Book Bike

by: Macy Halford

Gabriel Levinson is the founder of the nonprofit organization The Book Bike, the namesake of which he is sitting upon in this picture (yes, that’s a tricycle with two hundred pounds of books on it). Since July of 2008, Levinson has been taking his bike around parks in Chicago, and giving books away. This summer, he’s added to his agenda the salvation of indie publishers and local indie bookstores. In lieu of used books, he will accept financial donations, which he will use to purchase books, zines, and journals from indie shops and directly from indie presses. Then he’ll give away his purchases to readers in parks located near some of the bookstores. It’s a way of doing pro-bono community outreach for the stores, and, as he puts it, of directing “a heap-load of dough” to indie coffers.

Makes us wish we could put wheels on the Bench!

from: New Yorker