The UO School of Journalism and Communication, in partnership with Powell’s Books, is about to launch Booklandia.tv, an online video channel featuring interviews with authors, book reviews, recommendations and conversations with up-and-coming authors.
Segments for Booklandia.tv will be filmed at Powell’s Books in Portland. The project was created by journalism students in the school’s media entrepreneurship class using short clips of all things books.
Booklandia.tv is set to launch April 6. The journalism school is seeking content from other student media groups at high schools and universities to be featured.
Journalism professor Ed Madison said the idea came from a media entrepreneurship student a few years ago.
“It was just a general idea of ‘there ought to be a book channel,’” Madison said. “There’s a food channel, there’s a sports channel ..., why not a book channel?”
Madison said the Web channel will feature stand-alone vignettes varying in length from 60 seconds to 2 minutes.
“We’re having a feature called ‘Writers on Writers’ where writers of note or up-and-coming writers talk about writers that have influenced them,” he said. “We have a person-on-the-street feature that’s called ‘Book Smarts.’ (We’ll be) talking to people about their favorite books.”
Interim School of Journalism and Communications Dean Julie Newton said, “Our partnership with this Portland landmark will draw on the talents of SOJC students to tell the stories of authors and book lovers. Booklandia.tv exemplifies the creative thinking of SOJC students, faculty and Powell’s Books.”
Students are encouraged to take “shelfies” — a photo like a selfie featuring people and the books they are currently reading.
“The great thing about this particular school and this particular university is if you have an idea and you really are passionate about it, and it’s an idea that makes sense and has currency, then you can run with it,” Madison said.
For a preview of Booklandia.tv, visit the website.
―By Corinne Boyer, Public Affairs Communications intern