2021 literary calendar with 137 occasions for book lovers
Let’s pretend that 2021 is going to be a whole lot better than 2020 and look ahead to all of the book-related special occasions in this 2021 literary calendar that we can celebrate.
Whether you want to thank your favorite librarian, encourage teen reading, or promote poetry, there’s an occasion you can leverage.
We need books and reading more than ever. Use this calendar to help support both in the coming year.
How to use the 2021 literary calendar
What’s the best way to use these special dates? Here are ideas.
Step 1. Start by reviewing the list below and selecting those that speak to you. For example, if you (like me) love your library and its librarians, you’ve got plenty of opportunities in April to show that love. Do you enjoy celebrating birthdays? Several literary luminaries were born in February. Throw one of them a virtual birthday party!
Step 2. Add the dates you like to your calendar, but also create a reminder a few days in advance so you have time to plan and create what you’ll use to promote the special day.
Step 3. Decide how you’ll recognize the occasion. Here are a few ideas:
- Create a short video to share on social media. Instagram’s Stories function is perfect for this, but don’t overlook your Facebook page.
- Write an article about why the special day is important to you for your blog or newsletter.
- Collaborate with a large group of authors to donate proceeds from book sales during a specific period to a nonprofit or cause linked to one of the occasions that’s close to your heart.
- Create an event-related image to share on social media. Here’s one for National Bookmobile Day in 2020 to get you thinking.
Step 4: Don’t let all of these amazing ways to honor books and reading go to waste. Take action!
Your 2021 literary calendar
Now you’re ready to make things happen. Here’s your month-by-month calendar.
January
National Braille Literacy Month
1 – Copyright Law Day
2 – National Science Fiction Day
12 – Universal Letter Writing Week
14 – Poetry at Work Day
18 – Thesaurus Day
18 – Winnie the Pooh Day (birthday of author A.A. Milne)
19 – Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday
22 – Library Shelfie Day
25 – Burns Supper (Robert Burns’s birthday)
27 – Family Literacy Day in Canada
February
Library Lovers’ Month
1-7 Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week
3 – World Read Aloud Day
6 – Take Your Child to the Library Day
7 – Charles Dickens’s birthday
9 – Read in the Bathtub Day
12 –Judy Blume’s birthday
14 – International Book Giving Day
14 – Library Lover’s Day
19 – Amy Tan’s birthday
21-27 Freedom to Read Week in Canada
27 – John Steinbeck’s birthday
26 – Tell a Fairy Tale Day
March
2 – Read Across America Day
2 – Dr. Seuss’s birthday
2-8 Read an E-book Week
4 – National Grammar Day
4 – World Book Day in the UK and Ireland
16 – Freedom of Information Day
20 – World Storytelling Day
21 – World Poetry Day
26 – Robert Frost’s birthday
30 – Pencil Day
 April
National Poetry Month
D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) Month
1 – Reading is Funny Day
1 – Poetry and the Creative Mind Day
2 – International Children’s Book Day
2 – Hans Christian Anderson’s birthday
4 – National School Librarian Day
4 – Maya Angelou’s birthday
4-10 National Library Week
6 – National Library Worker’s Day
7 – National Bookmobile Day
9 – National Unicorn Day
12 – Beverly Cleary’s birthday
13 – Scrabble Day
15 – Rubber Eraser Day
15 – World Art Day
16 –  National Librarian Day
15 – Celebrate Teen Literature Day
18 – National Columnists Day
23 – Take Action for Libraries Day
23 – Shakespeare’s birthday
23 – World Book and Copyright Day
23 – English Language Day
24 – Congress approved the Library of Congress
24 – Independent Bookstore Day
27 – National Tell A Story Day
28 – Harper Lee’s birthday
28 – Great Poetry Reading Day
May
Short Story Month
Get Caught Reading Month
1 – Mother Goose Day
3-9 Children’s Book Week
2 – Harry Potter Day
4 – Free Comic Book Day
5 – National Cartoonists Day
9 – Peter Pan Day
10-14 – Reading is Fun Week
12 – Limerick Day
16 – Love a Tree Day
20 – Eliza Doolittle Day
22 – Sherlock Holmes Day
31 – Walt Whitman’s birthday
June
Audiobook Appreciation Month
GLBT Book Month
10 – Ball Point Pen Day
12 – Anne Frank’s birthday
16 – Bloomsday (celebration of Irish writer James Joyce’s life)
22 – Octavia Butler’s birthday
23 – Typewriter patent awarded
July
Read an Almanac Month
11 – E.B. White’s birthday
17 – World Emoji Day
21 – Ernest Hemingway’s birthday
22-24 Hemingway Days
30 – Paperback Book Day
31 – J.K. Rowling’s birthday
August
2 – National Coloring Book Day
9 – Book Lover’s Day
18 – Bad Poetry Day
21 – Poet’s Day
31 – We Love Memoirs Day
September
Library Card Sign Up Month
Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month
National Literacy Month
Read a New Book Month
4 – Richard Wright’s birthday
4 – Newspaper Carrier Day
6 – Read a Book Day
8 – International Literacy Day
19-25 – National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week
19-25 – Banned Books Week
22 – Hobbit Day
22 – Dear Diary Day
24 – F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthday
25 – National Comic Book Day
29 – National Coffee Day in the U.S.
