Literary New Year

One weekend, two major literary festivals, hundreds of events -- and lots of lit! I could write a book on this weekend's Baltimore Book Festival and National Book Festival -- but I'll stick to few brief highlights.

Friday night, the action was at the CityLit and Creative Cafe tents with readings by lots of local (and semi-local) authors, including Nathan Leslie, Lizzie Skurnick, Justin Sirois and Christine Stewart -- not to mention music, wine and beer.

In DC, on Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting such decorated writers as Julia Glass, Scott Turow, Michael Connelly, Vince Flynn, and Alexander McCall Smith and even got to chat for awhile with Alice McDermott. I attended their craft lectures, and those of Khaled Hosseini, Geraldine Brooks, Spider & Jeanne Robinson, and Bob Woodward.

Finally, Sunday's Write Here Write Now reading was standing-tent only and is the subject of a story in today's Examiner. It was the first public reading from my novel in stories, TRACKS.

I had an unexpected lunch with former Governer James McGreevey in the author's lounge and a drink with children's author and artist Kevin O'Malley.

It's always a pleasure to see old literary friends and new at these festivals -- fellow writers, local literary agents, presidents of publishing houses, and editors of magazines and journals. Not to mention those who run the events, like Gregg Wilhelm of the CityLit Project. That, perhaps, is the biggest thrill of all. Paul Lagasse said it well in today's papercast, calling the weekend his "literary New Year's Day."

See Paul Lagasse's papercast here.
http://www.avwrites.com/sv/index.html

And check out Sara Michael's story on our reading in The Examiner.
http://www.examiner.com/a-322095~Book_fest_gives_writers_public_voice.html