Readathon

SAVE THE DATES:

OCTOBER 27-29

Welcome to the Fall 2023 #FBCReadathon!

Books are better in community.

What to do until then:

+ SIGN UP!
+ Join our online community (free throughout the weekend!!)
+ Steal the badge below and spread the word
+ Order your new hoodie or t-shirt.
+ Read the FAQ below and bookmark this page
+ Start working on that book stack (use code FBCREADATHON at PangoBooks for $5 off any order $10+ for new Pango users!)
+ CLEAR. YOUR. SCHEDULE.

Readathon badge fall 2023
steal this badge to share on social media!

Meet Your Hosts

You’ll find this crew all over social media all weekend long!

What are you wearing?

We challenged our community to design some custom merch for us and LOOK HOW CUTE! All proceeds go towards our worker-owned co-op transition fund.

 

A huge thank you to Kate Thomas for creating this design.
Kate Thomas is a Minneapolis-based Graphic Designer and Calligrapher originally from Southern California. She received a BFA in Graphic Design from CalArts before moving to Minnesota to pursue an MFA in Visual Studies from MCAD.

In her spare time, she can be found reading at the arboretum with an iced coffee and maintaining her Animal Crossing Island.

Support and follow Kate here: Instagram // Website // Etsy

 

This design features four books in a stack with the words “Books are better in community” written down the spines. The book on top has your choice of Venus symbol or gender inclusive symbol, because everyone is welcome in this bookish community!

Schedule

all times in Central Standard Time, ’cause we’re in Minnesota.

Friday

3:00pm-3:30pm – Live Kick Off with Renee

5:00pm-6:30pm – Readathon Goals & Reading Sprint with Sally

Saturday

9:30am-10:30am – Morning Coffee Connection & Check-in with Rah

11:00am-11:55am – Witch of Wild Things discussion with Casey

12:00pm-1:00pm – Join author Raquel Vasquez Gilliland (author of Witch of Wild Things) for a Q&A, moderated by Renee

3:00pm-3:45pm – Support Black Authors Trivia with Ashley

8:00pm-9:00pm – Bedtime Reading Sprint with Rah

Sunday

10:00am-11:30am – Morning Check-in & Reading Sprint with Sally

3:00pm – Live Auction benefiting our co-op transition fundraiser with Renee

6:30pm-7:30pm – Final Reading Sprint with Rah

 8:00pm – Closing Ceremonies with Renee

*all Zoom details and schedule updates will be emailed to you.

 FAQ

Q: What’s different this year?

The biggest difference is that we’re scaling back a bit. That means fewer prizes (but a bigger grand prize!) and more of a focus on fundraising. Feminist Book Club is beginning a transition into a worker-owned co-op and all funds raised during this event

Q: How do I fundraise? Do I have to?

The decision to fundraise is entirely up to you. We don’t want any barriers to participate, but if you are willing and able to help us raise money for our co-op, we’d love that! We’ll share ltos of options during the event but feel free to get creative here. Some examples of donation types:
– Pledge $10 for every woman author you read that weekend
– Pledge $1 for every 100 pages you read
– Donate before the event to help keep yourself accountable to the weekend
– Challenge another participant to a reading duel (e.g. whoever finishes a specific book first has to donate $25)
– Sell bookmarks, stickers, paintings, used books, etc. to other participants and donate the earnings
– Purchase an official #FBCReadathon shirt (coming soon — all profit goes to our co-op fund!)

Q: Why do I have to sign up?

First, you have to sign up to be eligible to win our prizes. Second, when you sign up, you’re sharing your social media info with other participants. This is the perfect way to make new bookish friends and see what everyone else is reading. Sign up early to make those connections now so you can chat and make plans for the weekend of October 27-29! (Like swapping books, sharing your favorite snack recipe, or getting recommendations.)

Q: I want more feminist book friends! How do I find other participants?

We’ll email you the list of other participants within 24 hours of signing up and will send some announcements and reminders the week of the readathon. Please use an email address you check regularly!

Q: What’s this about a private community?

In 2020, Feminist Book Club moved our discussion community off of Facebook (because they’re the wooOOOooorst) and we’re inviting you to check out our new community platform for FREE during the weekend of the Readathon. JOIN US HERE!
(Please note: if you do not cancel your virtual membership in 7 days, you will be charged $12/month. We do this to maintain the safety of our community. However, this perk is complementary with any FBC subscription.)

Q: Does it cost anything?

Nope. All are welcome! Note: The virtual community has a 7-day free trial and if you’re not already a Feminist Book Club subscriber, you will be charged $12/month after the trial expires.

Q: Can I join if I’m not in the United States?

Yes! And you’re even eligible to win prizes!

Q: What can I win?

We’re usually reknown for our plethora of prizes but since this is a fundraiser, we’re focusing on one big prize — a year-long subscription to Feminist Book Club! You have to be registered to be eligible for this and the more you share, the more likely you are to win.

Q: How do I win?

Participate in the prompts, discussions, and challenges all weekend long and be sure to use #FBCReadathon on every post on every social media platform! We’ll contact you through that platform, whether it be Instagram, TikTok, or our virtual community. Make sure you’re checking your DMs!

Q: Do I have to read all 72 hours to be eligible for prizes?

No way, rules are for suckers. Just read as much as you want, read as much as you can, read as much as makes sense for your life. This readathon is your excuse to carve out some time to catch up on all the amazing literature out there that you’ve been wanting to read. You’re welcome.

Q: How will I know if I’ve won?

We’ll contact you via DM through the social media platform you’re using. So make sure you’re checking your DMs regularly!

Q: Can I share this with my friends?

Abso-fruit-ly. Snag the badge above to share on social media, too!

Q: Can my small humans participate?

Yes! And they can win, too! To sign up your little one, register again under their name (or a nickname, pseudonym, or even “Jen’s 6 year old” will work) then in the Social Media Handle spot, put your info (e.g. “@jensmithlikes2read – parent”) You and your kiddo can both reply to the prompts and challenges through your social media presence! (And we’ll do our best to keep everything PG on our end.)

Q: What should I post during the readathon?

We’ll have challenges all weekend long! These will include things like “Show us your book stack” and “Who’s your favorite fictional character?” Be sure to use #FBCReadathon on all content you share so we can give it some love!

Q: Does my social media account need to be public?

Yes, for the duration of the weekend, your account will need to be public to participate and be eligible for prizes. You can switch it back to private as soon as the event is over. In previous years, participants have created dedicated social media accounts just for the #FBCReadathon, so that’s always an option!

Q: Do you have any book suggestions?

Do we ever! Check out our Bookshop site. We keep curated lists of favorites and we’ll be sure to keep it up-to-date for ya.

Q: Why are you doing this? What’s the point?

Listen, we’ve all had a shitty couple of years. Let’s spend a weekend in the pages of someone else’s stories, connecting with others with similar interests, and focusing inward in the face of all the chaos outside. We need to build up some reserves of rest and this is the perfect opportunity. As Audre Lorde bravely wrote in the face of cancer, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare” (A Burst of Light: and Other Essays).