Weekend Round-Up Part One

Part One: Tucson Book Festival

The Tucson Festival of Books Foundation is a non-profit organization. It made its debut March 14-15, 2009, on the campus of The University of Arizona. It's more than a book festival as Tucson celebrates books and literacy at one of the largest book festivals in the U.S. Both days the weather was gorgeous with not a cloud in the sky.  There was a crowd. 

This two-day event featured over 400 authors participating in some 320 presentations at 36 venues as well as countless opportunities to meet authors, poets, screenwriters, and journalists. There were book signings, panel discussions, staged entertainment, food vendors, culinary demonstrations, children's and Science City programming, and dozens of free activities for all ages on the University of Arizona Mall. All genre in both fiction and nonfiction, adult and children were represented.  

The year's theme was Where Words and Imagination Come to Life. The jack rabbit was chosen for this year's mascot. If jack rabbits were readers, they might use their powerful rear legs to vault to the uppermost bookshelf, where a long neglected treasure awaits.  

Two new highlights for the festival this year were First Folio, a rare collection of William Shakespeare's works, available for viewing at the nearby Arizona State Museum and Tucson's Big Read focused on the works of Edgar Allan Poe.  
And yes, there were lines for everything.

It does help to do your homework ahead. Choices needed to be made with second and third ones waiting in the the wings in case lines were too long to get into desired presentations or book talks. Since I had been there last year this year I was more successful navigating my way around the campus and I was able to get into all my first choices. 

Here are some of my highlights from the two day event.

Paula McLain, author of these two bestselling novels. 

Avi, children's and YA author who has written 75 books. 

Margaret Peterson Haddix, children, YA and Young Adult author of  ‘The Missing’ series (2008-2010) and the ‘Shadow Children’ sequence (1998, 2001-2006) ‘Just Ella’ (1999), ‘The Girl with 500 Middle Names’ (2001), ‘The House on the Gulf’ (2004). Her most recent works are the ‘The Always War’ published in 2011, the ‘Game Changer’ (2012) and 'Risked'-The Missing #6' (2013)

During the day I met up with some authors at the Western Writers' booth whose books I've reviewed this past year. Each of the ladies are holding copies of their newest book. 

Nancy Plain, author of  "This Strange Wilderness".

Sherry Monahan, author "The Cowboy's Cookbook".

Chris Enss, co-author "Mochi's War" with Howard Kazanjian.

It's well worth the price of a plane ticket just to attend this gigantic literacy event. It is like no other book event you've attended.  

Tuesday Part Two Weekend Round-Up-St. Patrick' Day Recipes and book lists from Tucson Book Festival