Comment: Get Lit 2006

I've never, ever pasted a press release as a blog post, but read this one and tell me if I'm wrong. It's Brooklyn, it's literature in performance, it's supporting literacy, and it's guerilla marketed directly to bloggers. I tend to think these folks may be some kind of geniuses -- or if not, they're my kind of crazy idealists. Take a look, and come out on September 10 if you can. I'll be there too, Lord willing and the creek don't rise (as my mom, who was my own force for literacy, used to say).


TWO DOLLAR RADIO AND VOID MAGAZINE ANNOUNCE "GET LIT 2006"

Free event to feature music and literature, benefiting local literacy nonprofit Behind the Book


BROOKLYN, NY – August 31, 2006 – Two Dollar Radio and VoidMagazine.com announced today GET LIT 2006, a free concert and literary event to be held on September 10, 2006, at Northsix (66 North 6th St.) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In celebration of International Literacy Weekend, proceeds from the show will benefit Behind the Book, a New York-based, 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to developing a life-long love of reading and writing in young people. The event is co-chaired by Eric Obenauf, Editor in Chief, Two Dollar Radio; and Chris Steib, Editor in Chief, Void Magazine.

The event will be held from 4pm to 9pm at Williamsburg's famous venue Northsix, known for hosting some of music's most popular acts and helping launch the careers of today's indie superstars. Performing at GET LIT 2006 are hip-hoppers louis logic & JJ Brown and Glue; and rock groups The Song Corporation, TK Webb and Good Evening. The event is largely made possible by Brooklyn-based companies Fat Beats Records, The Social Registry and JellyNYC.

Additionally, Scott Snyder will read from his short-story collection, Voodoo Heart (Dial Press, June 2006). A professor at Columbia University, Snyder has received widespread acclaim for his debut collection, including starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Booklist, and praise from such celebrated writers as Francine Prose ("like watching a magician pull rabbits out of a hat") and Stephen King (" Voodoo Heart just blew me away").

"As publishers, it is our obligation to not just promote literature but literacy as well," Steib says. "Eric and I believe GET LIT 2006 will raise awareness for our city's literacy concerns, and raise the funds necessary for Behind the Book to continue serving New York's public schools."

Two Dollar Radio and Void Magazine are both based in New York, where the public schools are plagued with students underperforming in literature-related courses (studies show that 60% of students in grades 3 through 8 are below reading level). Chosen as the event's beneficiary for its unique and proven educational methods, Behind the Book increases the opportunity for lifelong success for children through creative reading experiences by introducing contemporary literature – and authors – to the classroom.

"We are thrilled to be a part of this event," says Jo Umans, Executive Director of Behind the Book. "It's wonderful that publishers like Two Dollar Radio and Void are helping to raise a new generation of readers and writers by supporting Behind the Book."
Sponsors for GET LIT 2006 include Gather.com, Barnes & Noble Discover New Writers program, Alfred A. Knopf Publishers, and Dial Press. Additional support is provided by Arthur Magazine, Soft Skull Press, Tin House, and Seven Stories Press.


About Two Dollar Radio
Two Dollar Radio is a company striving to reaffirm the cultural, literary and artistic ambitions of the book publishing industry. Two Dollar Radio publishes between five and eight books annually, ranging in style and substance from a memoir of a New York City window cleaner, to fictional novels that traverse the Old West and '80s Hair Metal

About VoidMagazine.com

Void Magazine is a free, web-based publication devoted to serving the needs of today's ever-evolving literary community. Available in twelve full issues a year with frequent updates, Void serves the growing digital community of readers and writers by providing high-quality fiction, poetry, essays, reviews, blogs, and book industry news. Void is made possible by our 150+ diverse contributors and 75,000+ unique readers from around the world.

About Behind The Book
Behind the Book's mission is to motivate reluctant readers to become engaged readers by connecting them with books and authors relevant to their lives. Working with low-income youth in New York City's K-12 public schools, we cultivate an interest in book reading, building literacy skills and better preparing the next generation for personal and professional success. Behind the Book works on a simple, but proven, premise: find a subject or author that interests kids, and you will get them reading. To reinforce the magic and power of reading, we give every child copies of the books they read in our program to keep for their own. For many children, these books are the first they have ever owned.

Press contact:
Chris Steib, Editor in Chief, Void Magazine
steib@voidmagazine.com 732.757.7527

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