Department of Cultural Affairs

[Exhibition Theme] Book Club—Find a friend in literature today.

The exhibition area Reading Cabin features handy reading helpers from 53 artists representing a variety of fields. The image shows a handwritten recommended reading list from writer You Yi-te.

The themed literature exhibition this year echoes the 2023 Taipei Literature Festival theme of “People of One City Share in Literature”, beginning with the concepts of “Common Reading” and “Common Writing”. 

Reading and writing may be solitary activities, but upon encountering like-minded individuals who encourage one another, we might be able to travel further and wider on this path together. Thus, we decided to look at book clubs as sites of interaction, designing a variety of participatory modes and recruiting members for the book club in the name of literature, inviting you to join us on site and experience the reading trends of various eras and the creative spirit of literary communities, or encounter a book that will become your close friend in literature.

The exhibition is divided into four areas: Gallery of Time, Community Bar, Shared Writing Room, and Reading Cabin. The areas guide readers from the reading trends and contexts of the larger eras into small communities of like-minded individuals to experience the specialties and cohesive energy of literary communities. 

Next, enter the creative practice of writers or the research processes involved in writing and join us as we accomplish the mission of Common Writing together. Finally, join us as we visit 53 artists from a variety of fields and carefully examine their handwritten reading notes and various other fun reading helpers. Feel free to leave your heartfelt recommendations among the lines of the books. The exhibition also offers a limited Reading Card to add to the sense of formality of joining as a book club member.

Lectures and workshops will be organized as fringe events of the exhibition, and a Common Reading sharing session will be held, inviting writers on site to guide readers in engaging in common reading. Regular guided tours will be scheduled every Saturday and Sunday, where readers will be guided through oral introductions to get to know the core of the exhibition better.

We look forward to having you here with us along with your favorite books, and hope you find a like-minded friend in literature here. We are sure that you will be encouraged to move out of your comfort zone and discover new things to love. We welcome all visiting readers to open up more diverse literary imaginings with us, join us as a VIP book club member, and find a friend to join in your literary journey. There are more lecture and workshop series to come during the exhibition: just follow the Taipei Literary Festival Facebook fan page for event details and registration.

The exhibition area Community Bar introduces five literary communities which have endured from the 1950s to today. The image shows Letter, a special literary review publication centered around letters.

2023 Taipei Literary Festival Exhibition: Book Club—Find a friend in literature today

Time | Apr 15 to May 14, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m., closed Mondays

Venue | Bopiliao Historic Block (Nos. 35, 37, 39, Lane 173, Kangding Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City)