It?s become a chapter in the book of Baltimore?s annual events. “The Baltimore Book Festival is now 12 years old, and I?m happy to say it?s now a tradition,” said Bill Gilmore, executive director of the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.
“People really look forward to this festival. It?s grown not only in the number of people who attend but in popularity and depth of program,” he said.
Welcoming more than 150 authors from Sept. 28 through Sept. 30, the festival offers something for everyone, with subjects like travel, science, love, women in business, cooking, children?s literature, politics and more. Local writers, national authors, and celebrities like Tim Gunn from Bravo?s “Tim Gunn?s Guide to Style,” Tina Louise from “Gilligan?s Island,” and rapper Master P. will appear to speak about their new books.
“It?s not overwhelming. It?s the kind of site plan where you could walk through and see everything in a couple of hours,” Gilmore said. “But we do have two and a half days packed full of programming. People should go to the Web site and plan accordingly — there are so many exciting individual authors and pretty cutting edge topics.”
Perhaps the most anticipated program at the festival includes Grammy-nominated American poet, activist and writer Nikki Giovanni, reading at the Walters Art Museum, presented by the Maryland Humanities Council.
“Nikki Giovanni?s extraordinary talent is to use poetry to bring forgiveness to the unforgivable, to use humor to defuse long-held prejudices, and to find words to name nameless terrors,” said Lisa S. Keir, Director of Development and Communications at the Maryland Humanities Council. “This is an excellent opportunity to discuss how race relations have changed over the past 40 years, what its current status is, and how we can improve in the future.”
Credited with beginning the healing process in the aftermath of the tragedy at Virginia Tech with her poem, “We Are Virginia Tech,” Giovanni will read from her newest book of poetry titled “Acolytes: Poems.”
Johns Hopkins faculty member and American author Stephen Dixon will debut his new novel, “Meyer,” on the CityLit stage on Sunday. “Now that he is retired from the Hopkins Writing Seminars, it may be one of his last public appearances,” said Gregg Wilhelm, founder of the CityLit Project. “Of course, we hope there?s a lot more writing left in him, for he is one of this country?s greatest but least known writers.”
Festival Highlights*
All events are held in Mount Vernon, located on the 600 block of North Charles Street.
Friday
5 p.m. – 2007 Maryland State Arts Council Poetry Reading, Creative Cafe
5:30 p.m. – Children?s Book Illustration Discussion, moderated by Leonard Marcus, Children?s Bookstore Stage
7 p.m. – Felicia Pearson a.k.a. “Snoop” from HBO?s The Wire, “Grace After Midnight,” Karibu Books Stage
7 p.m. – Financial Workshop with Cheryl D. Broussard, “Black Woman?s Guide to Starting Your Own Business: Sister CEO,” Baltimore City Community College Alumni and Friends Tent
Saturday
10:30 a.m. – The Storybook Parade featuring Tina Louise from Gilligan?s Island, Storytelling Tent
1 p.m. – Playwrights Panel Discussion, Baltimore Theater Alliance Readers? Theater Tent
2 p.m. – Rafael Alvarez, “The Wire: Truth Be Told,” Creative Cafe
3 p.m. – Dana Kollman, “Never Suck A Dead Man?s Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI,” CityLit Stage
5 p.m. – Warren Brown, “cakelove,” Food For Thought Stage
5:30 p.m. – Doug and Jackie Christie, “No Ordinary Love: A True Story of Marriage and Basketball,” Karibu Books Stage
Sunday
2 p.m. – Pam Munoz Ryan, “Esperanza Rising,” Children?s Bookstore Stage
3 p.m. – Stephen Hunter, “47th Samurai,” Literary Salon
4:15 p.m. – Getting Into Print: Publishers Panel moderated by Gregg Wilhelm of the CityLit Project and featuring Kevin Atticks, Jen Michalski, Doug Mowbray and Shana Yarborough, CityLit Stage
5 p.m. – Open Reading Honoring Barbara Simon, Creative Cafe
6 p.m. – Pearl Cleage, “Baby Brother?s Blues,” Literary Salon
*This is a partial listing. Click here for a complete listing.
