Every 1st & 3rd Sun. All poets invited to compete in a poetry slam judged by a randomly chosen panel from the audience. The program begins with a poetry open mike and (occasionally) a short set by a featured poet.
7-9 p.m. (sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m.), Espresso Royale, 324 S. State. $5 suggested donation. facebook.com/AnnArborPoetrySlam.
Readings by these 3 local poets. Lord, a widely published veteran poet, is a 2-time winner of Current magazine’s annual poetry contest. Joseph has published 2 chapbooks; her work is notable for its vividly figured explorations of the natural world. Budin is a widely published poet whose collection After the Burn explores connections between visual art and language. Signing.
Every 1st & 3rd Sun. All poets invited to compete in a poetry slam judged by a randomly chosen panel from the audience. The program begins with a poetry open mike and (occasionally) a short set by a featured poet.
7-9 p.m. (sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m.), Espresso Royale, 324 S. State. $5 suggested donation. facebook.com/AnnArborPoetrySlam.
Monthly open mike storytelling competition sponsored by The Moth, the NYC-based nonprofit storytelling organization that also produces a weekly public radio show. Each month 10 storytellers are selected at random from among those who sign up to tell a 3-5 minute story on the monthly theme. The 3 judges are recruited from the audience. Monthly winners compete in a semiannual Grand Slam. Space limited, so it’s smart to arrive early.
Note: Beginning in August, the Storyslam is held twice a month, on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays.
7:30-9 p.m. (doors open and sign-up begins at 6 p.m.), The Circus, 210 S. First. $10. 764-5118.
All invited to listen to guild members swap stories or bring their own to tell.
On Aug. 8, local short story writer Alex Kourvo and young adult novelist Bethany Neal discuss how to figure out exactly where your novel or non-fiction book belongs on the shelf, and why knowing that is crucial to its success. For adult and teen (grade 6 & up) fiction and nonfiction writers. Also, Kourvo and Neal host an open house for writers to connect with one another and/or work on their projects at 7 p.m. on Aug. 22.
Peter Ho Davies is the author of two novels, The Fortunes and The Welsh Girl (long-listed for the Man Booker Prize), and two short story collections, The Ugliest House in the World (winner of the John Llewelyn Rhys Prize) and Equal Love (A New York Times Notable Book).
His work has appeared in Harpers, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, The Guardian and Washington Post among others, and has been widely anthologized, including selections for Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories. In 2003 Granta magazine named him among its Best of Young British Novelists.
Davies is also a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and is a winner of the PEN/Malamud Award.
Born in Britain to Welsh and Chinese parents, he now makes his home in the US. He has taught at the University of Oregon and Emory University, and is currently on the faculty of the Helen Zell MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Started in 2003, the Kerrytown BookFest is an event celebrating those who create books and those who read them. The primary goal is to highlight the area’s rich heritage in the book and printing arts while showcasing local and regional individuals, businesses, and organizations. Since 2003 we have been growing, sharing, and discovering more and more about the rich book culture in our region.
The BookFest features authors, storytellers, publishers bookbinders, book artists, book illustrators, poets, letterpress printers, wood engravers, calligraphers, papermakers, librarians, teachers, publishers, new, used, and antiquarian booksellers and many others associated with books and their diverse forms, structure, and content.
More information at kerrytownbookfest.org
This year’s theme is “Travels with Books”.
A special feature this year is our third annual Writer in Residence, R.J. Fox. This teacher and author will critique manuscripts submitted ahead of time the day of the festival. Contact Hart Johnson, hartjohnson23@gmail.com, to reserve a slot.
Main Tent
10:30 – 11 a.m. 9th Annual Community Book Award Presentation to Washtenaw Literacy. Director Amy Goodman will accept the award, presented by board member Dallas Moore. Free coffee and donuts will be served in the Main Tent to help celebrate Washtenaw Literacy and kick off the day.
11:00 a.m.- Noon Under the Radar Michigan’s Tom Daldin talks about Michigan’s undiscovered gems.
12:15 – 1:15 p.m. The Quest for Identity Writers Desiree Cooper (Know the Mother), Kelly Fordon (Garden of the Blind), and Andrew Mozina (Contrary Motion) discuss their work with moderator and author Donald Lystra(Something That Feels Like Truth).
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. A Mysterious Sense of Place Mystery writers William Kent Krueger (Manitou Canyon), Hank Phillippi Ryan (What You See) andPatricia Abbott (Shot in Detroit) discuss the sense of place in their novels with author and moderator Carrie Smith (Silent City).
