UPDATE (10/13/2022): Due to rain in the forecast for Thursday, the Kingsessing Library giveaway will take place Friday, Oct. 14, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

10/12/2022: The Kingsessing Library is hosting a big giveaway this Thursday, Oct. 13 ahead of its closure for major renovations. The century-old building will close after October 14 to prepare for the construction, which is expected to begin this winter.

The giveaway, which will be held outdoors starting at 10 a.m., will feature books, magazines, DVDs, and some board games and toys. All items are absolutely free. If it rains on Thursday, the event will be held this Friday, Oct. 14. Here’s the event Facebook page. Continue Reading

A Book a Day, a local initiative that donates newly published children’s books to public schools in West Philadelphia, has been holding writing contests for children since the beginning of the pandemic.

Their third contest is currently underway and is dedicated to food and cooking. This contest will be broken into four phases based on the four seasons. The first season is called “Warmth of Winter”.

“Our goal now and for future rounds of these contests is to be as inclusive as possible and reach as many communities as we can,” writes So Young, A Book A Day’s senior assistant manager. “This is not only educational for our children but it is also an exciting task to look forward to as they will win free books, cooking materials and also get their recipes published!” Continue Reading

In celebration of Black History Month, many Free Library of Philadelphia branches will be hosting special events for both children and adults, including book readings and discussions, lectures, arts and crafts, and other educational and fun events and activities. Here’s a list of events happening in West Philadelphia branches and on-line this week. For more events, visit this page.

Monday, Jan. 31, 6:00 p.m.

Walnut Street West Library (40th and Walnut):

W. E. B. Du Bois’ The Ordeal of Mansart Community Reading Group – Stop by the library for a community reading group of W. E. B Du Bois’ classic novel The Ordeal of Mansart. W. E. B. Du Bois was a public intellectual, sociologist, and activist and profoundly shaped Black political culture in the United States. This is a weekly event through Feb. 28. Click here for more information. Continue Reading

Here’s a great chance to support a local independent bookstore and buy books at bargain prices. The Baltimore Avenue bookstore, Bindlestiff Books, is holding a “giant” sidewalk book sale this weekend. There will be hundreds of overstock titles for kids and adults alike, priced as low as $1. New titles will be added each day to replace those that have sold.

The sale will take place Friday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 1, Noon – 6 p.m. (weather permitting).

A preview sale will take place Thursday, July 29, from 3-6 p.m. Continue Reading

Penn Book Center, the 58-year-old indie book store at 34th and Sansom that was saved from imminent closure last summer, recently got a new name from its new owners. Since December, it’s been called People’s Books & Culture, and also has a new logo (see photo).

The new name was chosen from a public poll and has the same initials as the previous name (PBC), which was very important to the new owners.

“We had all kinds of interesting answers, but keeping the PBC initials was central to the store’s branding and community name recognition,” Duquès told Billy Penn.  Continue Reading

This Saturday, you can enjoy delicious baklava and support a local initiative that delivers books to two public school libraries.

Bindlestiff Books (4530 Baltimore Ave.) will hold a special fundraising event, Baklava Benefit Sale, on Oct. 27 from 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.. The event is organized by A Book A Day, an initiative co-funded by Penn Libraries, which donates newly published children’s books to two K-8 schools in West Philadelphia – Penn Alexander and Henry C. Lea.

Since the launch of the program in 2014 over 300 books have been donated to the school libraries. Eight new, quality hardcover books are delivered to each of the school libraries every month, giving kids access to intriguing books on music, art history, poetry, and street art.  Continue Reading