Silent Pages Society brings together hundreds of Denver bookworms

Apr 29, 2026

NEWS

DENVER — About 250 people crammed inside the Archipelago mansion in the Highlands April 23. There was a live musician, but no dancing. There was barely any talking. People brought blankets and chairs to camp out in one of the mansion’s many rooms.

Everyone in the building was participating in the Denver Public Library’s communal reading event, the Silent Pages Society.

Silent Pages Society is creating spaces for participants to read quietly together in different venues throughout Denver, a quiet celebration of literature in a time when reading rates in America are declining.

“Coming out of COVID, public meetups can feel a little socially awkward,” said Jessie de la Cruz, Denver Public Library's progam manager of civic and literary initiatives. “How can we gather adults together and create a safe space?”

Americans are reading less than ever, and high school students have the lowest reading scores since the 90s. From 2003 to 2023, reading for pleasure among Americans has declined by 3% every year. As of 2023, just 16% of Americans reported reading for pleasure.

De la Cruz says there are many factors behind why people aren’t reading, from the emergence of smartphones and social media to people not having the time in their daily lives. “What we’re doing is giving adults structured time to read — it’s harder than ever for adults to find time for [reading],” de la Cruz said.

So in 2025, de la Cruz started brainstorming and landed on the idea of an introverted book club. While DPL offers story times for families, bilingual book clubs and audiobook events, de la Cruz noticed that there wasn’t a collective event for adults to read.

A national program called Silent Book Club operates similarly. People bring a book (it doesn’t have to be the same one), come to one location at a set time and read silently. Some people will stay and discuss their books.

Colorado has more than 20 local Silent Book Club chapters that regularly meet in libraries or at local businesses.

This program served as inspiration for the DPL’s Silent Pages Society. However, de la Cruz wanted to host the events at different locations throughout Denver.

“Our environment influences how we engage with one another and how we engage with literature,” said de la Cruz.

Since its inception, the program has taken place at popular locations in the city, like the Denver Art Museum and Cheesman Park.

In February, DPL held a Silent Pages Society on RTD’s N-line light rail train. A video about the event amassed around 24,000 views. Since then, de la Cruz says that people are more interested than ever before.

Last week, hundreds of readers lined up outside the Archipelago as they checked in to start reading.

“I’ve been in love with Denver Public Library programming ever since I moved here because their events take me to different places that I haven’t explored before,” said Tanvi Chhatiawaladver, who held a copy of "Uzumaki" by Junji Ito in her hand.

Chhatiawaladver was meeting up with her friend Marie Scott. They met at a local book club.

“I would describe myself as an extroverted introvert, so the opportunity to read alongside other people and meet new friends sounded great to me,” said Chhatiawaladver.

The program is unstructured; people check in with a passport book, earning new stamps as they attend the meetups at different locations.

The Archipelago reached capacity and DPL had to turn people away at the door.

De la Cruz acknowledges that the program is gaining momentum, outgrowing previous venues. She’s now looking for partners and venues that can host 250 to 400 people.

Throughout the house, people tucked themselves in corners and nooks of the open space. The attic drew the most readers; dozens of people sprawled out in front of the live lo-fi/ambient music.

De la Cruz hopes that people will continue to come to these events and prioritize reading in their lives.

“We can all sit at home and watch a movie by ourselves, but there’s something about going to the theater that’s an experience. You’re sitting in a room full of strangers, being in community together; this draws on the same concept.”

The next event will take place on June 4. DPL will reveal the upcoming location on their website and open registration May 14.

Type of story: News
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