PRESS RELEASE- CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCES THE 21st ANNUAL COMMUNITY READ: IAN’S RIDE: A LONG DISTANCE JOURNEY TO JOY BY KAREN POLINSKY

A month of free programs and events are planned around Port Townsend.

February 6, 2026 PORT TOWNSEND - – The Port Townsend Public Library is excited to announce its 21st annual Community Read, which will take place in March 2026, featuring Ian’s Ride: A Long-Distance Journey to Joy by Karen Polinsky. Library staff have selected this delightful novel to inspire the community to share the joy of reading together and discussing the same book.

About the Book

While studying as a biology undergrad at UC Santa Cruz, Ian Mackay crashed his bike into a tree on campus. Paralyzed from the shoulders down, Mackay adapted to his new life with the help of his dedicated family, particularly his mother, Teena Woodward, and a group of quirky friends. After years of despair, and against all odds, he became an inspiring leader, an innovator with Apple, and a world-record-breaking athlete. In this intimate biography based on more than one hundred hours of interviews, journal entries, and more, writer Karen Polinsky recounts Ian’s accident and determined recovery, in which he discovered the healing power of nature and community. Ian’s Ride is both a personal journey and an adventure quest for nature lovers, endurance athletes, and anyone struggling with a life-changing loss or diagnosis. This deeply moving true story examines how we exist in our bodies, adapt to and overcome adversity, and what it means to push our limits.

"Ian's story is an inspiring tale of overcoming adversity, connecting with nature, and finding joy. We are excited to share his journey with the community and discuss the importance of making community and outdoors accessible for all. We were all deeply moved at the library by Ian's story and look forward to the conversations and connections that will be generated through this year's 21st Community Read," said Melody Sky Weaver, Community Service Director. “The Community Read program is made possible through generous support from Port Townsend Public Library Friends and Foundation, and many community supporters.”

Author Karen Polinsky is a former journalist and high school teacher, and currently a novelist and playwright living in Portland, Oregon. Her first book, Dungeness, like Ian’s Ride, is set on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Polinsky has also written more than a dozen staged plays.

About the Community Read
The book is available for checkout at the library, and extra copies are currently available free to the public at the library and in the community while supplies last. Port Townsend Public Library Friends and Foundation sponsor the Community Read each year in order to make copies of the book available to Port Townsend High School students and the community. Community members are encouraged to pass around their finished copies to be read and reread. Books are also available for purchase at Imprint Bookstore.

The Library’s Community Read is designed to promote closer ties among community members through the shared experience of reading, sharing, and discussing ideas and topics generated by the books. Each year, the City of Port Townsend proclaims March as the official “Reading Month.” The City encourages group discussions of the book with your own book group or community members can join the groups listed below. A brochure with discussion questions is available at the library, with many related public programs available throughout the month of March.

Special Events (All Events Free!)

ALL MONTH MARCH 1–31

Choose Your Own Adventure Log beginning March 1–31
Walk, roll, and run throughout March keeping track on your library adventure log. Pick up your
log at the library March 1st. Submit at the end of the month for a chance to win prizes!

StoryWalk March 1–31 Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park
A fun outdoor daylight adventure for the whole family to enjoy. Explore anytime during March.

Soundcheck – Community Read Kickoff Pancake Breakfast
March 1 (Sunday) Fort Worden Commons 9:00–11:00 am
Enjoy pancakes followed by a self-guided walk with your Community Read Adventure Log

Brewocracy Now – KPTZ
March 5 (Thursday) KPTZ 91.9 FM 12:30 pm

Technology and Accessibility with the Quadfather Todd Stabelfeldt
March 5 (Thursday) Carnegie Reading Room 6:00 pm
Meet the Quadfather from Ian’s story and learn how technology is making the world more
accessible.

Book Lover’s Café – Ian’s Ride: A Long-Distance Journey to Joy
March 5 (Thursday) Carnegie Reading Room 2:00 pm
Join the library’s book club for a group discussion.

ADA Accessibility and Active Transportation Plan in Port Townsend with Assistant City
Engineer Jeff Kostechka and DASH
March 12 (Thursday) Carnegie Reading Room 6:00 pm
Learn more about the City’s Active Transportation Plan.

Storytime Connections with Judith Bows
March 18 (Wednesday) Children’s Room 2:00 pm
Kids and families – join us for an afternoon of stories, arts & crafts, and other activities.

Olympic Discovery Trail Talk with Peninsula Trails Coalition
March 19 (Thursday) Carnegie Reading Room 6:00 pm
Learn about the history, recent upgrades, and future of this trail from the Peninsula Trails
Coalition.

Guided Birding Walk with Rainshadow Bird Alliance
March 22 (Sunday) Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park 9:00 am
Join experienced birders for this all-ages, accessible interpretive walk.

Meet the Author: Karen Polinsky and Ian Mackay
March 26 (Thursday) Northwest Maritime Center 6:00 pm
Join a presentation and reading, followed by a book signing and books for sale from Imprint
Bookshop.

Art in Action: Bike Repair with the Recyclery
March 27 (Friday) Port Townsend Public Library 3:00 pm
Watch a live demonstration on how to fix your bike.

PTFF & The Rose Theatre Present: Soul Surfer (Free Film – PG)
March 28 (Saturday) Rose Theatre 10:00 am
Tickets will be available through The Rose Theatre's website

Book Discussions:

March 11 (Wednesday) Pourhouse 5:00 pm
March 18 (Wednesday) Aldrich’s Mezzanine 10:30 am

Thank you to all our sponsors: Port Townsend Library Friends and Foundation and our community partners: The Port Townsend Film Festival, Rose Theatre, Imprint Bookshop, DASH, Rainshadow Bird Alliance, Northwest Maritime Center, Aldrich's, Pourhouse, Port Townsend School District, Port Townsend Jefferson County Leader, Peninsula Daily News, and KPTZ 91.9 FM.

Past Community Reads:
2025 Big in Sweden by Sally Franson
2024 On the Way To the End of the World by Adrianne Harun
2023 Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults by Robin Wall Kimmerer & Adapted by Monique Gray Smith
2022 The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and Wishtree by Katherine Applegate
2021 House Lessons, Erica Bauermeister
2020 Whiskey When We're Dry, John Larison
2019 Piano Tide, Kathleen Dean Moore
2018 My Old Man and the Mountain: A Memoir, Leif Whittaker
2017 Before the Wind, Jim Lynch
2016 This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein
2015 Jupiter Pirates: Hunt for the Hydra, Jason Fry
2014 Turn Here Sweet Corn, Atina Diffley
2013 Contents May Have Shifted, Pam Houston
2013 Teen Community Read - Life Is So Good, George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
2012 Winterkill, Craig Lesley
2012 Teen Community Read - Blank Confession, Pete Hautman
2011 The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland
2011 Teen Community Read, Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher
2010 The Hungry Ocean, Linda Greenlaw
2009 The Measure of a Mountain, Bruce Barcott
2008 Once in a Promised Land, Laila Halaby
2007 Where Rivers Change Direction and An Unfinished Life, Mark Spragg
2006 Counting Coup, Larry Colton