More than 400 people are expected to gather at St. Anne’s Academy Sunday morning, brought together by a love of reading and a desire to connect with fellow bookworms.
Hundreds of book lovers are set to flock to the grassy lawn of St. Anne’s Academy on Sunday morning for an event designed to turn reading from a solitary activity into one surrounded by community.
Dubbed a “reading party,” the event was organized by two women set on connecting people through their love of reading.
UVic writing grad Melanie Brouwer owns Meant Well Books, a bookstore on wheels she started last year. The idea is simple: Brouwer drives a Japanese mini truck with custom-built shelves of books and parks it at local events.
She said the idea for the event blossomed when she saw how quickly a community formed around her book truck.
The first reading party last summer hosted over 100 people, the second over 200, and Brouwer said about 400 people have signed up for the free event this year.
Each event starts at 11 a.m. and involves time for setup and introductions, dedicated reading segments, and plenty of time to mingle and connect with other readers.
Sunday’s event will include local musicians playing ambient music, vendors like Routine Coffee & Supply and Kid Sister Ice Cream, and a poet creating on-the-spot pieces for those interested, said Brouwer.
“Reading is getting more popular,” she said. “I think books are having a huge moment.”
Brouwer said people tell her they’re thrilled to have a dedicated time away from their phones to read and connect with others. “People are looking for things that are analogue,” she said.
The event was co-founded with Cam Majander, a Victoria woman who founded an Instagram page in 2023 called “Simon Says”, dedicated to helping people make friends through social events.
Majander started the page after she moved to the city and wanted to meet people, but noticed that most events were designed for going with people one already knew.
Majander said books have a special way of helping people make friends.
“It’s just such an easy, beautiful way for people to come together,” she said.
People don’t have to struggle through awkward small talk because they can ask others about the book they’re reading and quickly feel connected on a more personal level, she said.
She added that the event is indicative of a move away from technology, noting that most participants bring paperbacks and hardcovers rather than e-books.
Meeting in-person removes the sense of pressure people often face on social media, she said. “It feels so much more genuine.”
Dana Orgnero attended the first reading party and said she was impressed by the dedication of all the readers who came, even when the weather took a turn.
“At one point, it started misting a little bit, and nobody cared,” she said with a laugh.
Orgnero said she went alone to the first event and quickly made friends with other like-minded bookworms.
The event introduced Orgnero to new books and reminded her of how reading used to be — before social media.
“There’s something special to returning to what it was when I was a kid — to just be a kid reading underneath a tree.”