We're celebrating our birthday with a booked September events calendar!

September 2022 marks 35 years since the Raven first took flight as Lawrence’s corner bookshop specializing in mysteries. To make it all the more exciting, this August marks one year since we hauled all of our shelves over to our new Mass Street location, putting us in the heart of our beloved downtown. We want to commemorate these major milestones with the community we’ve been a part of for 35 years now. And since we believe in celebrating birth months rather than just birthdays, we’ve planned a whole month packed to the gills with fantastic and free literary events, like this one!

So be sure you swing by the store to join the party and treat your shelves to some bookish goodness. You can head over to our events calendar to check out the full docket of our birthday bash events. Please note that masks and proof of vaccination are required to attend events at the Raven.

We’re excited to celebrate with you!

About the Event

On September 12, the Raven is partnering with Ad Astra Running and Pinole Blue for a fun run and talk with Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run and Running with Sherman!

McDougall’s next book, Born to Run 2: The Ultimate Training Guide will be available in December. Come run with us, hear about the new book, and sample a refreshing drink from Pinole Blue at the end. Additionally, booksellers from the Raven will be on hand with a number of running and outdoors-related titles and will take pre-orders for Born to Run 2. Even better—Christopher will be handing out Tarahumara running bracelets that qualify all attendees for a 10% discount on any one book. We hope you will join us for this exciting partnership event!

DETAILS: The run will start at the Lawrence River Trail (just south of 8th and Oak in North Lawrence) and we will follow the trail.

About the Author

Christopher McDougall covered wars in Rwanda and Angola as a foreign correspondent for the Associated Press before writing his best-selling book Born to Run. His fascination with the limits of human potential led to his next works, Running with Sherman and Natural Born Heroes, and his Outside magazine web series, “Art of the Hero.”

About the Book

From the best-selling author and renowned coach duo from Born to Run, a fully illustrated, practical guide to running for everyone from amateurs to seasoned runners, about how to eat, race, and train like the world's best

Whether you're ramping up for a race or recuperating from an injury, Born to Run 2 is a holistic program for runners of every stripe that centers on seven key themes: food, fitness, form, footwear, focus, fun, and family.

The guide contains:

• On-the run recipes for race-ready nutrition
• Training regimen to help get you in shape and achieve your running goals
• Corrective drills to perfect your form
• Helpful shoe recommendations
• Advice about how to bring more joy into running
• Suggestions for finding a running community

Christopher McDougall and Eric Orton bring all the elements together into an integrated action plan—the 90-Day Run Free training schedule—that provides everything you need to prepare for a mile-long fun run or a 100-mile ultramarathon. Full of helpful illustrations and full-color photos of the iconic first Copper Canyons race, Born to Run 2 is the perfect training companion for anyone who wants to get inspired about the sport again and learn the proven techniques to run smoother, lighter, and swifter.

About the Event Partners

Ad Astra Running is born of a belief that our communities deserve a local running store, locally owned, and locally focused. We care about the Lawrence community because we are part of it, and we want to spend our days working with and for all of its members—be they runners, walkers, or those simply seeking comfortable shoes that fit.

Pinole Blue honors the tradition of ancient culinary recipes, connects cultures through heritage ingredients and provides a taste of history.