sharing beautiful words amongst friends
For Owners and Creators of Beautiful Words, Deanna Fougere, Kate Hahn and Beth Hanes, their goal is to connect with local organizations and give back to the Windsor-Essex community as much as possible.
Created and established in the summer of 2020, Beautiful Words is a for-profit social enterprise and the first company to carefully craft and curate bookmark questions that facilitate meaningful reflection and conversations about books.
“We are named for the ‘Beautiful Words’ found in stories that inspire and connect us. Our Book Banter bookmarks were created to enhance the reading experience. Whether it be for readers to personally reflect on the story, chat with their friends, join book clubs, read to their children, and/or meet as professional teams,” explained Fougere. “We strive to build communities of passionate readers who read, reflect, and connect with the stories they read and the people around them.”
After their company came out of a need and want for their own personal book club, the owners wanted their book club discussions to enhance their reading experience.
“We found that the questions provided in the back of the books were not helping us get there. They were too detailed, too specific - we wanted more from our discussions. We wanted each conversation to build on the next,” shared Fougere. “So, we decided to create our bookmark with questions to help guide our reading and conversations. As we used the bookmark, we internalized the questions and developed a sophisticated yet familiar way to engage with books. We saw the benefits, and we wanted to share them with others.”
As proud partners with the Windsor Essex Community Foundation, for every Beautiful Words bookmark sold, 10 per cent of the proceeds go to the Windsor Essex Community Foundation to support literacy through various non-profits and charities in the local area.
“To ensure we maximize our community outreach, all books are purchased locally at Biblioasis, Windsor’s largest independent bookstore and publishing house. Biblioasis has also graciously agreed to provide books at a discounted cost to help with the program,” says Fougere. ”We believe it is important to support as many other local businesses as possible!”
For more information on Beautiful Words or how you can get a hand on one of their colourful bookmarks, check out their website at www.wearebeautifulwords.ca
Created and established in the summer of 2020, Beautiful Words is a for-profit social enterprise and the first company to carefully craft and curate bookmark questions that facilitate meaningful reflection and conversations about books.
“We are named for the ‘Beautiful Words’ found in stories that inspire and connect us. Our Book Banter bookmarks were created to enhance the reading experience. Whether it be for readers to personally reflect on the story, chat with their friends, join book clubs, read to their children, and/or meet as professional teams,” explained Fougere. “We strive to build communities of passionate readers who read, reflect, and connect with the stories they read and the people around them.”
After their company came out of a need and want for their own personal book club, the owners wanted their book club discussions to enhance their reading experience.
“We found that the questions provided in the back of the books were not helping us get there. They were too detailed, too specific - we wanted more from our discussions. We wanted each conversation to build on the next,” shared Fougere. “So, we decided to create our bookmark with questions to help guide our reading and conversations. As we used the bookmark, we internalized the questions and developed a sophisticated yet familiar way to engage with books. We saw the benefits, and we wanted to share them with others.”
As proud partners with the Windsor Essex Community Foundation, for every Beautiful Words bookmark sold, 10 per cent of the proceeds go to the Windsor Essex Community Foundation to support literacy through various non-profits and charities in the local area.
“To ensure we maximize our community outreach, all books are purchased locally at Biblioasis, Windsor’s largest independent bookstore and publishing house. Biblioasis has also graciously agreed to provide books at a discounted cost to help with the program,” says Fougere. ”We believe it is important to support as many other local businesses as possible!”
For more information on Beautiful Words or how you can get a hand on one of their colourful bookmarks, check out their website at www.wearebeautifulwords.ca