CONGRATS TO OUR NEW HEAD BOOKWORM >>>

In theory, every single person Tacoman Erik Hanberg sees in this town next winter will have a copy of "the book" somewhere on their person or property, dog-eared, damp with sweat, and, most importantly, read all over. He'll do his best to make it so.

Last Friday, Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland announced she selected Erik Hanberg as the new chair of Tacoma Reads Together, a community reading initiative.

"I selected Hanberg because he is a voracious reader, a champion of social media, and very active in the civic, arts and business arenas," stated Strickland in a press release. "As our city moves forward, I want to ensure that new voices are brought to the table to serve on boards, commissions and in other positions of leadership."

The Tacoma Reads books are selected by the mayor as a way to bring the community together and discuss critical community issues. These issues, according to the press release, included racism and discrimination, the balance between the needs of the individual versus the rights of the State, immigration and cultural assimilation, and the ever-increasing role of science in our lives.

I'm very excited," Hanberg said via email. "It's kind of a dream job for a book lover."

Hanberg hopes to have the book announced by late fall, with the event programming for "the book" beginning in January or February 2011.

For more information about the program, visit the Tacoma Public Library Web site.