Meet The Writer Behind The #LiterarySwag Movement
Yahdon Israel is using social media to combine his two favorite things: fashion and books.
Yahdon Israel is a writer who lives in New York City, and the 24-year-old is trying to engage more people who might not like to read.
He posts photos and short videos on Instagram and Twitter of people who are reading and also look stylish, using the hashtag #LiterarySwag.
"There was this paradox, for me, growing up: The kids who were cool didn't read; the kids who read weren't cool," Israel told BuzzFeed.
Now the writer is trying to redefine how people think about reading and what's "cool."
"[One day I was] sitting on the A train and this kid gets on with his Reeboks, camo pants, flannel shirt tied around his waist, and headphones," Israel explained.
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"He sits down and pulls out a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird and he's immersed in the book. It was that image that made me immediately say 'literary swag' — he was reading a book, a brilliant one at that, and [was] just stylish, and swagging."
"I figured that if people would see people who they identified with reading, they'd want to do it too."
Israel defines #LiterarySwag as "literature as style."
"Books, bookstore visits and purchases, writer talks, my daily outfits — basically anything that has to do with literature is #LiterarySwag. Anything a writer wears is #LiterarySwag," he said.
Similar to how actors are asked about their favorite designers on red carpets, Israel is trying to highlight fashion in the literary world by asking writers those same questions.
"When I see writers, editors, and publishers, I ask them for their three favorite writers and three favorite designers or places they shop for clothes," he said.
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"The reason being, many people have never seen or heard their favorite writers and in a generation where seeing is believing, especially in this internet age, it is important to have that for writers."