U.S. Festivals Honor the Written Word (Washington Post)
By Elise Hartman Ford
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, October 15, 2006; Page P06
".....On Friday, Nov. 3, the little town of Camden launches the state's first literary festival, with the theme "Celebrating the Spirit of Place: The Maine Literary Tradition." The excerpt above is from an essay on autumn written by Pulitzer Prize winner and Camden resident Richard Russo, and there's plenty more where that came from. Over the course of the weekend, festival-goers will experience Maine and its literature in heady combinations as they listen to 21 authors present Maine in their own words. Russo keynotes the festival Friday night and closes the event Sunday. During breaks or in the evening, the picturesque host town of Camden awaits: mountains and sea, fine inns, good restaurants, irresistible shops.
Maine is not only the latest, it's also the last state to jump on the literary festival bandwagon. Every other state stages at least one annual festival, with Florida claiming the highest number, 15 at last count and, arguably, the most popular: the Key West Literary Seminar, whose location and stunning array of big-name panelists make it a sold-out event every January.
Anyone looking for an excuse to travel, if excuses were needed, will find it in these literature fairs. The Library of Congress, no less, is your enabler. Go to the Library of Congress's Center for the Book Web site, http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook , click on "Festivals/ Events," and behold the variety of annual book events and locales on tap, listed alphabetically, chronologically and by state. Many entries include a link to the festival's Web site. Fancy a trip to Martha's Vineyard? Chicago? Honolulu? Would you like to: Hear cowboys recite poetry at home on the range? Celebrate the literature of Arkansas in Little Rock? Attend a symposium on John Steinbeck in Salinas, Calif.? From sprawling, convention-center-size book fairs, whose main purpose is to sell books, to intimate gatherings intended to promote a particular genre or author, multiple choices present themselves every single month....."
For the complete article and more see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101300482.html
"Some are humanities-based, some more literary, some are storytelling festivals," says John Y. Cole, director of the Library of Congress's Center for the Book, as well as author coordinator for the capital's own National Book Festival, held on the Mall each September. The events offer festival-goers a chance to hobnob with favorite writers, enthuse over books, feel connected to a community of readers and writers, and enjoy the location's attractions.
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, October 15, 2006; Page P06
".....On Friday, Nov. 3, the little town of Camden launches the state's first literary festival, with the theme "Celebrating the Spirit of Place: The Maine Literary Tradition." The excerpt above is from an essay on autumn written by Pulitzer Prize winner and Camden resident Richard Russo, and there's plenty more where that came from. Over the course of the weekend, festival-goers will experience Maine and its literature in heady combinations as they listen to 21 authors present Maine in their own words. Russo keynotes the festival Friday night and closes the event Sunday. During breaks or in the evening, the picturesque host town of Camden awaits: mountains and sea, fine inns, good restaurants, irresistible shops.
Maine is not only the latest, it's also the last state to jump on the literary festival bandwagon. Every other state stages at least one annual festival, with Florida claiming the highest number, 15 at last count and, arguably, the most popular: the Key West Literary Seminar, whose location and stunning array of big-name panelists make it a sold-out event every January.
Anyone looking for an excuse to travel, if excuses were needed, will find it in these literature fairs. The Library of Congress, no less, is your enabler. Go to the Library of Congress's Center for the Book Web site, http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook , click on "Festivals/ Events," and behold the variety of annual book events and locales on tap, listed alphabetically, chronologically and by state. Many entries include a link to the festival's Web site. Fancy a trip to Martha's Vineyard? Chicago? Honolulu? Would you like to: Hear cowboys recite poetry at home on the range? Celebrate the literature of Arkansas in Little Rock? Attend a symposium on John Steinbeck in Salinas, Calif.? From sprawling, convention-center-size book fairs, whose main purpose is to sell books, to intimate gatherings intended to promote a particular genre or author, multiple choices present themselves every single month....."
For the complete article and more see: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101300482.html
"Some are humanities-based, some more literary, some are storytelling festivals," says John Y. Cole, director of the Library of Congress's Center for the Book, as well as author coordinator for the capital's own National Book Festival, held on the Mall each September. The events offer festival-goers a chance to hobnob with favorite writers, enthuse over books, feel connected to a community of readers and writers, and enjoy the location's attractions.
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