Whether it’s Library Lovers Day in February or National Book Month in October, there are plenty of wonderful book holidays in 2023 that give us an opportunity to celebrate all things books and reading.
You might decide to encourage your network to join you for World Storytelling Day. Maybe you’ll call attention to National Library Week in your community. Perhaps you’ll host a contest for National Bad Poetry Day.
No matter how you want to support books and reading, you’ll find plenty of popular literary dates plus special days, weeks, and months that focus on books, reading, writing, and literacy in the 2023 literary calendar below.
You’ll find plenty of popular literary dates plus special days, weeks, and months that focus on books, reading, writing, and literacy in the 2023 literary calendar.Click to tweetWhat’s the best way to use these special dates? Here are ideas.
Step 1. Start by reviewing the list in the 2023 literary calendar below and selecting those that speak to you. For example, did you write a memoir? Gather a few of your favorite memoirists together for a conversation about writing your life story on We Love Memoirs Day in August or during November, National Memoirs Month.
Are you a children’s book author or illustrator? You’ve got an entire week in February dedicated to you. Take advantage of it!
Step 2. Add your favorite occasions and dates to your calendar, then set a reminder a few days in advance so you have time to plan and create what you’ll use to promote the special day. (I use my smartphone’s “Reminders” app for this.)
Step 3. Decide how you’ll recognize the occasion. Here are a few ideas:
Step 4: Don’t let all of these amazing ways to honor books and reading go to waste. Take action!
Now you’re ready to make things happen. Here’s your month-by-month 2023 literary calendar.
(Please note that there’s conflicting information online about some of these dates, but we’ve tried our best to verify and validate everything. Please let us know if you have a correction or clarification.)
National Braille Literacy Month
1 – Copyright Law Day
2 – National Science Fiction Day
8-14 – Universal Letter Writing Week
10 – Poetry at Work Day
18 – Thesaurus Day
18 – Winnie the Pooh Day (birthday of author A.A. Milne)
19 – Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday
23 – National Handwriting Day
25 – Burns Supper (Robert Burns’s birthday)
25 – Library Shelfie Day
27 – Family Literacy Day in Canada
29-February 5 – National Storytelling Week
Library Lovers’ Month
1 – World Read Aloud Day
4 – Take Your Child to the Library Day
5-11 – Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
7 – Charles Dickens’s birthday
9 – Read in the Bathtub Day
12 – Judy Blume’s birthday
14 – International Book Giving Day
14 – Library Lover’s Day
19 – Amy Tan’s birthday
19-25 – Freedom to Read Week in Canada
26 – Tell a Fairy Tale Day
27 – John Steinbeck’s birthday
National Reading Month
Small Press Month
1 – International Hug a Librarian Day
2 – Read Across America Day
2 – Dr. Seuss’s birthday
2 – World Book Day in the UK and Ireland
4 – National Grammar Day
5-11 – Read an E-book Week
5-11 – Return Borrowed Books Week
16 – Freedom of Information Day
20 – World Storytelling Day
21 – World Poetry Day
26 – Robert Frost’s birthday
30 – Pencil Day
D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Month
National Poetry Month
School Library Month
1 – Reading is Funny Day
2 – International Children’s Book Day
2 – National Children’s Picture Book Day
2 – Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday
4 – National School Librarian Day
4 – Maya Angelou’s birthday
9 – National Unicorn Day
12 – Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day
12 – Beverly Cleary’s birthday
13 – Scrabble Day
13 – Celebrate Teen Literature Day
15 – Rubber Eraser Day
15 – World Art Day
16 – National Librarian Day
17 – International Haiku Poetry Day
18 – Newspaper Columnists Day
23 – Shakespeare’s birthday
23 – World Book and Copyright Day
23 – World Book Night
23-29 – National Library Week
24 – Congress approved the Library of Congress
25 – National Library Workers Day
26 – National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day)
27 – Take Action for Libraries Day