2:45 – 3:45 p.m. Travel through Time with author B.A. Shapiro, who discusses her novels The Art Forger and The Muralist with art historianEllen Longsworth.
4 p.m. Travel North with John Smolens as he discusses his writing and his latest novel Wolf’s Mouth with writer and moderator Benjamin Busch (Dust to Dust).
Kerrytown Concert House
11:00 a.m. – Noon Writing for Hire Join writers Casey Daniels (Irish Stewed) and Vicky Delany (Reading up a Storm), as they discuss the many ways to make a living writing. Both of them have written books “for hire” from TV adaptations to cozy mysteries to flashcards to Goosebumpsinstallments. They’ll discuss the state of publishing today with writer and moderator Barbara Gregorich (Guide to Writing the Mystery Novel: Lots of Examples, Plus Dead Bodies).
12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Stride’s Duluth Thriller writer Brian Freeman illustrates with photos taken on photo safari in Duluth, Minnesota, how he uses the setting to inform his Jonathan Stride novels. He’ll read a passage from one of them to show how his setting influences his writing.
1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Eating Wildly with Ava Chin, who discusses her book on urban foraging with bookseller and moderator Rachel Pastiva, the manager of Crazy Wisdom.
2:45 – 3:45 p.m. Travel the Lakes with Loreen Niewenhuis, who has walked around the entire Great Lakes. She’ll be interviewed by authorMaureen Dunphy (Great Lakes Island Escapes).
4 p.m. The ABCs of Washtenaw Literacy, an informative tour of the agency’s highly effective programs including a video and a presentation from learners.
Children’s Tent
11-11:45 a.m. the beloved Mother Goose shares nursery rhymes with the littlest BookFest visitors
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Shanda Trent reads her new book Giddy-Up, Buckaroos
12:15 – 1 p.m. Writer Kristen Remenar and illustrator Matt Faulkner read their latest collaboration Groundhog’s Dilemma
1 – 1:45 p.m. author Kelly DiPuccio shares How to Potty Train Your Dragon
2 – 3;30 p.m. Storytellers Laura Pershin Raynor and Kayla Coughlinentertain listeners of all ages & share a craft.
3:30 – 5 p.m. writer & illustrator Ruth McNally Barshaw (Ellie McDoodle)leads a drawing workshop – “How to make a Lion from a 5″
Writer in Residence R.J. Fox, ongoing through the day. Mr. Fox will critique the first twenty pages of your manuscript. For information and to reserve a slot, contact Hart Johnson at hartjohnson23@gmail.com.
The Edible Book Contest is open to anyone; entries can be dropped off beginning at 9:30 a.m. the day of the bookfest. More details to come.
Literati is pleased to welcome Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher and journalist Joanne Gerstner for a discussion of Back in the Game: Why Concussion Doesn’t Have to End Your Athletic Career.
Back in the Game, co-authored by pioneering sports neurologist Jeffrey S. Kutcher and award-winning sports journalist Joanne C. Gerstner, is the definitive guide to sports and concussion for youth parents, coaches and athletes. The topic of concussion in youth sports was relatively unheard of 10 years ago. Today, concerned parents are considering removing their children from participation in contact sports such as football or soccer. Back in the Game is a real-world based discussion of concussion and youth sports, with Dr. Kutcher’s clinical expertise blended with Gerstner’s reporting. World Cup and Olympic champion Kate Markgraf, X Games superstar Ellery Hollingsworth, former NFL quarterback Eric Hipple and an array of today’s youth coaches, parents and athletes honestly discuss concussion.
Jeffrey S. Kutcher MD is an internationally recognized sports neurologist and pioneering physician researcher. He is a graduate of the Tulane University School of Medicine and the University of Michigan Neurology Residency program. He founded the American Academy of Neurology’s Sports Neurology Section and was the neurologist for Team USA at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Kutcher is the national division chief of The Sports Neurology Clinic at The CORE Institute.
Joanne C. Gerstner is an award-winning multimedia sports journalist, who focuses on sports and medicine. Her work has appeared on ESPN.com, in the The New York Times, USA Today, Detroit News, and other publications. She is a graduate of the Medill School at Northwestern University, a 2012 University of Michigan Knight-Wallace Fellow, and 2015 Jacobs Foundation Neuroscience Fellow. Gerstner is a professor of sports journalism in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University.
Every 1st & 3rd Sun. All poets invited to compete in a poetry slam judged by a randomly chosen panel from the audience. The program begins with a poetry open mike and (occasionally) a short set by a featured poet.
7-9 p.m. (sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m.), Espresso Royale, 324 S. State. $5 suggested donation. facebook.com/AnnArborPoetrySlam.
