Concord Festival of Authors

I’m writing this as a thank-you to all the individuals and groups who were involved in producing an incredible literary event.  I’ve mentioned in a few previous posts that our town hosts a Festival of Authors each fall; this is an outstanding two-week event packed with speakers, readings, and activities for those interested in any form of literature – from children’s books and novels to memoirs and poetry. 

Here’s a blurb from the Festival’s website:

The mission of the Foundation is to promote books and authors, to present the work of contemporary authors to the public, and to provide forums for authors to discuss their work. In recent years, Jonathan Kozol, David Halberstam, Amy Goodman, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Dennis Lehane, Sebastian Junger, Augusten Burroughs, E. L. Doctorow, and John Hope Franklin have been among the renowned authors who participated.

The Foundation is particularly pleased to introduce new and emerging authors to festival audiences. Inaugurated in 1997, the “New Literary Voices” program has featured first novelists such as Tom Perrotta, Sena Jeter Naslund, Matthew Pearl, and Jennifer Haigh, all of whom have gone on to notable literary success. In 1995, one of the festival’s three opening night speakers was a relatively unknown writer named Barack Obama, on tour for the publication of his first book Dreams From My Father.

I was able to attend a handful of events this year:

• reading with Julia Glass, author of I See You Everywhere
• reading and discussion with Christina Thompson, author of Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All
• “New Literary Voices” panel
• Bear family party (celebrating the birthdays of Paddington and Corduroy)
• Breakfast with the authors

 There were many more events, such as:

• opening night with Roy Blount, Jr.
• a piano concert with music from Jane Austen’s collection
• Walden Woods project, featuring photography illustrating Thoreau’s Cape Cod
• a conversation with James Wood on How Fiction Works
• an evening with Andre Dubus III

Really, an abundance of amazing opportunities!  If only I didn’t need to eat, sleep, or take care of the family!  I stockpiled many of the books for the authors that I’d be seeing, then furiously tried to read them all before the events.  That didn’t work out so well; note to self:  next year, start reading as soon as the schedule is announced!  I’m woefully behind on reviews, and have about a half dozen partially-read books; this is not my modus operandi, and I hope to be back to “normal” (whatever that means!) soon.

Over the next week or so, I’ll be writing about the other three events I attended.  I am so grateful to live in a community that values the arts!