CONTACT: Jas Chana, NCAC Communications Director [email protected], 212-807-6222 ext.107
New York, NY, 5/2/2017- The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) is one of five organizations being supported by HarperCollins Publishers as part of its #WhyIRead social media and giving campaign, launched as part of the global celebrations for the company’s 200th anniversary. The initiative aims to promote the importance of literacy and access to books throughout the world and asks book lovers to share what reading means to them.
As an organization committed to defending authors’ free expression and the right to read, NCAC was selected by HarperCollins employees to receive a donation as part of its #WhyIRead campaign, which pledges to donate $200,000 to charities supporting causes that are important to HarperCollins. Other organizations receiving donations include First Book, Room to Read, United Through Reading, and We Need Diverse Books.
The #WhyIRead initiative is part of a yearlong campaign whose centerpiece is a website showcasing 200 years of HarperCollins’ storied history in the publishing industry. The website also features testimonies from famous HarperCollins authors– including Robyn Carr, Michael Chabon, Bernard Cornwell, Neil Gaiman, Bob Goff, and Veronica Roth– describing why they read, why they write, and what books have influenced them. Readers are encouraged to join the conversation and share their own experiences and passion for reading via social media, using #WhyIRead and #hc200.
A sweepstakes held in conjunction with the campaign offers readers the chance to win one of two grand prizes (an iPad mini loaded with a collection of HarperCollins e-books) or four runner-up prizes (a collection of HarperCollins e-books. In addition, grand prize winners can help give to their community by recommending a First Book-eligible school or program serving kids in need to receive a donation of 1,000 books. The sweepstakes will run from May 1 through June 7, 2017. Learn more and enter at www.hc.com/hc200sweepstakes.
“We are honored to be part of HarperCollins’ #WhyIRead campaign,” said NCAC’s Communications Director Jas Chana. “Authors’ free expression and the freedom to read are essential for educational development and the promotion of literacy throughout the world.”
“We believe in the transformative effects of reading, and hope to start a conversation about the impact that it can have on a person’s life,” said Erin Crum, vice president of corporate communications for HarperCollins Publishers. “We are proud to support NCAC’s mission, and we will continue to work to expand access to books for all people throughout the world.”