The Shared Reading Society

Our purpose is to provide widespread access to an authentic, ongoing, and communal literary experience--which the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization has said is a “human right, a tool of personal empowerment, and a means for social and human development.”

Our mission is to train and support a growing network of Reader Leaders--skilled facilitators--who bring a weekly Shared Reading experience to groups of people in various settings in order to stimulate a sense of self as a reader, nurture wellness, foster deep relationships, create a connected community, and spark positive societal change.

Everyone regardless of ability, confidence, schooling, or mindset, deserves to explore and enjoy timeless, universal literature and poetry. And everyone deserves human connection, regardless of such matters as health, wealth, education, race, age, gender, immigration status, felony status, or any other status. But connection can be so hard, for so many, to find. Which is where The Shared Reading Society comes in. Sharing in great literature dignifies us. It brings us together. Shared Reading simply makes us better. Together. Better.

Shared Reading is live thinking and feeling in response to a bit of high quality literature or poetry read aloud by a trained Reader Leader. It is not literary criticism. It is accessible to everyone. It’s a genuine and immediate, a shared human experience, that connects people. And it’s happening all over the world. Because it is so transformative, we are offering it as a volunteer lead program for nonprofits in Minnesota.

The Benefits of Shared Reading are proven, profound, and lasting.

• Reducing isolation
• Improving mental and emotional wellbeing
• Building stronger communities
• Improving people’s relationships to literature

You can read more research on the positive impact conducted by the founding organization of Shared Reading, The Reader charity in the UK, and by partner organizations in Australia, Denmark, and Canada. Or read this Guardian article for an overview of the “Reading Revolution.”