Melbourne booksellers, library launch ‘Readers’ Walk’ project

Reader’s Feast Bookstore, antiquarian bookseller Kay Craddock and the Melbourne Athenaeum Library have joined forces to launch a new initiative in Collins Street, Melbourne, called the Readers’ Walk.

Described as ‘an alliance between three pillars of Melbourne’s literary community’, the Readers’ Walk project will involve literary events at each of the three venues, as well as an artistic project called ‘Hands in Print’: sculptures will be made of prominent writers’ hands and then permanently displayed in the Collins Street precinct near the bookstores and the library.

The Readers’ Walk was officially launched on 16 November at the Athenaeum Library to coincide with the launch of Reader’s Feast’s annual Crime & Justice Festival. The first ‘Hands in Print’ inductee, Scottish author Ian Rankin, spoke at the launch before a local artist took a clay impression of his hand.

Reader’s Feast owner Mary Dalmau told attendees at the launch that the Readers’ Walk project is about being a part of the local community and combining the bookstores and the library to promote Melbourne as a ‘city of books’. She described the ‘Hands in Print’ sculptures as ‘marrying the tactile world with the world of writers’ imaginations’.

Dalmau said the bookstores and the library will invite other writers to participate in the ‘Hands in Print’ project, and added that popular children’s author Andy Griffiths has already indicated that he would like to be involved.

For more information, visit the Readers’ Walk website here. See photos from the Readers’ Walk launch here.

Tags: collinsstreetmelbournereadersfeastreaderswalk

Category: Local news