Over the last year, the name Tucson Tome Gnome has become instantly recognizable across the Old Pueblo.
Now, the group of book-loving friends who hide free books around town is getting recognition on a national level with a recent feature on “The Today Show.” (Yes, The Today Show.)
The Tucson Tome Gnome was featured on “The Today Show’s Morning Boost with Hoda Kotb” on May 4. You can watch the nearly four-minute segment on “The Today Show” website at tucne.ws/1n9d.
“We are still in a state of disbelief that ‘The Today Show’ reached out and wanted to cover the Tome Gnome! Did it happen? It happened! But we are absolutely ecstatic that we were given such an amazing opportunity to showcase our love for Tucson and some of our favorite parts of town,” said the Tucson Tome Gnome in a message to #ThisIsTucson.
“We are so grateful for those of you who have been following us and supporting us since we started in September 2021 and we couldn’t be more excited to see books, kindness and our beloved Tucson featured in this fabulous (and wildly unexpected!) way.”
Tucson Tome Gnome; Jody Hardy, Emily Walsh and Mary Ellen Flynn purchase and hide books for teens and adults around the city to bring a sense of a love of reading to the community.
A crew from “The Today Show” came down to Tucson in late March to film the Tucson Tome Gnome during their monthly book-hiding excursion.
During their visit, the Tome Gnomes hid books in downtown Tucson, Barrio Viejo and at other iconic locations near a Jessica Gonzales mural and in El Presidio.
#ThisIsTucson was the first to write about Tucson Tome Gnome in early 2022. Since the initial report, the group has successfully held a fundraiser to distribute more free books in the community, hosted multiple book-related social events and recently became a nonprofit.
To learn more about Tucson Tome Gnome, visit tucsontomegnome.com or check out instagram.com/tucsontomegnome.
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