National Literary Holidays - September 2017

Image by Unesco

​The month of September hosts quite a few literary holidays:

• National Literacy Month:  Encourages reading and learning.
• Library Card Sign-Up Month:  This year DC Super Heroes, Teen Titans, has teamed up with the American Library Association (ALA) to "promote the value of a library card."  This is to serve as a reminder to parents and caregivers that a library card is the first step to academic achievement.
• 9/8 - International Literacy Day:  "This year, International Literacy Day (8 September) will be celebrated across the world under the theme of ‘Literacy in a digital world’. On 8 September, 2017 a global event will be organized at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris, with the overall aim to look at what kind of literacy skills people need to navigate increasingly digitally-mediated societies, and to explore effective literacy policies and programmes that can leverage the opportunities that the digital world provides."
  
• 9/22 - Hobbit Day (read some Tolkien):  Began in 1978 and is "scheduled to fall on Bilbo's and Frodo's mutual birthday, the date of the Long Awaited Party (translated in text by Tolkien as September 22)."
  
• National Book Festival:  The 17th annual National Book Festival took place on Saturday, Sept. 2nd at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center right here in Washington, D.C.  The Library of Congress National Book Festival is an annual literary event that brings together best-selling authors and thousands of book fans for author talks, panel discussions, book signings and other activities.  In 2018 the National Book Festival will take place on Saturday, Sept 1st.  
• Banned Books Week (4th Week of the Month) (9/24-9/30):  Is an annual event which celebrates the freedom to read.
• Tolkien Week (4th Week of the Month):  Began in 1978.  Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week are celebrated during the same week - starts 9/17 and ends 9/23.  Tolkien Week honors J.R.R. Tolkien and his son and editor, Christopher J.R. Tolkien, and celebrates the Middle-earth cycle.

Please enjoy another wonderful month of reading!