Arts & CultureCampus & City

EPL to Launch One Book, One Edmonton Program

Though Etta and Otto and Russell and James can be a bit of a mouthful, the Edmonton Public Library is hoping their readers will eat up Emma Hooper’s book as part of their new One book, One Edmonton program.

Inspired by a similar program put on by the Chicago Public Library, EPL will release the eBook a section at a time. As readers move through the story, they are encouraged to contribute to discussion in online forums and via social media about the book. There are an unlimited number of copies available, so anyone who wants to participate can do so. Through the LPass program, university students can register for a free library membership with their OneCard, this gives access to the One Book program.

Pam Ryan, Director of Collections and Technology for EPL, says the library wanted to do a Canadian version of the Chicago program; to have an online book club the whole city could participate in.

“We already have an engaged social media audience,” Ryan says. “The bread and butter of our library is still in print, but we see exponential growth in the popularity of e-resources. So we really have an interest in engaging the online community.”

It would seem the online community is willing to come out and support the program in person as well, as the launch event on Tuesday, October 6 is already sold out. Hooper, who is also an experienced musician, will be performing along with local artists. A meet and greet with Hooper is planned as well. Despite this outward excitement, Ryan said that it is up to the readers to determine what they want from the program.

“It’s online, and we’re not asking for onerous things in order to participate,” Ryan says. “It’s as much or as little as you want. We just hope it gets people across the city reading as a community.”

When it came to finding a book to fit the program, Ryan says that EPL wanted a Canadian author, and was hoping to get one with an Edmonton connection. Hooper’s novel ticked all the right boxes.

A U of A grad, whose mother was Head of Reference at Rutherford Library for many years, Hooper’s newly published Etta and Otto and Russell and James was released six months ago to critical acclaim. A tale of an old woman from rural Saskatchewan who decides to walk to the Atlantic Ocean, Hooper’s novel has something for every reader.

“The book is fun and quirky, but also serious and totally thoughtful,” Ryan says.

Now a senior lecturer at Bath Spa University, Hooper says she is looking forward to having her work read in a unique way.

“As a writer, you work for a long time in lonely obscurity,” Hooper says. “In the scheme of things, the book hasn’t been out for very long at all, and it’s still an exciting thing.”

Hooper points to reading and writing as two of the most solitary artistic exploits, and that the sense of community created by the EPL program is beneficial for all involved.

“I think people really want to have these forums to talk about things we have experienced,” Hooper says. “I think it’s a good tool for raising the profile of the art form, as well as encouraging people to go out of their comfort zones.”

When asked about how she hoped Edmontonians would react to her novel, Hooper points to the desire to return to nature as a particularly Canadian sentiment.

“A lot of people here have this sense of being connected to the land on a very natural level,” Hooper says. “This feeling of wanting to escape in a more gentle way, not to zoom off on a high powered motorbike, but to just walk through your country.”

Hooper is extremely grateful to the participants of the One Book program.

“I’d say thanks for taking a chance on the program, thanks for being brave. It’s one thing to pick a book off the shelf and read it, it’s another to say that you’re going to try be a part of this larger community.”

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