Look Who's Participating!

Mother Grove Temple in North Carolina is collecting books for their active prison ministry, which helps inmates in six West North Carolina prisons (and starting a seventh!).  MGT accepts new and gently used titles, and as a federally approved 501(c)(3) non-profit church,  contributions are tax deductible.  Send books or donations to the address below (mark monetary donations you'd like used for books for National Donate a Pagan Book Day as "for NDPBD").

They've had a great response so far, but remember, these books are going out to help seven prisons!  Lets help them as much as we can!

Website: http://www.mothergroveavl.org/home.html
Mailing Information
Mother Grove Temple
PO Box 8031
Asheville, NC 28814

Look Who's Participating!

Photo courtesy Kyrja Withers

Author Kyrja Withers shares a photo of her wonderful children's books that she'll be donating to her local library!  This series includes read-aloud stories for Pagan children featuring the adorable rabbit, Rupert.

Kyrja's local library has been very positive with both her request to donate books and having her into the library to do Rupert themed readings and events.

Kyrja and her organization Friends of Rupert will be holding a book drive in Florida at The Glitter Dome on April 7th!  Thanks so much to Kyrja for donating her own books and going the extra mile by holding this drive.

Want to know more about Kyrja's books or how to participate in this great event, click here!

If you have an event lined up for National Donate a Pagan Book Day, be sure and let us know all the details so we can share!

Other Ways to Participate

If your library is not currently taking donations and you'd still like to participate here are a few ideas to help contribute a book during National Donate a Pagan Book Day 2012:

• Donate to one of the great places on our Happily Accepting Books list!
• Leave a Pagan/Pagan-friendly title out at a local coffee shop with a "free to good home" note on it.
• Leave a few extra dollars at your local metaphysical shop or Pagan book store to help pay for the next book purchased.
• Start a local book swap.
• Send books to an adopted Pagan soldier.

We'd love to hear more ideas!

You might also enjoy:

Check out what locations will happily accept your books, if you'd like to donate somewhere besides your local library.

Check out Where to Donate, Part I: Your Local Library to see what steps to take before donating a book.

Check out Where to Donate, Part II: Local Prison Ministries.

Read 8 Great Reasons to Donate a book!

Read about what to do if your library rejects your donation based on religious reasons.

It's getting closer!

April is just around the corner!  Have you thought about what book you want to donate and where you'll be donating to?  Be sure to check out these posts for some helpful tips:

• Check out what locations will happily accept your books, if you'd like to donate somewhere besides your local library.
• Check out Where to Donate, Part I: Your Local Library to see what steps to take before donating a book.
• Check out Where to Donate, Part II: Local Prison Ministries.
• Read 8 Great Reasons to Donate a book!
• Read about what to do if your library rejects your donation based on religious reasons.

And check out our Facebook page, Twitter account, and check into our event page!

8 Great Reasons to Donate!

Hello.  it's Heather from the VinLand Foundation with a list of slightly irreverent, but none the less very true reasons to donate a book on National Donate a Pagan Book Day, April 9th.

1. It's spreading knowledge.  There are still plenty of places here in the US that think if you're not Christian, you're going to sacrifice small children on a fiery altar.  The more we can educate people that Pagans are "just like everybody else" the better off everyone in the world will be.

2.  It's a quick way to earn some Karma points.  It feels good to give.  Just ask Scrooge!  Giving a book can ease you into the charity flow.  Who knows, you may like the feeling so much you start doing other acts of kindness!

3.  You should know what the inside of a library looks like.  How many times have you gone to a mega-bookseller this month?  This year?  I'm betting on a lot (or, hehehehehe, a latte....  get it?)  But when is the last time you set foot inside your local Library?  Without the support of 'us common folk' libraries will start dying around the country.  And THAT my friends, would be a horrible travesty.

4.  You can test the "coming out of the broom closet" waters.  Not all of us are comfortable in the broom closet.  I can tell you, I wasn't.  Dropping off a book at your local library is one small way you can test the waters.  See if your town, and you, are ready for you to 'come out'.

5.  You can make friends with the Librarian.  Librarians are AWESOME people to get to know.  Seriously, they are some of the most bad-ass people in the universe.  Don't believe me?  Well.... Knowledge = Power.  Power = Mass x Velocity.  Librarians can smack you down and tell you EXACTLY how they did it.

6.  Some libraries have no non-mainstream religious books.  Some of them want it that way, yes, but some don't.  Sometimes budgets just don't allow for 'extra' religions.  Donating a book is a great way to help an already shoe-string budget.

7.  It's fun.  I fully plan on taking pictures and posting them here of me, my friends, my family, and possibly even my cat Hex donating books to our local libraries.  We're going to make it a fun family outing, and spend time together donating.  I may even dress up the cat.

8.  It's showing that there are many faces to Paganism.  This is a great way to put the face of 'normalcy' on being a Pagan.  I'm not saying you can't go out with blue hair/heavy eyeliner/flowing dresses/pentagrams a plenty if that's who you are.  But personally I'm going to be dressed in jeans and a Star Wars t-shirt, that's me 'normal'.

Please, by all means, add to this list!  What do YOU think are good reasons to Donate?

Where do I donate? Part II

Prison Ministries

Pagan prison ministries are growing all around the country.  People who want to teach, lead and help their Pagan community volunteer their time and efforts to help improve the spiritual path of those incarcerated.  And, of course, they need the tools to do it.

There are generally only a few rules that I've come across for books donated to prison ministries: there can be no nudity, and no instructions for athame or mead making.

How can you find a prison ministry in your area?  You can try googling the phrase "Pagan prison ministry" along with your zip code or plug your information into the AREN Prison Ministry Listing to find a friendly chaplain in your area.  Our "Happily Accepting Pagan Books" list also contains a few choices.

What to do if your library rejects your donation:

Our very first suggestion to anyone who'd like to donate to your local public library is to first contact them and ask for their donation policy.  Some will not take used books (or will only take them to sell as part of fundraising) and some will just not be taking any donations for a variety of reasons (including lack of space).  In that case, you might choose to locate another local venue to accept your book/s or you might check out our Happily Accepting Books list, which includes a variety of choices.


What should you do if you've followed their policy, but the book is openly rejected because of it's Pagan content?
If you have been told that the library will not accept your book because they do not take books on the subbect of Wicca/occult/Paganism, etc., contact your local office of the ACLU.  If you cannot get in direct contact with someone at your local office, contact someone here at nationalpaganbookday@gmail.com.  The intake manager working in NJ was kind enough to give us her direct phone number, and offered to try and help facilitate with other offices if this situation comes up.

Here's hoping that it doesn't!