Book Bingo Launches Today With The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures
release date: May 25, 2023
The ninth year of this beloved summer game proves that “you don’t have to read alone”
Grab a stack of books, a friend and start reading! Today, The Seattle Public Library and Seattle Arts & Lectures launched Book Bingo, the adult summer reading program that encourages people to read for pleasure and to talk about books with friends, coworkers and neighbors.
Now in its ninth year, Book Bingo encourages you to read (or listen to) books from a wide variety of categories and to keep track of what you’ve read on your Book Bingo card. Read five books to complete a row on your card for bingo or read 25 books to complete all the squares for blackout. Cards are available in English and Spanish. Don’t forget to submit your card by Sept. 5, 2023, for a chance to win great prizes!
“Book Bingo is a great way to expand your reading horizons over the summer and connect with others,” said Misha Stone, Reader Services librarian at The Seattle Public Library. “I love how often we hear from readers who said they loved doing Book Bingo with someone else — Book Bingo proves that you don’t have to read alone!”
Get started by downloading your Book Bingo card in English, designed by Monyee Chau, at www.spl.org/BookBingo or www.lectures.org/book-bingo; or a “Loteria de Lectura” card in Spanish, designed by Esmeralda Vasquez, at www.spl.org/Loteria.
Book Bingo and Lotería cards are also available at any Library location.
Librarian Misha Stone shared a few comments from Book Bingo players in recent years that highlight the game’s avid following.
- “In a year of dashed hopes and uncertain travel or reunions, I got to escape. Falling into stories bigger, deeper, sillier, more romantic, or ghastlier than my every day proved life-giving.”
- “Book Bingo always manages to open my eyes to new authors, genres and topics, and as a fanatical reader, that is saying something!”
- “Because of Book Bingo, I started a book club, made nine forever-friends and experienced books I would have never read!”
THE CATEGORIES: HIP HOP, SEA CREATURES, WORKERS’ RIGHTS AND MORE
Each square on the Book Bingo card presents a reading challenge in a certain category, including “Chosen by the Cover,” “BIPOC or LGBTQIA+ Horror,” and “Joyful.” New categories this year include “Hip Hop” (to honor the 50th anniversary of the music genre), “Includes a Recipe,” “Workers’ Rights” and “Read with a Friend.”
Any type of reading counts, including audiobooks and young adult books.
Follow the hashtag #BookBingoNW2023 on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to get ideas from fellow readers.
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR BOOK BINGO CARD
When you’ve filled the front and back of your bingo card for either bingo or blackout, submit the card to enter drawings for prizes in the following ways:
- Drop off your card (or a copy) at any location of The Seattle Public Library.
- Complete the submission form at www.spl.org/BookBingo or https://www.spl.org/Loteria
- Post a photo of the front of your card to Twitter (@SeaArtsLectures, @SPLBuzz) or Instagram (@seattleartsandlectures, @SeattlePublicLibrary). Be sure to tag #BookBingoNW2023.
Entries must be received by the end of the day on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. This contest is for readers ages 18 and up, and you are only allowed to enter once. Blackout card entrants will be entered in the drawing for one of three grand prizes, including a subscription to the 2023/24 SAL series of your choice. Both blackout and bingo entrants will be entered to win a gift card from one of Seattle’s independent bookstores thanks to a generous donation from The Friends of The Seattle Public Library.
Book Bingo is supported by The Seattle Public Library Foundation and The Friends of The Seattle Public Library.
BOOK BINGO AND LOTERÍA ARTISTS
Monyee Chau (they/them), who designed this year’s Book Bingo card, is an artist/illustrator with a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts. They explore a journey of personal and collective healing through their lens of a queer Taiwanese/Chinese American, believing in the power of storytelling and breaking bread as a means of community building for the path to justice and liberation. They have exhibited and curated in spaces both locally in Seattle and internationally. Monyee is a recipient of the 100 Changemakers award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the 2021 Arc Artist Fellowship from 4Culture.
Esmeralda Vasquez, who designed the Lotería card based on the classic Mexican game, is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist and muralist currently based out of the Seattle area. Her experience as a Latinx / LGBTQ+ artist from the Yakima Valley has expanded her view of the world and inspired her drive to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. She is currently a Teaching Artist with Urban Artworks — a local nonprofit that engages youth, artists, and communities in the creation of public art; and has worked on multiple collaborations with local nonprofits such as The Vera Project, Pro Choice Washington and The Feels Foundation. While her main sources of inspiration revolve around art, music and design, much of her work focuses on displaying themes of representation, symbolism and color theory.
ABOUT THE SEATLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Seattle Public Library believes that the power of knowledge improves people's lives. We promote literacy and a love of reading as we bring people, information and ideas together to enrich lives and build community.
For more information about Summer Book Bingo, visit www.spl.org/BookBingo, call The Seattle Public Library at 206-386-4636 or Ask Us. For ADA accommodations, please contact: leap@spl.org.
ABOUT SEATTLE ARTS & LECTURES
Founded in 1987, Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) cultivates transformative experiences through story and language with readers and writers of all generations. SAL's programs include the Literary Arts Series, Encore Series, Poetry Series, Community Curated Series, SAL Presents, Local Voices, Summer Book Bingo, the Youth Poet Fellowship (YPF) program, and Writers in the Schools (WITS). For tickets and information, visit lectures.org.