October
National Book Month
National Reading Group Month
1 – International Coffee Day
6 – Mad Hatter Day
11 – Myth and Legends Day
16 – Dictionary Day
18-22 – National Friends of Libraries Week
20 – National Day of Writing
27 – National Tell a Story Day in Scotland and the U.K.
November
National Novel Writing Month
Picture Book Month
National Family Literacy Month
National Memoir Writing Month
1 – National Family Literacy Day
1 – Author’s Day
2 – Book Lovers Day
4 – National Non-Fiction Day in the UK
10 – Young Readers Day
15 – I Love to Write Day
18 – High-Five a Librarian Day
29 – Louisa May Alcott’s birthday
December
Read a New Book Month
7 – Letter Writing Day
10 – Dewey Decimal System Day
16 – Jane Austen’s birthday
21 – Crossword Puzzle Day
21 – National Short Story Day
24 – Jolabokaflod, Iceland’s Yule Book Flood
Please note that there’s conflicting information online about some of these dates, but we’ve tried our best to verify and validate everything. Please let us know if you have a correction or clarification.
Have we missed anything? If you know of a holiday or occasion that should be on this calendar but isn’t, tell us in a comment. We’ll continually update this as needed. Thanks!Â
Editor’s note 12-9-20:Â Thanks to alert reader L.R., we’ve added #134: October is National Reading Group Month.
Like what you’re reading? Get it delivered to your inbox every week by subscribing to the free Build Book Buzz newsletter. You’ll also get my free “Top 5 Free Book Promotion Resources” cheat sheet immediately!
What a great list!
Thanks, Frances!
Sandy
October is National Reading Group Month, established by the Women’s National Book Association in October 2007 in honor of the organization’s the ninetieth birthday. Find out more about it at http://nationalreadinggroupmonth.org/about_history.html
Thank you! I’ll add that!
Sandy
Thank you for the awesome list.
Can’t wait to create some wonderful events and images for the coming New Year of socially distancing book giving!
I hope you have fun with it, Phoebe!
Sandy
Just an edit, World Book Day is March 4 in the UK, not 5th 🙂 https://www.worldbookday.com/
Fixed! Thank you!
Sandy
Thanks for this useful post. I didn’t know October is NationalReading Group Month. It is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I could host author-led book clubs and promos to benefit domestic violence survivors!
Sounds like a good mash-up!
Sandy
Thanks so much, Sandra! This is very useful for social media postings.
You’re welcome! And yes, it’s perfect for a social media calendar.
Sandy
Read a New Book Month: Is it September or December? It’s on here twice
It’s both! (Go figure, but that’s what I found!)
Sandy
Thank you, Sandra. Last week I began to compile such a list, but had such a difficult time, I gave up. The arrival of your list brightened my day? Your newsletter always contains helpful and practical information.
It’s definitely a time-consuming process, Bob! Glad I could help. : )
Sandy
Love the calendar. Thank you
You’re welcome, Theresa!
Sandy
Hi Sandy,
You’ve created a fantastic guide again!
Thank you.
You’re welcome, Flora! Use it in good health!
Sandy
Thank you, Sandra! I’ve been looking for a list like this for a while. I will include these critical dates on my blog throughout 2021. Writing and free speech are immensely significant to me, so these are critical items to remember.
I’m so glad it’s helpful, Alejandro! Be sure to download the PDF and save it to your computer so you have quick and easy access to it.
Sandy
It’s worth noting that November 29 is also the birthday of Louisa May Alcott’s father Amos Bronson Alcott – AND the birthdays of Madeleine L’Engle and C.S. Lewis! A remarkable day for birthdays.
Thanks, Catherine. A landmark day!
What is Amos Alcott’s contribution to American literature?
Sandy
Hi Sandra – No literature contribution I am aware of; just interesting that he has the same birthday as his daughter. He was a philosopher, and any his writings would have been more philosophical in nature as far as I know.
Got it — thanks! I misunderstood.
Sandy
Hi Sandra – No literature contribution I am aware of; just interesting that he has the same birthday as his daughter. He was a philosopher, and any his writings would have been more philosophical in nature as far as I know.
Hi Sandra:
Love this and your newsletter is one of my favs! Can’t resist recognition of literary holidays. 🙂
Building my own making it more global friendly and to include a few other days including my under-represented community – Caribbean writers.
In that spirit, kindly add CARIBBEAN LITERATURE DAY – July 12
The inaugural one was on July 12, 2020
Look out for activities by me.
Sincerely,
Sandra
Thanks, Sandra! Will it be on July 12 in 2022, also? (Sometimes they’re the last Saturday of the month, first Monday of the month, etc.)
Sandy
Hi
Just thought I should let you know that the Young Readers Day should be the 9th this year not the 10th as it is the second Tuesday of November
Thank you!
Sandy
HI
I HOPE THE LITERARY CALENDAR FOR 2022 IS ALSO READY. IF POSSIBLE YOU MAY SHARE. IT IS OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE TO ME.
Here you go: https://buildbookbuzz.com/2022-literary-calendar/
Sandy