One Book, One BART: BART launches first book club for riders
Today, BART is proud to announce the launch of our first book club for riders, One Book, One BART. The official book selection is Hua Hsu’s “Stay True,” a bracing coming-of-age story set in 1990s Berkeley that recently won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Memoir.
One of the undeniable benefits of taking BART is the ability to read while you travel, and nothing passes time on the train quite like leaping into a great read. Books, like transit, have the power to take us to lands far, far away (even if those “lands” are just the next stop on the line).
In launching One Book, One BART, we hope to honor the long tradition of reading books on BART while celebrating the literary ecosystem in the Bay Area – from our region’s trove of independent bookstores to our incredible libraries to our made-in-the-Bay writers, poets, and literary scholars.
One Book, One BART will feature a constellation of happenings – both virtual and in-person – from May through August. Your home for all things BART book club will be the One Book, One BART page on BARTable. Here, you’ll find information about the club, a schedule of upcoming events, guided reading questions, contests, and more.
We have also partnered with seven independent bookstores easily accessible by BART to offer a 20% discount on “Stay True” when you show your BART ticket or Clipper card (mobile Clipper cards work, too):
Moe’s Books – Downtown Berkeley Station
Revolution Books – Downtown Berkeley Station
Reasonable Books – Lafayette Station
Orinda Books – Orinda Station
Banter Bookshop – Fremont Station
Folio Books – 24th St/Mission Station
Books on B – Order online with promo code “BART” to receive the discount and free shipping (Books on B’s storefront in Hayward is temporarily closed)
To kick things off, we’ll officially launch the book club on Wednesday, May 17, from 4pm to 6pm at Rockridge Station. At the event, BART Marketing will have a prize wheel for riders to win free copies of "Stay True,” BART-themed bookmarks, special book club t-shirts, and more. Berkeley's Revolution Books, which is featured in “Stay True,” will be on-hand to sell copies of the book, and the Oakland Public Library will have a table with information about its collection and programs as well as a button-making station. To stay in the loop of future One Book, One BART events, follow BARTable’s social media channels: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.
BART doesn’t just take you to the office; our trains can connect you to culture and community, thereby opening your mind to novel insights and experiences. By highlighting some of these cultural touchstones, we hope BART riders re-envision how our system can work for and be used by them.
One Book, One BART is part of our ongoing – and thus far highly successful – efforts to educate the public, connect with the communities we serve, and build brand affinity. As part of this effort, we’ve hosted Twitch livestreams, developed official BART content for the popular game Cities: Skylines, and are even launching a series of BART anime mascots. In all, we aim to create content and experiences that are more educational, human-oriented, and playful.
BART’s new book club is just one of our recent literary-themed efforts. Last year, we hosted our first writing contest for riders, BART Lines, and shared the winning stories in our four Short Edition story dispensers located at Downtown Berkeley, Pleasant Hill, Balboa Park, and Fruitvale stations. This fall, we’ll be announcing another writing contest – this time for local youth poets (visit bart.gov/news for updates).
Discover more BARTable activities and contests by visiting bart.gov/bartable and signing up for the BARTable This Week newsletter. Thank you for riding – and reading – with BART.
Questions? [email protected].