Writing Through Clouds

Sunday, October 1 was not just a beautiful, sunny day; it was a double-barreled load of fun at the the 11th annual Baltimore Book Festival, billed as “the mid-Atlantic’s premier celebration of the literary arts!”

The three-day event took place under a village of tents set up on Mount Vernon Square by Baltimore’s iconic Washington Monument. Books new and old, arts and crafts, music, readings, and lots of great food and drink make the Baltimore Book Festival my “literary New Year’s Day!”

The fun began at the hospitality suite, where authors were invited to congregate for refreshments before, during, and after the events. It was located in a beautiful old mansion that was originally constructed in 1847 and renovated in 1890 with elegant wood paneling and marble, stained glass windows, a grand staircase, and Baltimore’s first hydraulic elevator! (It still runs, though it was converted to electricity a long time ago.) Appropriately enough, today it’s the headquarters of a publishing company. The hosts welcomed us warmly and steered us in the right direction.

First stop was the CityLit Stage, where my classmates and I from the Write Here, Write Now classes read from our work. I read a short humor piece and a scene from my latest novel, Invasion of the Orb Men. It was great to see the old gang again, several of whom will be taking the next Write Here, Write Now class that starts later this month.

Front Row: Nancy Greene, Fernando Quijano III, Barbara Friedland Back Row:Judy Turner, Eric Goodman, WHWN instructor Chris Stewart, and me

The readings were very well received by the almost standing room only crowd who filled the tent and listened attentively to everyone’s work. It was a great way to start the day, and I think I saw quite a few smiles as people moved on to the next event or hung around for the authors who followed us in the CityLit tent. It’s a nice feeling to know you’ve made someone a little bit happier by reading to them.

Next stop: the Maryland Writer’s Association tent, where Mary Jo and I sold copies of Seeing Through Clouds. Thanks to Scott Morrow, the MWA’s terrific (and wickedly funny) membership director for being such a fun “den leader” for all of us MWA members who exhibited our wares in the tent. I had a very good day, selling more books than I thought I would, making a lot of new friends, and getting to say hi to old friends who dropped by. Time just flew by. I wish it could have gone on longer — maybe next year I’ll sign up for both days!

Considering the great pasta salad, cold cuts, and drinks they had for us back in the hospitality suite — where we stopped to refresh and refuel before heading home — it certainly would be worth it!

Maybe next year I’ll get to meet some of you too!

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 5th, 2006 at 7:50 pm and is filed under Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.