By Natalie Bradford, Staff Writer
The annual Bookmarks Festival of Books and Authors returns this week for a 10th year of connecting “readers with authors,” said Ginger Hendricks, executive director of the Winston-Salem event. Best-selling author James Patterson will begin the festival with a keynote address Thursday night at Reynolds Auditorium, with several events following through the weekend that allow attendees to meet the authors and illustrators present.
Many events in the festival are free, making it an excellent opportunity for students interested in either reading or writing.
“Anyone who enjoys writing or reading would be able to benefit from meeting people who do what our students love,” Reynolds Arts Magnet Director Karen Morris said.
The authors to be present at different events during the weekend will include Joseph Bathani, the Poet Laureate of North Carolina; Terri Kirby Erickson, a Reynolds graduate; Edward Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s grandson; and teen authors Maggie Stiefvater, Margaret Stohl and Len Vlahos.
Vlahos, author of “The Scar Boys,” will speak to Reynolds students during a special appearance for several English classes at the school Friday.
“I am so excited to meet such wonderful authors,” sophomore Celia Karahalios said. “Their books are fun and adventurous, perfect for a young adult novel.”
The festival allows readers to gain insights into how those perfect novels came about.
“Each of our authors gives a program where they talk, read from their book, and talk about their process of writing or where the idea came from,” Hendricks said. “Question-and-answer sessions and book signings follow. This is a great way to get to learn more about an author — and to ask questions. The questions can include how the author writes a chapter and/or their writing routine, what types of music they listen to, or why they chose to have a certain character do a specific action in a book. All questions are welcome!”
Patterson, the current record holder for having written the most No. 1 New York Times bestsellers, will speak at the Reynolds Auditorium on Thursday (Sept. 4) at 6 p.m. Although he will not sign books at the event, a variety of pre-signed titles will be sold that evening and at the Bookmarks Bookstore before and after.
Tickets for the Patterson event cost $16 — or $26, which includes a signed copy of “Middle School: Save Rafe!” Reynolds media center specialist Tom Brandt was given a limited number of complimentary tickets available for students. Anyone interested in attending Patterson’s keynote address should see Brandt in the media center on Wednesday before the end of the school day.
The events on Friday, Sept. 5, will include two Eat and Greets, one with Lisa Leake and the second with Rita Mae Brown, as well as a Workshop for Writers with J.A. Jance. All three require reservations to participate. The final event of the day will be an Artists’ Reception at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts that will be open to the public.
Those present will interact with eight illustrators and artists who will share their creative processes, story boards, sketches and published work. The artists to be in attendance are Jennifer Carrasco, Ginnie Conaway, Janis Dougherty, Katie Scarlett Faile, Sean Glover, John Hutton, Carol Moates and Ben Perini.
The Festival of Books and Authors begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept., 6 and will last until 5 p.m. in the Hanesbrands Theatre, the Milton Rhodes Center, the Winston Square Park and the surrounding area on Spruce Street.
Saturday’s festival will include a Storybook Parade set to begin at 11 a.m. in which people of all ages are welcome to dress as book characters and join the parade, meeting at the top of the stairs above Winston Square Park. Also on Saturday, there will be a photo booth in the lobby of the Hanesbrands Theatre where characters from the parade will be available for pictures.
A Poetry Corner will be in the Milton Rhodes Center and will feature readings from Joseph Bathani, Terri Kirby Erickson, Terry Kennedy and Joseph Mills, as well as several open mic slots. Morris encouraged students to attend, calling the event a “fabulous time for students who like spoken word to get national exposure.”
The opportunity to attend and even be part of such an event is one that could change a student’s life.
“When I was in high school and college, I remember meeting authors and hearing them talk about their books,” Hendricks said. “It inspired me to be on the journalism staff and later to minor in creative writing and receive a graduate degree in writing. These early experiences with authors helped to shape my future, and I hope that the students at Reynolds will also be inspired as I was.”
For the complete Bookmarks Festival schedule, follow this link.
Interested in learning more about James Patterson or Len Vlahos? Click on their names to visit their websites.