Champlain College authors to speak at 10th Annual Burlington Book Festival

BURLINGTON, VT (09/16/2014)(readMedia)-- Faculty and students at Champlain College are eagerly anticipating the 10th Annual Burlington Book Festival in downtown Burlington from Friday, Sept. 19 to Sunday, Sept. 21.

According to the event's website, the "annual celebration of the written word offers readings, book signings, panels, workshops, demos, family activities, and special events" that involve literary figures not only from Vermont, but around the world. All of the events are free of charge and open to everyone.

There are many Champlain College connections within the festival. Tim Brookes, the director of the Professional Writing Program, will be making an appearance many times throughout the weekend. On Saturday at the Burlington Town Center, Brookes will be wood-carving from 10-11:30 a.m. and 2-3:30 p.m. to bring attention to endangered languages. The public is invited to ask questions and touch the carvings, many of which have been exhibited at prestigious universities around the world, as well as the Smithsonian Institution, according to the event's website.

In addition, Brookes, along with managing editor for the Champlain College Publishing Initiative Kim Macqueen and adjunct professor Lawrence Connolly, will be be featured at the 1960s themed "Cocktails and Conversations" book launch party on Saturday from 7-9 p.m. at the Karma Bird House. The faculty will be celebrating and reading from their newly published books.

Adjunct professor Tanya Lee Stone will also play a part in the events, presiding over the dedication of the festival and speaking about her writing at the Fletcher Free Library at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

In addition, a number of students in Champlain's Professional Writing program will be volunteering during the weekend's events.

This year's festival will involve 50 writers of many different backgrounds. Novelists, poets, short story writers, authors of children's books, journalists, and comic book writers will all be making an appearance. They range from locally-known writers to internationally recognized literary figures.

The Festival begins on Friday at 7:30 p.m., with a dedication honoring Vermont author Katherine Paterson and her new memoir, Stories of My Life, followed by a book signing.

The weekend offers many literary themed events, including the Fletcher Free Library's Annual Fall Book Sale from Wednesday to Sunday. A bookbinding demonstration will take place in the Fletcher Free Library at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, where workshop participants will leave with hand-bound journals.

The chances to hear and see writers present their work throughout the festival will be abundant, organizers say. Authors will be speaking at the Fletcher Free Library throughout the weekend. In addition, there will be three launch parties for books and a digital magazine, where authors will be celebrating and reading their recently-published works. On Sunday, young writers will be presenting their work at the Fletcher Free Library as part of the Young Writer's Project and the Short Story Works Writing Contest.

A complete schedule of all of the festival's events can be found at http://burlingtonbookfestival.com/schedule-2/. More information about the 2014 Burlington Book Festival is available at the event's website.

By Shannon Turgeon '17/Champlain College News