From June 24 to 30 in Ukraine for the first time will pass Independent bookstore week. This initiative is designed not only to support bookstores as enterprises, but also to return public attention to their importance — as cultural centers of Ukrainian cities, a space of trust, dialogue and joint actions.
In a period of significant changes and challenges, it is independent small bookstores that preserve the spirit of humanity — they unite readership, discover new names, become a platform for Ukrainian authors, and strengthen local cultural identities.
More than 15 bookstores from different cities have already joined the project, in particular from Kyiv, Odesa, Rivne, Dnipro, Cherkasy, Irpen and others. Among the participants are “Readeat”, “Muse”, Space books, “Zakapelok”, “My bookshelf”, “City”, “Book Lion”, “Plekai”, “Nisha”, “Paper life”, Tyra, Katebooks, “Forest bookstore”, “Cozy bookstore”, “First volume” and online store Lovely Book.
“This week is not just a promotion, but an attempt to unite different links of the book ecosystem: readers, booksellers, publishers, authors, translators and journalists – around the idea of a strong, living, Ukrainian book culture. And it is also an invitation to dialogue, in which the independent bookstore appears not as a point of sale, but as a point of support.” – note the organizers.
During the week, each participating bookstore will hold its own thematic events: meetings with authors, readings, promotions, raffles and merch exchanges. Each bookstore will choose the format of the events independently, but a joint communication campaign should combine all efforts to draw the attention of readers and publishers to the role of independent bookstores. In addition, it is planned to create a website, identity, as well as launch a single information and media campaign that will cover independent bookstores throughout Ukraine.
