By Ginger Young, Founder and Executive Director
This article was originally published in the Durham Herald-Sun.
Daniel Wallace, co-chair of the Book Harvest Authors’ Circle (center), with Authors’ Circle member Sarah Dessen (left) and his fellow co-chair Randall Kenan (right).
In 2015, acclaimed local author Daniel Wallace did something highly unusual and incredibly generous: he donated a manuscript of a children’s book he had written and illustrated to the local nonprofit organization Book Harvest. His wish? That the story be put to work in whatever way Book Harvest wished to further its dream that all children grow up with plenty of books at home.
That book, The Hole Story, is currently in its first print run, making Daniel’s wish come true. The book is being sold online at www.theholestory.org, with all proceeds from the sale of the book benefiting Book Harvest.
The Hole Story is a whimsical picture book about a hole and his search for his place in the world. Daniel Wallace, its author and illustrator, is best known for his 1998 novel Big Fish, the basis for the Tim Burton film Big Fish and the Broadway musical of the same name. Wallace is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English, and director of the Creative Writing Program, at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He has been a supporter of Book Harvest since its founding in 2011, and he co-chairs the Book Harvest Authors’ Circle.
The journey to bring this project to fruition was long, but the philanthropic activism of Written Word Media, a startup company based in Durham, made publication possible.
“At Written Word Media, we believe that books are a force for good in this world. Book Harvest is an embodiment of this belief,” said Ricci Wolman, CEO of Written Word Media. “That is why we chose to become a sustaining donor to Book Harvest in 2015. When the organization approached us about helping to transform Daniel’s manuscript into a published children’s book, we jumped at the opportunity to extend our support of the cause. Our hope is that sales of The Hole Story will provide an additional source of funding for Book Harvest for years to come.”
“Words are the clothing ideas wear so we can see them, and that’s why it’s true that the more words you know the more of the world you’ll be able to see,” shared Wallace. Book Harvest, he continued, is “changing the world by bringing books into it, into places where they might not go on their own. In the past five years over half a million books have been distributed to children by Book Harvest. I could not be happier knowing that The Hole Story is one of them.”
To celebrate this book, Book Harvest will be hosting a launch party at its office from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on Wednesday, December 7. All are invited. Daniel Wallace will read the book to attendees at 7:00. Milk and cookies will be served. The Hole Story will be available for purchase. Book Harvest is located at 2501 University Drive in Durham. The book is also available for purchase online at www.theholestory.org.
Book Harvest believes deeply in the power of books to transform children’s lives. Based in Durham, it provides books to children who need them and engages families and communities in promoting children’s lifelong literacy and academic success. Since its founding in 2011, Book Harvest has provided more than 500,000 books to local children, helping them build home libraries of books that they can read again and again and keep forever.