A festival for book lovers and writers alike, the Twin Cities Book festival had another fabulous year. I left as I always did with a bag full of books to read (hopefully many of which will be reviewed here if they are as good as I think they are) a lot of business cards, and a joyful heart.
The day long festival has author panels, an author mash up where people can sit down and talk to different authors and get their books signed.The book fair has tables of local literary related organizations, local publishers like Llewellyn, and different authors selling their books. It is a great way to meet people and find resources in the Twin Cities, which really has a vibrant arts community.
During the Minnesota author mash up, I got to sit down and talk with Tom Weber. I listened to his show when he was on MPR, and while it was sad for him to leave but his replacement Angela Davis is a wonderful host. His new book 100 Things to do in the Twin Cities Before You Die delves into local attractions.
Candles being my weakness, I bought Frostbeard studio candles– their spooky stories is just right for this season. (It also goes on my altar because one of my gods loves that smell.) Limiting myself to two is always hard.
There was a kid’s area, but it didn’t have as many activities as years past. The stage had children’s authors speaking throughout the day, and the end was an improv Shakespeare insults show that was hilarious.
While there are many regulars, you can expect the established local presses to be there, there also is some rotation in who comes so there is opportunity to meet someone new even if you have gone to the festival in years past. I always have a lovely time talking to author’s and how they got their book published or how they write.