NEWBURYPORT — While eating lunch at the Grog or enjoying the summer-like temperatures on the boardwalk yesterday, you may have found a book.
A number of poetry books were left behind around the downtown yesterday, but not by accident.
A total of 25 books of poetry by featured poets in this weekend's Newburyport Literary Festival were left in inconspicuous spots throughout the city, the latest stunt to generate publicity for the festival this weekend.
"The idea started with Book Crossing, a similar thing in England," organizer Skye Wentworth said. "We want people to have fun and know about the festival."
Book Crossing, a Web site that invites users to register their favorite book and "set it free," has 667,494 members and 4,722,199 books registered in more than 130 countries spanning the globe.
A group of Literary Festival volunteers crowded into a red Mini Cooper yesterday at 11 a.m. and blanketed the city from Market Square to the commuter rail, dropping off poetry books in hopes people will pick them up and read. They are calling the drive "Poetry in Motion."
Inside the cover of each book is an invitation to the festival reading, "This poetry book is not lost. It's for you to read and pass on! It was written by one of the participating poets in the 2008 Newburyport Literary Festival."
Wentworth notes one of the main problems with poetry is that people do not read it or are often intimidated by buying a poetry anthology.
"We want people to be able to read some of the poetry from the poets this weekend," Wentworth said. "A lot of times people are afraid to go out and purchase a book; this way they can get it for free."
Wentworth hopes once people pick up a book, they will read it and be moved to post a favorite poem on the literary festival's Web site. A special section has been created just for this use.
"I hope people post on the message board where they found it and what they got, any comment they want to make," she said.
The volunteers also hope the books travel and pass through many hands, encouraging them to come meet some of the poets, such as Rhina Espaillat, X.J. Kennedy, Erica Funkhouser, David Berman, Bob Brodsky and Midge Goldberg to name a few.
More than 40 writers of fiction and nonfiction, including short story writers, children's authors, biographers, nature writers, poets, novelists and journalists will read and discuss their work in venues throughout the city this weekend.
"This is sort of our last hurrah to generate publicity for the Literary Festival," Wentworth said. "It's also just a fun thing to do."
Log onto http://www.newburyportliteraryfestival.org/ for more information on Literary Festival events and to post a message on the Poetry in Motion message board. The festival runs tomorrow through Sunday.
