Although, as Patricia Calhoun noted in her blog earlier today, the launch is a little late, you can cast your vote online today for this year's reformatted One Book, One Denver program. It's all part of a new public-participation element that allows Denverites to vote for their favorite choices from a predetermined list of 27 books, which boasts everything from classics to modern works, laced through with a modicum of diversity for every taste. Yes, there is something slightly canned about the selection, which doesn't reflect our region in the same way that past choices tried to do. But reading is reading, and it's fun to meet with your neighbors and talk about what you've read, which is, after all, the real point of One Book, One Denver.
Here's what to do: Create an account at www.onebookonevote.org. Once you've done that, you can access the book list, complete with written summaries and short, recorded introductory readings by Denver Poet Laureate Chris Ransick for each tome. Fool around with that as long as you like, or not at all, and then vote anytime through June 15. Mayor Hickenlooper will announce the winning selection on September 1, after which a spate of free, related programs and lectures will ensue.
For more ways to rock the night and kill the day, go to westword.com/calendar.