The Book Swap is BACK!! We’ve got more books, more fun, and the same amazing community vibes. The first 12 people through the door will snag a book tote packed with bookish swag! And this time around, we have an incredible raffle with amazing local prizes! Scroll down for more details and don’t forget to tell your friends!
event details
Date & Time:
Saturday, June 28, 2025
12:30 - 2:00 pm
Location:
The Hanes House
750 Marguerite Dr.
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Get Directions
accessibility notice: the event space can only be accessed via staircase
How does the book swap work?
Bring up to 7 books you’d like to give away!
Place your books in their respective genre sections. (Room layout below).
Wander through genres and take books as you please! Yes that means you can take more than you bring, just continue to be your incredible mindful selves—which you all were so great at the first time! Toward the end of the swap, you can take as much as you’d like.
You loved the ephemera booth last time! Bring little bits like tickets, receipts, scraps, cards, ribbon, fabric, etc., that would make a sweet bookmark, come put them in the pile, and take some for yourself. Take as much as you’d like!
To see what sort of books are welcome and for more details, see below!
Giving Back
I'm so excited to add that this swap will feature a raffle with heart. While the event is totally free (as always!), guests can snag $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win awesome prizes like memberships, gift cards, and bookish treats from some local businesses. The best part? 100% of the proceeds will go to Prison Books Collective. Keep an eye out—more raffle details are coming soon!
To bring, or not to bring.
what to bring:
Number of Books
No more than 7 books.
Books you want other people to care about.
This event is not a donation bank and exists in the spirit of friendship and community. ♥ If we all bring books we care about, the quality of the swap is more exciting! (And ya’ll brought some goooood stuff last time!)
Knowledge of your genres.
Come in ready to sort your book into the genre tables yourself. Not sure of your genre when you arrive? Find me and I’ll help you out! (See details below for room layout).
Mindfulness
Collect as you see books you want—even if you collect more than you brought that’s totally cool! Just try to stay mindful of others. Toward the end of the event please take all you want!
Ephemera (optional)
I use everything under the sun as bookmarks, from movie tickets to extra copies of my passport photo, haha. If you have little bobs, cards, bits, scraps, a recipe card, ribbon, or other scrap textiles, bring them to put in our ephemeral bookmark pile.
please do not bring
More than 7 books.
No books with extensive damage, missing pages, musty/moldy, broken bindings, or chewed (by bugs, little rodents, babies, dogs, lol)
No dictionaries or thesauruses.
No periodicals: gossip rags, magazines (premium, subject-specific magazines are welcome), newspapers. etc.
No encyclopedias, annuals, or yearbooks.
No Reader’s Digest, LIFE, or NatGeo mags.
No workbooks, journals, or study guides are filled in.
No textbooks.
No puzzles, games, or art.
Do not bring any other type of media that is not a bound book. No CDs, DVDs, movies, etc.
No outdated books (more than 3 years) on:
Tech
Medicine
Business
Finance
Travel guides
“For idiots” or “for dummies” books
The Layout
Q&A
How many books should I bring?
No more than 7!
Do I have to bring books to attend/or take a book?
This is a swap event, so you are encouraged to bring at least one book. But you can attend whether or not you swap! You can take books but please prioritize those bringing books to swap. Closer to the end of the event you can snatch up all you want!
Is there a genre preference?
Just about anything is welcome! Self-development, manga, LGBTQ+ reads, children’s books, romance—from smutty to sweet lol—cookbooks, biographies, graphic novels, historical fiction, craft, animal books, sci-fi, art books, poetry—just about anything! Please see the “do not bring” above for a comprehensive list of what’s not allowed. Not sure if your genre is the right for the swap? Contact me directly at iam@hiaj.co or on Instagram @hiaj.
What if my books have a few dog ears, notes, or highlights?
Some people may like a book a bit lived-in. So bring it on! But if the notations will disrupt a reading experience, please don’t bring them.
What’s the vibe socially?
We’ll have board and card games, interactive stations (new!), chill music, and free warm drinks and snacks from a local baker! There’s no pressure to be super social. Read to yourself, play a game, swap-n-go, come and chat with bookish people, rifle through some ephemera, or take some swag home. Honor the ways you best care for yourself.
Are children welcome?
Oh, very yes!! We all need books now more than ever!
What happens to the books when the event is over?
After the event, the remaining books will be redistributed to Free Little Libraries around Winston-Salem. I’ll also take some to Central Library and save some for Bookmark’s Secondhand Story Sale (whose profits go right back into the reading community and programming), other literacy non-profits, and reading programs.
Your books will not go to resellers. Goodwill (and related mass donation banks) are the last possible resort. We do not want the books you care about to become landfill trash. I love books and want them to go to great homes. If you have a program you’d like us to donate to, contact me at iam@hiaj.co or on Instagram @hiaj!!
