A Toronto writer is about to undertake one of the most personal and physically demanding tributes the city has seen in some time. From April 7 to 16, Marci Stepak will walk more than 300 kilometres to all 100 branches of the Toronto Public Library over 10 consecutive days, honouring the memory of her late mother and raising funds for the TPL Foundation.
The walk lands on the very day of the first anniversary of her mother’s death. A lifelong Torontonian who held a TPL card for more than 50 years, Stepak’s mother believed deeply that curiosity should cost nothing and knowledge should belong to everyone. A few days before she died, in the same conversation where funeral plans were discussed, she reminded Marci to return her library books “so other people can enjoy them too.” That detail says everything about who she was.
Stepak will cover roughly 30 kilometres a day, rain or shine, across the full geography of the city, from Etobicoke to Scarborough, through midtown, East York, and the Beaches, finishing at the Toronto Reference Library, her personal favourite branch. The route took hours of painstaking planning on Google Maps, as no mapping tool exists for this kind of undertaking. Full maps and the daily calendar are available at beingmarci.ca/map-calendar for anyone who wants to follow along or join her in their neighbourhood.
Funds raised support the Toronto Public Library Foundation, with a focus on programmes for older adults, including outreach initiatives that reduce isolation and build connection. These are the programmes Stepak’s mother relied on in her later years, and they mattered deeply to her. At a time when public space feels increasingly fragile, the walk is both a tribute and a visible act of civic gratitude.
Torontonians are encouraged to come out and walk alongside Stepak for any portion of the route. She will be documenting the journey daily and sharing stories about the role libraries have played in people’s lives. More information is available at everylibraryTO.com and on Instagram at @beingmarci. Marci is available for interviews and can provide route details, background, and visuals.
A Toronto writer is walking to all 100 Toronto Public Library branches over 10 days starting April 7, honouring her late mother and raising funds for the TPL Foundation. Join her at beingmarci.ca/map-calendar.