As a child, there were weeks wherein I’d collect stacks and stacks of old newspapers from neighbors and sari-sari stores near our house for the annual newspaper drive at school. Competition was really fierce. You could sense it in the way students would try to sneak a peek inside your homeroom classroom to see how huge of a “lead” or “deficit” their class has over the others.
I don’t know if the schools these days still do this, but that was a fond memory to look back on, especially when our class would win. There isn’t even any tangible prize; it’s just being hailed champions for bringing the most newspapers that mattered. (The thought of raising funds through drives like these didn’t even enter my system until I was much older, but it seemed like a good idea. You bring in newspapers for recycling, and you get cash in return. Not too shabby.)
Ah, childhood.
So I’m not sure this story is connected to what I really wanted to talk about, but let me try.
I collect books. I like buying at least two or three titles every month so I could add them to my mini library at home. If you’re going to ask me if I’ve read every single one of them so far, I’d say no. Some of them have been placed on the backburner for months, even years, waiting for my schedule to clear up one day so I could finally pick them up to enjoy. Some of them I’ve read twice or thrice, and some I simply hold dear because of the sentiment attached to them.
During last year’s renovation, I misplaced some books because we had to put them away in boxes. It’s just now that I’m beginning to find them little by little, and I realized that there are some of them I am already willing to sell or give away. But to whom? Most of the people I know might already have these titles. I never really know why I never thought of donating them before, but now Buqo has opened an opportunity for me, and with the lovely promise of an exchange, even!
Yep, you read that right. If you ever have any old books lying around and would like to donate it to other people who cannot afford to buy books, now’s your chance! Come to the Manila International Book Fair at the SMX Convention Center from September 16-20 and swap your old books for ebooks by Filipino authors. The beauty of this project is that it’s a two-fold thing, just like the good ol’ newspaper drive: you get to help advance literacy among less fortunate children, and you get to support Filipino authors at the same time! Isn’t that just awesome?
There are a total of nineteen (19!!!) bundles to choose from when you swap your books at the Buqo booth–that’s booth 419, folks, don’t forget!–at the MIBF. These bundles are categorized as #buqosteamyreads (hot and sexy romances), #buqoYA (a collection of young adult stories), #JustWritePH (multi-genre stories), and #StrangeLit (paranormal romance/urban fantasy). All of these bundles are the result of workshops that Buqo sponsored from early 2014 to August 2015.
Interested yet? If you’re a fan of any of the Buqo-published authors, here’s a treat for you! You’ll be able to meet them on Saturday and Sunday at the Buqo booth, and they’ll be giving out souvenirs as well! Come join the party . . . we’ll be happy to see you! Yes, I’m joining #MIBF2015 as an author this time around, and that’s just complete–pardon my language, but–mindfuck right there.
Make sure you bring your old books when you drop by the Buqo booth, okay? (And maybe pre-download the app from the Apple app store or Google Play, too!)
You may find Buqo’s official post about #ABookForAnEBook project here.
