Tuesday September 30, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
It’s a treasure hunt for bookmarks, and if you find one, you can win a book of poetry!
The literary treasure hunt around Greater Victoria has been organizes by Pocket Places Project Lead Dr Teale Phelps Bondaroff (who is also an elected councillor with District of Saanich council).
Pocket Place is part of a larger initiative called the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network (GVPN).
There are 10 golden seal bookmarks but hundreds of Little Free Libraries.
The poetry collection:
To celebrate the launch of his new poetry collection What is Broken Binds Us, local author and placemaking advocate Lorne Daniel has teamed up with the Greater Victoria Placemaking Network’s (GVPN) Pocket Places Project to create a one-of-a-kind literary scavenger hunt across the region.
What is Broken Binds Us is written in seven sections, braiding the stories of empire, personal traumas, addiction and family estrangement, shifting emergencies, and the wisdom of elders and the natural world.
What is Broken Binds Us was published on September 15 by University of Calgary Press (Brave & Brilliant series). It will be launched at a reading event in Victoria on October 7, and additional readings by Lorne Daniel in Tofino, Vancouver, and four Alberta cities in the coming months.
Find the bookmarks in little free libraries:
Bookmarks promoting Daniel’s new book have been delivered to little free libraries (LFLs) across the region.
Ten of the bookmarks feature a golden seal with the word “Winner!” and instructions on how to claim a complimentary copy of his new book of poetry.
- Check your local Little Free Library — you might just find a golden seal bookmark!
- If you find a golden seal bookmark, it will tell you how to claim your free copy of What is Broken Binds Us
- Follow author Lorne Daniel on social media for clues and updates.
- Visit www.victoriaplacemaking.ca to learn more about the festival and LFL map.
About Little Free Libraries:
Little free libraries are little public book boxes that operate on the principle of ‘leave a book – take a book.’ They can be found throughout the CRD in all shapes and sizes.
Since 2017, the GVPN’s Pocket Places Project has grown into one of Canada’s most active Little Free Library initiatives. Led by volunteer Phelps Bondaroff, the project has delivered more than 130,000 books, mapped 1,000 LFLs, and helped build over 132 new libraries across the region.
“Little free libraries are coral reefs for community and they add whimsy to the urban landscape. They not only help connect people with books, and also with their neighbours,” says Phelps Bondaroff.
The book boxes were recently celebrated at a Little Free Library Festival, hosted by the GVPN and the Oaklands Community Association on Saturday, September 20, 2025.
Little Free Libraries offer reading material across the region. Donations of books into the libraries are always welcome.
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