Janet Holmes, an award-winning writer and passionate advocate for birthing justice.
What’s the Buzz about Read Up Richmond?
So, what’s the deal with Read Up Richmond? Jennifer Deuell, the library’s Manager of Outreach and Engagement, explains, “Read Up Richmond is an annual event held every year at the Richmond Public Library. Each year, we invite in an award-winning author to discuss their work and any important topics or themes that inform their writing.” This year’s event features Dolen Perkins-Valdez, whose latest book, Take My Hand, delves into topics of medical racism and reproductive rights.
When selecting an author for Read Up Richmond, Deuell emphasizes the importance of relevance to the community: “Each year, when selecting an author, we think about what topics are important to our community right now. We ask ourselves what people are thinking about. What are they passionate about? What are they worried about? What is impacting their lives? And, most importantly, what topics cross community lines (real or imaginary)? Our goal is to bring readers from all walks of life together in one room to hear a point of view. Perhaps it’s a point of view that correlates with their own. Perhaps it’s one that does not. Perhaps it’s a perspective they’ve never heard or considered before. Then, the hope is that this author event will be the spark that lights a conversation among attendees, who then take the conversation back to their own circles, engaging in civil conversation in an effort to better understand one another. Perhaps even fuel action or change.”
Ben Himmelfarb, Manager at the Main Library, adds to this sentiment: “Read Up Richmond is a chance to take sanctuary from the overwhelming mass of information literally ‘pushed’ at us by notifications and the internet, and slow down to engage in reading, listening, and connecting. Whether people read the selected book (or listen to it as an audiobook), they are invited to attend the conversation at the library that goes beyond simplistic binaries. As the public library, we are committed to intellectual freedom and universal access to accurate, high-quality information. Read Up Richmond acknowledges how works of fiction also convey truths, perhaps different than the truths found in nonfiction history books—truths about human experiences and ways of being. We match a fiction author with an author of nonfiction precisely to bring feeling to the facts and context to the experiences of people, past and present.”
Building Community Connections
One of the most compelling aspects of Read Up Richmond is its ability to unite diverse members of the community. Deuell and Himmelfarb are committed to promoting the event widely to attract not just loyal library patrons but also those who might never have stepped foot in a library. “We make a concerted effort to widely advertise this event,” Deuell explains. “Although we love our loyal library users, we don’t want just them in the audience. We also want to attract people who may never have stepped foot in one of our libraries before. Or, perhaps, they haven’t been in a long time. It is through this diverse audience that we can best achieve the goals I previously mentioned.”
Himmelfarb notes the significance of privacy in library transactions: “When you check out a book from the public library, no one knows you did it or what the book was. It’s a private, almost sacred transaction. As supporters of intellectual freedom, public libraries mostly leave the choices about what to read—and certainly what to think about what you read—to individuals. In the case of Read Up Richmond, we try to identify a book that lies at the intersection of fiction and nonfiction, past and present, so that the broadest set of people can find a hook that interests them.”
Reflecting on past success stories, Himmelfarb shares an inspiring example from 2023, where a hardboiled rural noir author was interviewed by a journalist specializing in the history of the death penalty in Richmond. “Their conversation went so far beyond the stereotypical categories we imagine people are divided into. Everyone left knowing something they didn’t know coming in,” he recalls. “Everyone left knowing something new, making that event a true success.”
Continuing the Dialogue
This year, the library is implementing new strategies to ensure that the conversations started at Read Up Richmond continue long after the event. Deuell highlights several upcoming programs tied to the themes of the event: “This year we’re doing something a little new to continue the conversation even after Read Up Richmond is over. The library is hosting several ‘tie-in’ events over the course of the following year to encourage community members to continue to engage with the topics.” She mentions a partnership with the ACLU for a program titled “The State of Reproductive Rights in a Post-Dobbs Virginia,” scheduled for October 8th at 6:00 PM at the Main Library. “We are also working on a program in partnership with the Central Virginia Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association on the history and experiences of Black nurses in our state, which is slated for early 2025.”
Himmelfarb elaborates on the library’s mission: “First, the library’s goal is to ‘Inform, Enrich and Empower’ in all of our work by providing a range of materials in a variety of print and non-print formats to meet the informational, cultural, educational, and recreational needs and interests of the Richmond community. The representation of a particular viewpoint in the collection is an expression of the Library’s policy of intellectual freedom, not an endorsement of that particular point of view. The Library encourages free expression and free access to ideas—essential elements in a democratic society—and does not knowingly discriminate in its material selection regarding age, race, beliefs, or affiliations of the author or producer.”
“This is all a fancy way of saying that anyone can come to RPL and ask for help accessing any kind of information,” he continues. “We will, to the best of our ability, help connect people to the information they seek. One great way to find new books to read is through our Bookologist service, for which library staff create customized lists of suggestions for the public based on their input. Library cataloging in general, where subject terms are applied to materials, is a way to discover new books or ideas. And, of course, there’s still the old-fashioned way of walking in and browsing the shelves!”
Show Up for Read Up Richmond!
The Richmond Public Library is welcoming everyone to Read Up Richmond. Mark your calendars for October 13th at 2 PM to explore the themes of Take My Hand and engage in vital conversations that could spark understanding and change in our community.
Plus, don’t forget that there’s a whole lineup of related programming throughout the year, aimed at diving deeper into the vital topics raised at Read Up Richmond. These initiatives encourage ongoing dialogue about the challenges and triumphs faced by marginalized communities.
The library isn’t just a place for books; it’s a hub for community engagement, and Read Up Richmond is an example of that spirit.