27 – National Tell A Story Day
28 – Harper Lee’s birthday
28 – Great Poetry Reading Day
29 – Independent Bookstore Day
Get Caught Reading Month
Short Story Month
1 – Mother Goose Day
2 – International Harry Potter Day
2-8 – Children’s Book Week
3 – World Press Freedom Day
5 – National Cartoonists Day
6 – Free Comic Book Day
9 – Peter Pan Day
12 – Limerick Day
16 – Love a Tree Day
20 – Eliza Doolittle Day
22 – Sherlock Holmes Day
31 – Walt Whitman’s birthday
Audiobook Appreciation Month
Rainbow Book Month
10 – Ball Point Pen Day
12 – Anne Frank’s birthday
16 – Bloomsday (celebration of Irish writer James Joyce’s life)
22 – Octavia Butler’s birthday
23 – Typewriter patent awarded
25 – Eric Carle’s birthday
National Anti-Boredom Month
Read an Almanac Month
11 – E.B. White’s birthday
17 – World Emoji Day
21 – Ernest Hemingway’s birthday
30 – Paperback Book Day
31 – J.K. Rowling’s birthday
Romance Awareness Month
2 – National Coloring Book Day
9 – Book Lover’s Day (also November 4)
18 – National Bad Poetry Day
21 – Poet’s Day
31 – We Love Memoirs Day
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month
Library Card Sign Up Month
National Literacy Month
Read a New Book Month (also December)
4 – Richard Wright’s birthday
6 – Read a Book Day
7 – Newspaper Carrier Day
8 – International Literacy Day
18 – Read an E-book Day
22 – Hobbit Day
22 – Dear Diary Day
24 – National Punctuation Day
24 – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthday
25 – National Comic Book Day
29 – National Coffee Day in the U.S.
National Book Month
National Reading Group Month
1-7 – Banned Books Week
1 – International Coffee Day
5 – National Poetry Day in the UK
6 – Mad Hatter Day
11 – Myth and Legends Day
15-21 – National Friends of Libraries Week
16 – Dictionary Day
20 – National Day on Writing
27 – National Tell a Story Day in Scotland and the UK
National Family Literacy Month
National Memoir Writing Month
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
Picture Book Month
1 – National Family Literacy Day
1 – Author’s Day
2 – National Non-Fiction Day in the UK
4 – Book Lovers Day (also August 9)
13-17 – National Young Readers Week
14 – Young Readers Day
15 – I Love to Write Day
18 – High-Five a Librarian Day
29 – Louisa May Alcott’s birthday
Read a New Book Month (also September)
7 – Letter Writing Day
10 – Dewey Decimal System Day
16 – Jane Austen’s birthday
21 – Crossword Puzzle Day
21 – National Short Story Day
24 – Jolabokaflod, Iceland’s Yule Book Flood
Need more book promotion ideas to help you take advantage of these occasions and for book marketing in general? Sign up for the Build Book Buzz 365 Daily Book Marketing Tips. You’ll get one tip every day for a year for just $1 total, and you’ll start the year off right.
Have we missed anything? If you know of a holiday or occasion that should be on this calendar but isn’t, tell us in a comment. We’ll continually update this as needed. Thanks!
]]>You have plenty of them this year! There’s a day, week, month, or special occasion for just about every book-related topic you can think of in 2020.
Want to support your local library? Promote literacy? Get more people reading? You’ll get what you need in the 2020 literary calendar.
How can you take advantage of these special dates? It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4. Here are the basics.
Step 1. Start by reviewing the list below and selecting those that resonate with you. For example, if you are a children’s book author, one of them might be Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week starting February 3. Is the Grapes of Wrath the best book you’ve ever read? Feburary 27, John Steinbeck’s birthday, might be for you.
Step 2. Add the dates you like to your calendar. Then schedule time before each holiday or occasion to create the materials you’ll use to promote the event. (Don’t be like me and forget to do this.) The lead time depends on what you’ll do to recognize the event, how much time you need, and whether your plan involves collaborating with others.
Step 3. Decide how you’ll recognize the occasion. Here are a few ideas:
Step 4: Execute your plan.
Ready to have some fun? Here’s a month-by-month breakdown.
