Nancy Pearl: Action Librarian, Radio Commentator, Reading Advocate
Nancy Pearl may be the only librarian in the world with her own action figure -- and it's well deserved. She's been getting Seattle's citizenry on the same page since 1998, when she developed the "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book" program. The idea became the popular One City, One Book program, which spread nation-wide. Until 2004, Nancy Pearl served as executive director of the Washington Center for the Book.
The Library Journal choose Pearl as its 2011 Librarian of the Year, saying "No one … has so convinced Americans that libraries, books, and reading are critical to communities." Pearl has written extensively on the joys of reading with a list that includes Book Lust, More Book Lust, Book Lust To Go, and Book Crush. Her books feature quirky categories such as "Grit Lit" or "Great Dogs in Fiction."
Asked what genre seemed best suited to Seattle, Pearl says, "I'm not fond of genre distinctions because they're too narrow and tend to ghettoize certain types of books, but for a winter in Seattle, give me either a thick, well-written novel, like Jonathan Franzen's Freedom or Donna Tartt's The Little Friend, or a fantasy, like Sunshine by Robin McKinley or The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay."
Since leaving the Washington Center for the Book, Pearl has continued to work to publicize reading and libraries. Her monthly program, "Book Lust with Nancy Pearl," appears on the Seattle Channel while she is also a book commentator for National Public Radio's Morning Edition and NPR affiliate stations KUOW in Seattle and KWGS in Tulsa, OK.
Seattle's favorite pop-culture purveyor, Archie McPhee, released a Nancy Pearl action figure in 2003. The toy, a popular item in the store, features "push to shush" action.
A resident of Seattle since 1993, Pearl said that quintessential Seattle experiences for her included: "Watching the boats go through the Ballard Locks; visiting one of the great independent book stores; walking or biking on the Burke-Gilman Trail, seeing Mount Rainier emerge from the clouds."
HelloSeattle Tip: Find Pearl's upcoming appearances on the Seattle Channel on its website or listen to her weekly appearances on Seattle's radio station KUOW (94.9 FM).
Posted on Jan 28, 2011 by Cat Rambo
