First Releases
The Beginning of the Journey
One hundred books. One hundred chances for a story to travel further than a shelf.
The Open Sidewalk Project begins with a simple experiment: releasing 100 copies of Finding Waldo Within into the world. Some will be left on park benches, café tables, and bus seats. Others will be placed directly into the hands of friends, family, or even strangers. Each one carries a BookCrossing ID (BCID) so its journey can be traced, logged, and remembered.
This is more than a pilot — it’s proof of a possibility. That stories don’t end when the book closes. They only end when we stop letting them live.
Why 100 Waldo Books?
Finding Waldo Within is a story about presence, second chances, and the courage to turn inward. It felt right that the first act of this project would carry a story about rediscovering what matters — and then set it free for others to find.
How It Works
Discover • Reflect • Set Free • Mark the Moment
Discovery & Code
Every book begins its journey with a BCID (BookCrossing ID) — the code that allows its path to be traced. For First Releases, each Waldo already carries one, ready to travel.
Reflect
A story doesn’t leave empty-handed. When you prepare to release, pause for a moment of reflection — why this book, why now, what spark does it carry?
Set Free
Choose how the story steps off the shelf:
Wild Release — leave it where a stranger might stumble across it.
Direct Release — place it in the hands of a friend, family member, or unexpected connection.
Mark the Moment
Log your release with a photo, note, or reflection — and always include the BCID. Each entry becomes part of the living archive, proof that stories don’t end when the book closes.
Where We Are Now
#WaldoRelease
Watch Us Grow
This is where quiet acts become a visible movement. Each photo is a book released. Each comment is a stranger’s reflection. Each journey is proof that stories, when set free, find exactly who needs them.
You’re watching the sidewalk open in real time.
The Open Sidewalk Project
Finding Waldo Within 023
BCID: 17683671
Initial Release Location: On the sidewalk
Initial Release Date: 2025-11-30
The Open Sidewalk Project
Finding Waldo Within 022
BCID: 17683670
Initial Release Location:
Initial Release Date:
FOUNDER COPY
Finding Waldo Within 015
BCID: 17683663
Initial Release Location: Lebanon, PA
Initial Release Date: 2025-11-28
FOUNDER COPY RELEASE POINT
Finding Waldo Within 017
BCID: 17683665
Initial Release Location: York, PA
Initial Release Date: 2025-11-28
FOUNDER COPY
Finding Waldo Within 016
BCID: 17683664
Initial Release Location: York, PA
Initial Release Date: 2025-11-28
FOUNDER COPY
Finding Waldo Within 014
BCID: 17683662
Initial Release Location: Los Angeles, CA
Initial Release Date: 2025-11-28
#BooksinMotion
You don’t know where they’ve been.
Or whose life they’ve touched. But now you can.
These are the books in motion—left on park benches, tucked into Little Free Libraries, passed between strangers in coffee shops. Track their paths. Read the reflections they’ve sparked. See the sidewalk grow, one story at a time.
Every book below is on a journey. Yours could be next.
Tell Us a Story
Where You Come In
The First 100 books won’t just be released anywhere — they’ll be carried into the world by people who believe in the art of stories and the kindness of passing them on. If you’d like to be considered as a Founding Release Point, start by telling us your story.
Who are you? Where are you from? Why does this idea excite you?
Your story helps us understand why you want to be part of the first wave — and if selected, we’ll ask for the details we need (like a mailing address and phone number) so we can send your Founding Release Kit.
Each Founding Release Kit includes:
- A personal copy of Finding Waldo Within for you to keep.
- A Waldo Wild Release Kit with a coded book ready to set free.
- A place in the First Releases archive, marking your act as part of the living history of this project
To share your story and request consideration, write to:
founder@opensidewalkproject.org
To share your story and request consideration, write to:
founder@opensidewalkproject.org
This is how the Open Sidewalk Project begins — one book, one act, one story carried forward.
Founding Release Point
Become a Permanent Stop on the Sidewalk
If you’d like to be considered as one of the Founding Release Points Points, we’d love to hear your story. Use the form on this page to apply or this simple guide to shape your direct email message to founder@opensidewalkproject.org.
What’s a Founding Release Point?
A Founding Release Point is more than a one-time host location. It’s a permanent station on the sidewalk—a place where books continuously arrive, rest, and move forward. Think of it as an always-open literary waystation.
Two Ways to Participate
Option 1: Single Release
Host books for our pilot program (one-time participation). We’ll coordinate a curated drop at your location, provide signage, and promote your space. No ongoing commitment required.
Option 2: Ongoing Founding Release Point (Recommended)
Become a permanent part of the movement. Your location stays active as a recognized Founding Release Point, receiving ongoing book drops, featured placement on our interactive map, and priority access to special editions
and themed releases.
As A Founding Point, you will:
- Receive regular book refreshes (with community participation)
- Be listed permanently on our Founding Release Points map
- Get promotional support through our media channels
- Access exclusive releases (author events, limited editions, special collections)
- Help shape the movement as a founding partner
- Create a signature “literary identity” for your space
Why Become an Ongoing Founding Release Point?
Because one book release creates a moment. Ongoing releases create a tradition. Your space becomes known as the place where stories live—where customers know they can always find something unexpected on your shelf.
Perfect for:
- Cafés and coffee shops that want to be literary hubs
- Independent bookstores amplifying their community role
- Co-working spaces building culture
- Wellness studios creating connection points
- Any business that values being a third place
What We Need From You
Just your story. Use this simple guide to shape your email to founder@opensidewalkproject.org:
- Who you are: Business name, location, what makes your space special
- Why this matters to you: What draws you to The Open Sidewalk Project?
- Your commitment level: Single release or ongoing Founding Release Point?
- Your space: Describe where books would live (shelf, basket, corner, window)
- Your vision: How do you imagine books fitting into your space’s culture?
No application, no formality—just a conversation.
We’re looking for partners who believe what we believe: that stories should move, connection still matters, and the spaces we create can become gathering points for something bigger than commerce.