Annual Report
Dear Friend of Bookmarks, 
The last two years have been remarkable for our literary arts nonprofit! We are proud to have added staff members, collaborated with many new organizations, and been named the Winston-Salem Dash’s 2017 Community Partner. We reached a record number of people including students, ages three though college, with our expanded programming and outreach—now offered seven days a week.
Two months after opening our new home, we held our 13th Festival of Books and Authors from September 7–10. Featuring 45 authors, we hosted 20,000 attendees from 20 states for readings, panel discussions, and community events. We have long been the Carolinas’ largest annual Festival of Books and Authors—and in 2017, were proud to feature such authors as Jamie Ford, Diana Gabaldon, Alan Gratz, Marc Lamont Hill, Grace Lin, Jason Reynolds, Jessamyn Stanley, Javaka Steptoe, and many others. We expanded our Saturday Festival footprint by 20% to include our new home, Calvary Moravian Church, Foothills Brewing, and a portion of Holly Avenue.
With a new home for Bookmarks, we went from hosting five to 20+ events monthly. This includes a twice-weekly storytime at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays as well as community conversations and readings for all ages by debut writers, bestselling picture book authors and illustrators, and award-winning novelists and nonfiction writers. Book Club meetings and community gatherings are also held regularly. Moving forward into 2018, we have continued the phenomenol programming that we are now known for thanks to the amazing work of Jamie Rogers Southern, Operations Director, who tirelessly leads these efforts.
We recently announced a major community initiative that will expand our Schools program and outreach. “Book Build: Fostering Connections by Building Collections” will add a combined 25,000 books to local school public libraries over the next two and a half years.
We hope you will join us for our many events on Fourth Street and our 14th Festival from September 6–9, 2018. We want to serve as your resource for books and are always here to help!
Happy reading and best wishes,
Ginger Hendricks, Executive Director