1 – Copyright Law Day
2 – National Science Fiction Day
4 – World Braille Day
12 – Universal Letter Writing Week
14 – Poetry at Work Day
18 – Thesaurus Day
18 – Winnie the Pooh Day (birthday of author A.A. Milne)
19 – Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday
22 – Library Shelfie Day
25 – Burns Supper (Robert Burns’s birthday)
January 26 – February 2 – Family Literacy Week
27 – Lewis Carroll’s birthday (author of Alice in Wonderland )
27 – Family Literacy Day in Canada
Library Lovers’ Month
1 – Take Your Child to the Library Day
3-7 Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
5 – World Read Aloud Day
9 – Read in the Bathtub Day
12 –Judy Blume’s birthday
14 – International Book Giving Day
14 – Library Lovers’ Day
19 – Amy Tan’s birthday
23-29 Canada’s Freedom to Read Week
26 – Tell a Fairy Tale Day
27 – John Steinbeck’s birthday
1-7 – Read an E–book Week
2 – Read Across America Day
2 – Dr. Seuss’s birthday
3-9 – Return Borrowed Books Week
4 – National Grammar Day
5 – World Book Day in the UK and Ireland
16 – Freedom of Information Day
20 – World Storytelling Day
21 – World Poetry Day
26 – Robert Frost’s birthday
30 – Pencil Day
National Poetry Month
1 – Reading is Funny Day
1 – Poetry and the Creative Mind Day
2 – Children’s Book Day
2 – Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday
4 – School Librarian Day
4 – Maya Angelou’s birthday
12 – Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day
12 – Beverly Cleary’s birthday
13 – Scrabble Day
14 – Noah Webster published American Dictionary of the English Language
15 – Rubber Eraser Day
16 – Celebrate Teen Literature Day
18 – Newspaper Columnists Day
19-25 – National Library Week
19-25 – National Poetry Week
21 – National Library Workers Day
22 – National Bookmobile Day
23 – Take Action for Libraries Day
23 – William Shakespeare’s birthday
23 – World Book and Copyright Day
23 – English Language Day
25 – Independent Bookstore Day
27 – Tell a Story Day
28 – Great Poetry Reading Day
Short Story Month
Get Caught Reading Month
1 – Mother Goose Day
2 – Free Comic Book Day
4-10 – Children’s Book Week
5 – National Cartoonists Day
12 – Limerick Day
22 – Sherlock Holmes Day
31 – Walt Whitman’s birthday
Audiobook Appreciation Month
GLBT Book Month
10 – Ballpoint Pen Day
22 – Octavia Butler’s birthday
23 – The first typewriter patent was awarded
25 – Eric Carle’s birthday
Read an Almanac Month
4 – National Tom Sawyer Day
11 – E.B. White’s birthday
21 – Ernest Hemingway’s birthday
30 – Paperback Book Day
31 – J.K. Rowling’s birthday
2 – National Coloring Book Day
9 – Book Lovers Day
18 – Bad Poetry Day
21 – Poet’s Day
31 – We Love Memoirs Day
Library Card Sign Up Month
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month
Literacy Month
Read a New Book Month
4 – Richard Wright’s birthday
6 – Read a Book Day
7 – Buy a Book Day
8 – International Literacy Day
21-27 Science Literacy Week in Canada
22 – Hobbit Day
22 – Dear Diary Day
24 – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthday
25 – National Comic Book Day
September 27-October 2 – Banned Books Week
29 – International Coffee Day in the U.S. (October 1 in the UK)
National Book Month
6 – Mad Hatter Day
7 – Random Acts of Poetry Day
11 – Myth and Legends Day
16 – Dictionary Day
20 – National Day of Writing
20-26 – National Friends of Libraries Week
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
National Memoir Writing Month
National Non-Fiction Month in the UK
Picture Book Month
National Family Literacy Month
1 – National Author’s Day
10 – Young Readers Day
15 – I Love to Write Day
18 – High Five a Librarian Day
10 – Dewey Decimal System Day
16 – Jane Austen’s birthday
21 – Crossword Puzzle Day
21 – National Short Story Day
24 – Jolabokaflod, Iceland’s Yule Book Flood
Here’s a short disclaimer: Please note that there’s conflicting information online about some of these dates, but we’ve tried our best to verify and validate everything. Please let us know if you have a correction or clarification.
Have we missed anything? If you know of a holiday or occasion that should be on this calendar but isn’t, tell us in a comment. We’ll continually update this as needed. Thanks!
Editor’s note 1-15-20: Thanks to an alert reader, we’ve add #123: May is Short Story Month.
]]>