Industry & Advocacy News
August 26, 2026
The Authors Guild is saddened by the loss of Dolly Parton, who was beloved not only for her many musical gifts, but for her literary philanthropy. She founded her Imagination Library more than 30 years ago as a tribute to her father, who was unable to read or write. As she wrote in a letter on the Imagination Library’s website, “Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission.”
The Imagination Library mails out one free high quality, age-appropriate book each month to a registered child from birth to the age of five, regardless of their family’s income. According to the website, one in seven children under the age of five in the U.S. receives a book in the mail each month, and over 332,000,000 books have been mailed out to date. In recent years, the Imagination Library has expanded to the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, and Australia.
In addition to being a songwriter, Parton also wrote several memoirs (as well as children’s books about a French bulldog named Billy the Kid), and collaborated with bestselling author James Patterson on a suspense novel about a budding musician in Nashville. Her work will continue to brighten many lives — including those of millions of children whose literacy and dreams she encouraged. As she said on the Imagination Library website:
The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.
