I'm Trying to Make Book Reports a Thing

Who do I tell? What do I tell them?

I did my first book report workshop of the year back in February at The Sitting Room in collaboration with Jessi Haley of Cita Press, a feminist indie press which publishes open access books written by women. The idea for this round table was for participants to start digging into their own version of a book report and enter into a direct conversation with an author or artist from the Sitting Room’s collection.

We’re just making book reports, but there are bigger issues at stake. The Sitting Room was established more than forty years ago as a place to celebrate the cultural contributions of women writers and artists who were often overlooked in their own lifetimes. Our book report round table was a way of encouraging people to create their own archives/records of thought in real time, to stop future gaps from forming.

I’ve been experimenting with language (insistent archives, pre-visionist history - a record that is correct before anyone has to revise it) to try to capture more succinctly why I think this stuff is important. In the process, I have become passionate about the potential of book reports as a form, and the promise of fan nonfiction as a genre. One of my goals is to make both of them — book reports and fan nonfiction — “a thing.” But how do I go about doing that? Who should I tell? What should I tell them?

Here’s what’s happened so far:

First, I made an illustrated book report inspired by Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing.

The Emergency Was Curiosity

My friends started making book reports, too. Check out this one below from Katie. And this one from Caroline.

Katie’s book report in response to my book report

I wrote about book reports and why I think they’re important and included a set of instructions so that people could make their own.

I’ve hosted workshops at book and book-adjacent conferences and festivals.

The Sitting Room, Portland Book Festival, San Francisco Design Week

My “Strategy”

I feel pretty good about my efforts so far, but I think I need to think bigger. On my desk is a Post-it note that outlines my current strategy. Make Book Reports a Thing: 1. Dua Lipa 2. New York Times 3. BookTok?

Of all of these, I actually think the Dua Lipa Strategy may be the one with the most promise¹ and alignment² and, at the very least, the most fun to pursue. But I probably need a more realistic plan.

• Encourage Others to Make Book Reports

  My pal Courtney Martin has been the most prolific and consistent of book report makers in my life.

  

  Courtney’s reports on This is the Door, Hospicing Modernity and Sitting Pretty

  
  People I don’t know have started making book reports, like this one from Emma Werowinski on James Bridle’s Ways of Being

Emma’s book report on Ways of Being

• Collective Book Reports
  A group of devoted readers made a collective book report in response to American Indigenous Democracy: A Call for Interdependence. As MCK observes, it was an opportunity to “individually get to create something that can also lead to something we also collectively created.” I think there’s a lot of potential here.

  

  American Indigenous Democracy Zine Edition

What’s My Goal

At least part of what I’m still trying to work out is what the goal is. “Make book reports a thing” is a little vague, but it’s also the most sincere thing I can come up with. It’s also difficult to measure. How will I know if I’ve succeeded?

What I can say is that creating and receiving book reports has completely changed how I read and the scope of my attention. It's a more reciprocal way of engaging with text and a more intimate way of engaging with other people. I want more of it. I'm just not sure how to get there.

I’m happy to share one concrete thing is already happening:

• A LIFE OF THEIR OWN: A symposium on books, what we make of them, and what they make of us
  I’ll be co-hosting a symposium (ALOTO!) about book reports on October 18 at Problem Library in San Francisco in collaboration with Daniel Lucas of The School of Other Fields and Christina Pappas of Same Page SF during National Book Month.

Open Questions/Current Thinking

• Maybe I should reach out to a publisher to see if there is an upcoming release that might benefit from a book report “campaign”. Lots of people making book reports about the same book as a way to cultivate engagement with the text.

• I don’t really know much about how PR works in 2026. I’ve tried pitching a story to a few outlets that care about reading, but haven’t gotten any bites so far. Maybe I can find someone else to write about book reports and fan nonfiction. Is this where a publicist could help?

I’ll continue to futz around with this quest through the end of this year. By practicing in public on these ideas, I’m hoping I might find some direction, co-conspirators. Do you know someone who might want to write about book reports, fan nonfiction and more collective forms of reading and writing? Do you have a book and want people to make book reports about it? Are you BFFs with Dua Lipa? Get in touch.

I’ve been at a retreat this week and got to get some live feedback on The Plan

1. Is Dua Lipa the best literary interviewer? in The Guardian

2. Blake Lefray’s viral video making the case for Dua Lipa as the best literary interviewer ever