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Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Books Montpelier's Bear Pond Books Receives James Patterson Grant
Posted
By Ethan de Seife
on Wed, Dec 17, 2014 at 11:49 AM
Within the last year, three independent Vermont bookstores have benefited from the largesse of author James Patterson, who in 2013 pledged $1 million in gifts to indie booksellers. This week, Montpelier's Bear Pond Books became the fourth Vermont bookstore to receive a Patterson grant, joining Phoenix Books of Burlington and Essex, Norwich Bookstore in Norwich and Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center.
Patterson, an advocate of literacy programs, gave the money to Bear Pond because of the store's commitment to young readers. A condition of the grant was that the recipient stores have dedicated children's rooms; Bear Pond meets that stipulation by possessing an upstairs space that's dedicated to children's and young adult books. According to a press release from the store, Bear Pond Books will use the money to redesign that room, thus making it more of "a destination" for young readers.
The bestselling author has dubbed the grant program "Saving bookstores, saving lives," an indication of the importance he places on literacy and reading. So far, in three rounds of grants, nearly 200 independent bookstores have received portions of Patterson's $1 million gift. According to the author's website, he will "continue to support independent bookstores in innovative ways" in 2015, and will launch a new initiative to support school libraries.
Patterson, an advocate of literacy programs, gave the money to Bear Pond because of the store's commitment to young readers. A condition of the grant was that the recipient stores have dedicated children's rooms; Bear Pond meets that stipulation by possessing an upstairs space that's dedicated to children's and young adult books. According to a press release from the store, Bear Pond Books will use the money to redesign that room, thus making it more of "a destination" for young readers.
The bestselling author has dubbed the grant program "Saving bookstores, saving lives," an indication of the importance he places on literacy and reading. So far, in three rounds of grants, nearly 200 independent bookstores have received portions of Patterson's $1 million gift. According to the author's website, he will "continue to support independent bookstores in innovative ways" in 2015, and will launch a new initiative to support school libraries.
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Related Locations
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Bear Pond Books (Montpelier)
- 77 Main St., Montpelier Barre/Montpelier VT 05602
-
802-229-0774
- www.bearpondbooks.com
-
Northshire Bookstore
- 4869 Main St., Manchester Manchester/Bennington VT 05255
-
802-362-2200
- www.northshire.com…
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Norwich Bookstore
- 291 Main St., Norwich Upper Valley VT 05055
-
802-649-1114
- www.norwichbookstore.com
-
Phoenix Books (Burlington)
- 191 Bank St., Burlington Burlington VT 05401
-
802-448-3350
- www.phoenixbooks.biz
-
Phoenix Books (Essex)
- 2 Carmichael St., Essex Chittenden County VT 05452
-
802-872-7111
- www.phoenixbooks.biz/
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About The Author
Ethan de Seife
Bio:
Ethan de Seife was an arts writer at Seven Days from 2013 to 2016. He is the author of Tashlinesque: The Hollywood Comedies of Frank Tashlin, published in 2012 by Wesleyan University Press.
Ethan de Seife was an arts writer at Seven Days from 2013 to 2016. He is the author of Tashlinesque: The Hollywood Comedies of Frank Tashlin, published in 2012 by Wesleyan University Press.
