Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710
FAX (215) 567-7850
Contact: Communications and Development
Free Library Presents Inaugural Philadelphia Book Festival: Celebrate Reading, Writing, and Publishing this Spring
PHILADELPHIA, April 11, 2007 - Who says libraries have to be quiet? On Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., the Central Library on the Parkway will be anything but quiet. The first annual Philadelphia Book Festival--a celebration of reading, writing, and publishing--will be alive with FREE author talks and book signings, children’s theater, storytellers, magic, music, and more. Multicultural musical performances will include Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Patti Smith, the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, Folklore Urbano, and a host of local and national musical talent.
The two-day festival, taking place in and around the Central Library on 19th and Vine Streets, will feature more than sixty of the biggest names in writing and publishing. Many authors at the top of current bestseller lists will present their works for discussion. Presenting authors will include: Terry McMillan (Waiting to Exhale), Lee and Bob Woodruff (In an Instant: A Family’s Journey of Love and Healing), Mary Higgins Clark (I Heard That Song Before), Mark Bowden (Black Hawk Down), Patti Smith (Auguries of Innocence), Christopher Buckley (Thank You For Smoking), Mireille Guiliano (French Women Don’t Get Fat), Mark Doty (Dog Years), R.L. Stine (Goosebumps), Ann Rule (No Regrets), Alexander McCall Smith (The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency), Jabari Asim (The N Word), and Gary Shteyngart (Absurdistan).
The festival will also host a lively street fair of literary exhibitors and publishers.
For more information please visit www.philadelphiabookfestival.org.
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The Free Library of Philadelphia system consists of 49 branches, three regional libraries, the Central Library, and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. With more than six million visits annually, the Free Library is one of the most widely-used educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia.
04/11/2007
Department of External Affairs, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1189
(215) 567-7710, FAX (215) 567-7850