Book festival promises to be page-turner
Read any good books lately?
If you have, the 13th annual Vegas Valley Book Festival on Oct. 16-18 is just the place to meet like-minded readers and enjoy panel discussions, keynote speakers, readings, book signings, workshops, vendor exhibits, art exhibitions, spoken-word performances and other activities. The festival is also a good place to pick up a book.
The festival is scheduled to take place primarily at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St., with the exceptions being An Evening with B.J. Novak at 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road; and Waddie Mitchell at noon Oct. 17 at the Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse, 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South.
The former event is set to feature Novak, the actor, writer, director and executive producer who is best known for his work on NBC’s “The Office.” The event later features storyteller and poet Mitchell, who penned the official Nevada Sesquicentennial poem.
Some of the highlights of the main festival on Oct. 18 include a workshop titled Climbing Family Trees: How to research your family’s history and celebrate your heritage at 10 a.m.; Vegas Writes: Lost & Found in Las Vegas: What the City Hides and What it Reveals at 11 a.m.; The Thrill of a Good Mystery at 2 p.m.; Publishing Options: What Writers Need to Know at 2 p.m.; and a free gathering of young-adult authors in two tents, with more than 100 authors and 10 panels planned.
For several years, the festival has also included the Children’s Book Festival and the Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival. This year, the Comic Book Festival is set to take place as an individual event on Nov. 1, but there will still be a comic book element at the Vegas Valley Book Festival in the form of an art show.
The exhibition, “BAM! It’s a Picture Book: The Art Behind Graphic Novels,” is set to be on display at the Historic Fifth Street School during the festival Oct. 18 and by appointment through Oct. 25 by calling 702-229-4614.
The show was put together by the staff of the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature in Abilene, Texas.
“We change our shows three times a year, and the shows always feature a different picture book artist,” said Debra Lillick, the center’s executive director. “This is the first we’ve done with art from graphic novels, so it’s a different kind of show for us.”
Lillick added that the show was well received at its initial exhibition at the center, not only by the children but also by teachers and librarians. Las Vegas is the first stop on a multi-city tour for the show.
The show features work by five contemporary graphic novel artists: Raina Telgemeier, Mark Crilley, Matthew Holm, Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Lincoln Peirce.
“The center sought us out for the show,” said Holm. “It was a great thing to be involved in. I was really impressed with the center.”
Three of the artists, Crilley, Telgemeier and Holm, are slated to be at the book festival for a 10 a.m. panel discussion in the Historic Fifth Street School auditorium.
“I worked in magazine publishing for eight years before I began doing these books,” Holm said. “It’s great to get out to see the people who read them. I spend a lot of time alone, working on the art, and it’s cool to get out and meet the readers. It’s a big change from my daily work.”
“The festival is well established, so now we have authors and publishers seeking us out to find out how they can be involved,” said Brian Kendall, cultural programming specialist for the city of Las Vegas. “It keeps getting bigger and evolving. We want to invite everyone to come down to a great event. It’s all free, except the food, and it’s family-friendly.”
For more information on the Vegas Valley Book Fesitval, visit vegasvalleybookfestival.org.
Contact East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.
