library fundraiser

Indie rapper and book club innovator Noname announced the opening of Book Club Headquarters: Radical Hood Library in Los Angeles Saturday.

In a flyer, the library asked for donations of new and used books preferably written by Black and Brown authors, especially novels and children’s books. The library is a “black led organization that was created to service black/brown folks,” according to its book.clubhq Instagram account. Online, books can be checked out through the library’s Libib account.

The opening was an RSVP’d event. The library’s address has yet to be revealed publicly.

The daughter of a Black-owned bookstore owner, Noname started the Noname Book Club in 2019 to highlight “reading material for the homies” by exposing Black and Brown readers to books of today and yesterday that explore intersectionality. The book club now has 12 metro chapters across the U.S. and a prison program that delivers book club selections to incarcerated peoples.

Every month, Noname picks a book and a book club member aka “homie” picks one. Socially distanced in-person and virtual meetings are ongoing this month for September’s books: Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’shaun L. Harrison, Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon, and The Skin I’m in by Sharon G. Flake.

Ginnifer Goodwin, best known for her roles in Once Upon A Time and Mona Lisa Smile, will be the incoming president of Young Literati.

The fundraising group for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles for literary lovers in their 40s and younger, Young Literati named Ginnifer as president during its annual Summer Social event on Aug. 1 at the Tiato Kitchen + Garden Venue in Santa Monica. The organization usually names a celebrity or celebrity connection to its board. Ginnifer will take the reins from Samantha Hanks, the wife of actor Colin Hanks and daughter-in-law of actor Tom Hanks, who served in her presidency for two years.

Due to her work schedule, Ginnifer could not be present at the social, according to the organization, but she did attend its largest event, the 11th Annual Toast, in April.

According to IMDb, Ginnifer said she wanted a partner who was “bookish” before marrying her Once Upon A Time co-star Josh Dallas. “I will end up with someone in the arts. I am positive. I eat, breathe and sleep acting. And I’ll end up with someone who is happy staying at home and having me cook supper. But I also really need to be intellectually challenged and stimulated. I want someone bookish, and someone who is passionate.”

Ginnifer has also starred in films based on books such as Something Borrowed, He’s Just Not That Into You, and Ramona and Beezus with Mona Lisa Smile‘s success producing a companion novel. She’s currently starring in Why Women Kill, which premieres Aug. 15 on CBS All Access.

Young Literati’s honorary chairs include Busy Phillipps, who released her memoir This Will Only Hurt a Little last year, and Constance Wu, who had a star turn in book-based films Crazy Rich Asians and soon Goodbye, Vitamin. Actresses Natasha Rothwell, Lake Bell, Natalie Morales, Constance Zimmer, June Diane Raphael, Ione Skye, and Zoe Lister-Jones are also involved in the organization.