Perelandra Bookshop, Fort Collins, Colo., is offering a reader-in-residence program that, unlike more traditional artist-in-residence or writer-in-residence programs, does not require anything “except show up to the bookstore a couple of times per week and read,” the Coloradoan reported.
“I think the residence paralleled my own personal concerns about the extent to which we focus ourselves on production,” said Joe Braun, principal book buyer and creator of the position. “In focusing on production, foregrounding content creation, what we do is necessarily create a consumer in the process. The idea is: produce, consume, produce, consume.
“Having gone through undergrad and grad school–even though they were great experiences–there was that constant drive to show that you understand. To make something of your understanding. I’m like, you know what, we kind of just need understanding. We don’t always need proof of it.”
The reader-in-residence gets a small stipend for their three-month stint–$50 per month for books, and another $50 per month for coffee. They also have access to Perelandra’s wholesale book catalog. The Coloradoan noted that the “overt goal of the residency is to foster a space for people to experience literature more thoughtfully. The underlying goal is to make them want to smash their phones with a sledgehammer.”
“We do so much reading now, but it’s mostly reading for information at best. At best. At worst it’s like a pure little shot of dopamine before moving to the next post,” said Steven Shafer, Perelandra’s current reader-in-residence. “It is almost the exact opposite of what I’ve gotten to experience here.”
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