Stay Home & Read a Book Ball

Dear Reader:

It is my pleasure to invite you to the 2009 Stay Home and Read a Book Ball, a benefit for the Los Angeles Public Library.

For almost a century and a half, this library system has been the keeper of the city’s soul. Its Central Library and 72 branch libraries offer books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, cultural and educational events, and enrichment programs for children and adults—all free of charge.

Public libraries are among the most democratic spaces in the world, transcending the boundaries of nationality, ethnicity, political ideology, religion, gender, race, and class. They gather under one roof the best that different cultures throughout the ages can offer, creating an alternative home—let’s call it The Republic of Imagination—that demands no entrance fees, no identity papers other than the urge to know, to question, and to connect.

Thanks to donors like you, I have had the privilege of speaking at one of the Library’s signature programs, ALOUD at Central Library.  Your gift supports this free program, which presents best selling novelists, Nobel Prize-winning poets, Pulitzer Prize-winning historians, and playwrights.

In addition, your gift will help the Library Foundation in its mission to support and enrich the resources and services of the Los Angeles Public Library.

We can preserve and nurture this Republic of Imagination. Join me in showing gratitude this year-end by making a contribution. Then pick up a book, savor it in the comfort of your home, and imagine all those fellow readers who are sharing this unique and joyous experience.

Warm wishes for the holidays,

Azar Nafisi