Old Town Books now offering virtual events and care packages

As of Friday, April 10, local creatives and literary enthusiasts alike can learn new writing skills from the comfort of their homes, thanks to a series of virtual classes and author talks hosted by Old Town Books.

Organized by owner Ally Kirpatrick, the virtual literary series features lectures and workshops led by a variety of bestselling authors from across the country, all of whom have volunteered to take part in the pay-as-you-can program. While local bookworms have the chance to learn from esteemed writers in the field, staff of Old Town Books will remain employed as well. 

Throughout April and May, there are several events on the calendar, including an interactive Q&A with author and parenting expert Jessica Lahey, a poetry workshop hosted by novelist Jenny Offil and a course on memoir writing led by Nicold Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know, to name a few. Plus, there are virtual sessions hosted by journalists, professional chefs and renowned public speakers. 

 

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The wonderful @basecampprinting folks made us this image. It’s our rallying cry during this very strange time. Virginia just shut down all nonessential business but we’ve been closed to the public since last week. If we keep getting a steady stream of orders we can keep filling them! As long as it’s safe for our mail carriers (who we are tipping like mad, by the way) and legal we will keep operating the shop. Schools are closed for the rest of the year. If you’re an educator and want to purchase books for your class using donations we can help with that! Support your kiddos and this bookshop, and we’ll include color print outs and stickers of our reading challenge sheets.

A post shared by Old Town Books (@oldtownbooks) on Mar 23, 2020 at 12:28pm PDT

Old Town Books has also launched a subscription service titled With Love, From Old Town, providing local readers with a staff-picked book each month. Selected fiction works written by debuting authors and buzzworthy favorites alike will all be sent directly to your door each month. 

As the coronavirus continues to spread, the local bookstore has also curated Book Love Literacy Care Packages for essential workers and children in need. With every donation from community members, Old Town Books will match it by 20%, providing a new book matching the kid’s reading level, a coloring worksheet, a worksheet for tracking reading goals and a small book-themed gift. As of press time, Old Town Books has raised enough funds to create nearly 40 care packages.  

To RSVP for upcoming virtual events or to learn more about other offerings from Old Town Books, click here.

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