When he was painting, it was a no-brainer:
Ken Hull, a Boalsburg artist, had a booth at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. It was art in the traditional sense, celebrated as part of the area’s largest artistic event.
But when Hull switched gears to literature, publishing his guide ‘Going Local!’ in 2007, he found himself without an artistic venue at the arts festival. There were no booths for books.
That troubled Hull, who, like many writers, sees the literary craft as an art unto itself. He soon took his thoughts to Pat Griffith, the head of adult services at Schlow Centre Region Library, and to festival Executive Director Rick Bryant.
Now, after several months of collaboration, the 44-year-old arts festival has formally added a literary component. Organizers call it BookFest PA, and it will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the library, at South Allen Street and East Beaver Avenue.
‘Authors are very insulted if you try to them their books are not art,’ Griffith said Friday. ‘It’s a creative process. … It definitely should be respected as much.’
Eleven authors, many of them local, will present brief presentations about their work, sell and sign books and discuss the craft. Most will appear in the Downsbrough Room at the library. But BookFest featured author Christopher McDougall, a Philadelphia-area writer who penned the New York Times bestseller ‘Born to Run,’ will speak at the State College Presbyterian Church because it offers a larger seating area, Griffith said.
McDougall’s talk will begin at 2 p.m. at the church, at West Beaver Avenue and South Fraser Street. Like all other BookFest events, it will not require a festival button for entry. McDougall plans to offer a book-signing event at the library immediately after his presentation at the church.
Also away from the library, local columnist and writer Lee Stout, author of ‘Ice Cream U: The Story of the Nation’s Most Successful Collegiate Creamery,’ will speak at the Hintz Family Alumni Center at 4 p.m.
Otherwise, BookFest events will be centered at the library. A tent outside, at East Beaver and South Allen, will offer raffle tickets to encourage visitors to go inside for the author presentations, Griffith said.
The overall idea is to broaden the scope of the arts recognized at the annual festival, Bryant said.
He said people who visit arts festivals and their musical concerts also tend to be ‘people who read.’
Bryant hopes BookFest will not only draw new attendees to the festival, but also enhance the experience for longtime festival diehards, he said. Griffith said organizers tried to incorporate a mix of different writing types into the BookFest lineup.
BookFest events, outlined in detail on a special website, will begin at 10 a.m. with a presentation by State College children’s author Martha Freeman. Jeffrey Frazier, author of the ‘Pennsylvania Fireside Tales,’ will follow at 11 a.m.
Hull will be next at noon; Joann Leonard, at 1 p.m.; Mark Ross, at 3 p.m. in the children’s department; Kieryn Nicholas, at 4 p.m.; and Georgia Anne Butler, at 4:30 p.m. Other authors expected to present include John Carr and Paul Yeager.
Griffith said the event has received substantial support from the Friends of Schlow Library, a community group; from the Nittany Valley Writers Network; from Webster’s Bookstore Cafe, which will provide some food; from Barnes and Noble Booksellers; and from the Schlow staff.
Once the BookFest was planned and word spread, Griffith said, at least 20 more authors showed interest in participating. It was too late to include them this year, but she expects that BookFest will evolve substantially for its 2011 incarnation, she said. ‘We didn’t know that it would get so big.’
Planning for the 2010 BookFest began in September.
Already, for next year, Griffith is establishing an author-selection process and is considering other organizational details, such as funding. (This year’s author participants will not pay a fee, though artists who have Sidewalk Sale booths at the arts festival do.)
‘It will be much bigger next year,’ Griffith said of BookFest. ‘Right now, I’m pretty happy with the way it’s going.’
Related features: See live festival images from Allen Street — or share some photos of your own. It’s all available via the festival guide on StateCollege.com.
