On January 9th 2015 the economic court of Minsk obliged Lohvinau Bookstore to pay 976 billion Belarusian rubles fine ($64 000) on the grounds of selling books without a special Booktrade license. Belarusian authorities invented this license 8 months earlier and then refused to license Lohvinau Bookstore 6 times. Franz Kafka would appreciate this plot, but unfortunately it's not fiction, it's Belarusian reality. The bookstore has to pay this fine, otherwise Ihar Lohvinau, the owner, might be sent to a prison for 2 years.
Lohvinau Bookstore is like Prairie Lights for Iowa City or City Lights for SF. I'm sure every of you has a literature venue where you feel home. Lohvinau Bookstore is such a venue for me.
We need about $64 000, but have raised only $16 000. $48 000 and two weeks left.
More information and the donate button you can find here (French, Spanish, Polish, Russian and Italian versions are available):
I kindly ask you to share this post within your communities and encourage people to donate. Every penny matters.
The rule of this challenge is to make a picture with a book and donate for the bookstore. I really tried to find any photo of mine from IWP-2010 with a book, but normally I hold only wine or beer at pictures. This is why I'm using this nice memory of me and Billy Kahora reading at Prairie LIghts.
Lohvinau Bookstore stuff and me personally would appreciate your support!
#SaveLohvinau
