Rio’s Mais Leitura Program Launches Audio Book Portal

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Mais Leitura (More Reading) book program, provided by the State Press of Rio de Janeiro, recently launched the #narreumahistoria portal, which brings together classics from the national literature narrated by volunteers.

After being recorded and edited, the audios are available to be heard online or by download, both free. The access is unlimited for those who want to record and for the listeners.

The new online portal has emerged from the idea that access to books is still an obstacle for people with visual impairment, since not everyone can afford publications in Braille or in high relief.

In the site www.ioerj.com.br/projetomaisleitura/, the netizens can narrate texts of great Brazilian authors like Machado de Assis, Lima Barreto, Gonçalves Dias, Casemiro de Abreu and Arthur Azevedo.

For Julia Michaels, an American expatriate living in Rio, who is a journalist, blogger and author of recently released, “Solteira no Rio de Janeiro” (“Single in Rio de Janeiro”), said, “In the midst of the Rio state government bankruptcy, it’s a breath of delightful air to hear that this audio portal has been launched, with more access to books — you can even tape yourself reading parts of or whole books– for all!”

The Mais Leitura project ended last year with a mark of five million books sold, benefiting one million citizens. With the slogan: “Inside a book, we find more than stories”. The program focuses on the importance of democratizing access to reading. Besides the itinerant version, the project has three fixed agencies: in Bangu Shopping, in São Gonçalo, and in Niterói, with service from 10AM to 9PM, from Monday to Saturday.