The best way of getting to understand diversity is a direct meeting with it – the idea of the Living Library is based on this asssumption.

The Living Library collects people who are subject to discrimination and stereotypization – representatives of ethnic, social, religious, sexual and other minorities – they become the Living Books, that can be „borrowed” by members of the audience in order to have an honest and open conversation. This gives an opportunity to veryfy believes concerning discriminated or marginalised groups.

This year among the Living Books there will be:

• an apostate
• a not drinking alcoholic
• an atheist
• a former homeless person
• a lesbian
• a gay
• a representative of the Straight Edge movement
• a parent of a child with disability
• a vegan person
• a Jew

ADMISSION free

For the first time a Living Library was organised in 2000 during the Roskilde Festival (Danmark) by young people focused around the Stop the Violence organisation.
The Living Library has since been organised in Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, Finland, Sweden and other European countries. It also had its Australian, American and Canadian editions.

In Poland a Living Library was first organised in Warsaw in 2007, quickly spreading to other Polish cities like Wrocław, Bydgoszcz, Opole, Rzeszów, Ruda Śląska, Toruń, Poznań or Grudziądz.
Last year the initiative occured for the forst time in Gdansk.