World Book Night comes to the Fishmarket

A Northampton resident has been chosen to be part of a nationwide book giving army aiming to offer a million books to members of the public free.
Keredy Stott will be one of 20,000 specially chosen organisers tasked with giving out books on World Book Night, which takes place on Saturday, March 5.
Keredy has organised a community book swap event to give away specially printed World Book Night copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin. Throughout the event, to be held at The Fishmarket Gallery in the centre of Northampton between 3pm and 6pm, she will randomly choose 48 people to read the book.
All people need to do is bring any book they have enjoyed owning and reading, but are prepared to part with, and take away any title they fancy from what will hopefully be a big pile of love-filled donations.
From recipe book to children’s favourite, encyclopedia to Shakespeare play, all fiction and non-fiction is welcome.
Other book givers in the Northampton area are welcome to get in touch with Keredy and distribute their title at the same event.
Keredy has been a big fan of Margaret Atwood’s fiction since she was introduced to the Canadian author during her literature degree at the University of Northampton, eight years ago.
Her copy of the Blind Assassin was certainly ‘loved’ by the time Keredy bought it from the charity shop at Northampton General Hospital and now it’s completely falling apart but still very much cherished.
She said: "I was so happy to be selected as one of the 20,000 book givers by World Book Night and it was my first choice out of the 25 titles available.
"I can give away my 48 copies of Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin in any way that I choose but instead of roaming the streets or knocking on doors I want to do something a little more worthwhile.
"As one of the strap lines for WBN is ‘Do you love a book so much you want everyone to read it?’, I want to enter into the true spirit of the event and encourage others to pass on their love of a book.
"That’s why I have decided to organise a community book swap to randomly distribute my WBN copies from and I’m really grateful to The Fishmarket for getting behind my idea. Please come along - bring a book, take a book and you might be lucky enough to be given a book."
Catherine Hemelryk, Curator at The Fishmarket Gallery, added: "The Fishmarket Gallery is delighted to be hosting Keredy’s book swap this March.
"It is particularly timely as we will be installing our next exhibition, The Tyranny of Grammar - a festival of art, text, music and spoken word springing from John Clare, and so I am particularly keen for people to get reading.
"Whether its poetry, fiction, political polemic or biography, I hope people will swap stories and fire their imaginations."
A panel of people who are passionate about books chose 25 titles for World Book Night based on recommendations from publishers, librarians, booksellers and others.
The huge giveaway will result in around one in every 35 adults across the country being given a book they haven’t read.
The Fishmarket Gallery is on Bradshaw Street, Northampton and The Tyranny of Grammar opens to the public between March 12 and April 23, Thursday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm.