Russell Hoban fans prepare to share their favourite quotations for 11th year running

Russell Hoban fans around the world are once again celebrating the writer's words on 4th February by sharing their favourite quotations from his books.

The Slickman A4 Quotation Event, or SA4QE for short, started in 2002 when Hoban fans were discussing ways of recognising his work in a way that would be public, unique and fun.

Chicago-based actor-writer Diana Slickman came up with the idea. "I propose that we each, on February 4, write our favorite passage, of any length, from any Russell Hoban book, on a piece of yellow paper and drop it somewhere public and then walk away, leaving chance to do the rest," she explained on the long-running Hoban discussion forum The Kraken.

Since its inception SA4QE has seen some 400 quotations publicly shared across the world by around 100 individuals, many of whom are "serial 4qaters", taking part every year.

Quotations have been left in bookshops, on park benches, on buses and tube trains, in phone booths, and affixed to walls and bus-shelters.

Latterly participants have also shared their favourite quotations on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks.

For many years longtime Russell Hoban fan Richard Cooper documented the SA4QE postings on sa4qe.blogspot.com, which is now a huge archive of Hoban quotations, many accompanied by photos, such as the one above by Roland Clare, on a fence at the Sea Walls overlooking Bristol's Avon Gorge.

As of this year, participants can take part by posting their quotations direct to russellhoban.org using this form. There is also a discussion topic. Submissions via the form will be moderated and published gradually. You can see all SA4QE posts on this site at russellhoban.org/sa4qe