I first blogged about One Million Pages project here. It’s time now to go input last month’s page count on the OMP homepage. Since I first talked about the project, I’ve become involved in it. I’m now the project manager for One Million Pages. I’ll be keeping track of all the page counts you send us, updating the site, and can be reached via email for project info at diana.doherty@artistoftomorrow.org. It’s pretty exciting for me to get involved in something like One Million Pages, instead of just writing about it. I’m hoping that all of you will share some of that excitement and participate in logging your page counts. The goal of the project is to reach one million pages read as a collective around the world, but the larger goal is to get all of us motivated to reading…and reading more.

This could be something great to start doing if you’ve got the reader’s guilt going on. You only log your page count once a month, so it’s not a huge time commitment. Since you probably read a couple of whole books per month, you don’t even need to really keep track of those. Just look at the last page number for each book you finished, then add them up. The form is short and sweet. You don’t have to sign up for an account or anything.

If you’re interested in doing more than just logging your page count, then consider becoming a Community Organizer. There’s not a big commitment there, just promoting the project. If you’re a student, librarian, book store employee/owner, or active in a book club, even a children’s book club, then you already have the right kind of people around to start being a community organizer. We have flyers on the site you can print and hand out. Also, for my book blogger buddies out there, you can feel free to promote the project on your blog without printing a darn thing. Tell your readers about the site, upload a badge for your sidebar, whatever level of promotion you wish. We really just want to get people excited about the project and about reading. Personally, I think this would be great for groups to do, like a children’s reading circle or book club. I can see kids getting super excited about getting on the website with their parents, teacher, or librarian to add their page count into the whole and help the whole world reach this goal of one million pages.

I started a Twitter for One Million Pages, too. You can find us @OneMillionPages.

Recently, Skyler Kanegi, left a comment here on RIS about his non-profit’s literacy project called One Million Pages Also, . Check out that inspiring statement. “At One Million Pages, we believe that art, including literature, breaks down barriers of prejudice and ignorance. By joining together as readers, we can show the world how easy it is to let art in.” Yes! YES! Once I read that, I knew I had to talk about the project — not just a blurb, but really delve into it and get excited about it. Because really it is exciting. Also, one of the One Million Pages printable flyers is called, Reading is Sexy! Whoo hoo! It’s a lovely book design with a smoochy lipstick kiss. I adore it.

Basically, the goal is for everyone involved to collectively reach One Million Pages read. On the first day of each month, readers go here and fill out a simple form with their current page count. All you have to type is your name, email, and page count. It’s easy. It’s once a month. You have no excuse not to participate. This Sunday is March first, so I will tally up my pages read this month and start participating. Join me! *If you scroll down below the form, you’ll see that they’re also looking for community organizers. *

The current page count (for January, since readers only report monthly) is 16,281. That means there’s just 983,719 more pages left to reach one million. Imagine how fast we could reach one million with readers everywhere reporting their pages.

Ooh, I also had to mention that they have a list of suggest work for you to read if you’re looking for ideas. I haven’t read everything on that list, but I highly recommend: Perks of Being a Wallflower, Good Omens, Flowers for Algernon, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Great Gatsby. If you’re not big on reading 20th century novels, but would like to start checking out some canonical literature, go with Gatsby. It is a very interesting novel. I promise it won’t put you to sleep (if it does, I’ll send you a hand-written apology note).

There are four listed groups/organizations affiliated with One Million Pages. From the URL, I’m assuming Artists of Tomorrow is the mother of the One Million Pages project. Currently the AoT website is under construction, but take a second to check it out and bookmark it. The foundation of the site is gorgeous already and it looks like a really exciting organization. In spirit of the quote I included from OMP above, I wanted to mention that not only am I a writer, blogger, and lover of words…I’m an artist. While some folks might disagree with me, I feel that all creative types are artists: including bloggers of all kinds, journalists, painters, vocalists, crafters, you-name-it. If you create something from your soul, it is art. I feel that art has lost its place in our society–or, people have lost their appreciation for art as a part of life– and I support any and all groups working to keep art alive, in all its forms. When people wonder what the heck is going on with kids today or why people seem so volatile or where we lost our way…I think back to fourth grade and how heartbroken I was when they cut the Gifted&Talented program from my school. I think about junior high when a large group of students had to fight to create our own drama club out of the dust of the one our school had given up on. I think about the hours spent outside of school for SO many creative kids working on art projects, writing, making music, and practicing for plays. Perhaps these things that so many folks took for granted are really a huge part of whats happening in our society today. Perhaps the people who are angry or empty or spending their time pursuing not-so-good stuff would be living very different lives if art had been there for them.

I hope you’ll all start logging your monthly page count at OMP with me. So many things are possibly when we all work toward one goal.