In Winter and Spring 2025, we visited the Airdrie Public Library over many weeks, pitching our little table, and interviewing people as they checked out their library books. Our goal was to hear about people’s favourite books and stories, in their own words, transferring landscapes of the imagination from their heads to ours.

We visited half a dozen times over a few months, and during that time we talked to people of all ages and backgrounds. Little kids shared their favourite picture books, young people shared manga (and sometimes video games), adults shared stories from their own youth, or novels they are reading now, seniors shared literature from across a lifetime of voracious reading.

During these conversations, we heard about imaginary worlds. People’s eyes lit up as they described their favourite stories. Many favourites were from childhood, coloured by the sepia-tint of nostalgia and bedtime stories. Charlotte’s Web, Anne of Green Gables, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter…. we heard about these books again and again.

But not all stories were familiar to us. We were told about Snake, a story from Guinea. “We read together with people in the community around a bonfire. There was no TV, no social media, so it was a social story,” said the person we interviewed. The tale was about a giant snake who ate a sleeping boy, and the villagers who tried to rescue him. Though the story itself was unfamiliar, the feeling of waiting all day to hear the next chapter of a compelling novel was very relatable. “Every parent from West Africa would know it,” she told us.

During this time, we also collected stories through an online survey. By answering a list of questions, contributors from Airdrie, Rocky View County, Calgary, Treaty 7 and beyond (as far away as Japan!) opened an anonymous window into their imaginations. We heard about enduring love stories, guiding proverbs, inspiring biographies, fantastic adventures. These stories shone light into the darkness when people were sick, brought families together to explore new worlds, scared the pants off little kids, lulled babies to sleep, offered guilty pleasure escapes into titillating fantasies, or invited the reader on mysterious romps across the New York Times Bestseller list!

A person’s favourite book is very personal – it tells you so much about them. Sharing your favourite story is an act of generosity based in an optimistic belief that whoever you’re talking to might also enjoy that tale. For us, receiving these stories felt like unwrapping presents. We can’t wait to conjure the landscapes from your imagination into tiny globes and suspend them in the new Airdrie Public Library. This artworks is a testament to your love of stories!

Gratitude to the City of Airdrie’s communications team and the Airdrie Public Library for spreading the word.

Thank you to the 130+ people who shared their favourite books and stories with us. This process was a delight beyond words!