Bennington BookFest Celebrates TownÂ’s Literary Renaissance
Bennington BookFest, slated for Saturday May 15, 2004, presents Pulitzer, Guggenheim and other award-winning writers as small Vermont town celebrates not only its famed literary heritage, but also its rebirth.
BENNINGTON, VT (PRWEB) April 22, 2004 -
– The small Vermont town drew national headlines last year for its progressive renaissance in elementary education at The Molly Stark School. Now, the town’s public library is experiencing a renaissance of its own kind. Over the years, the Bennington Free Library has grown to become a vital community resource, offering everything from kindergarten and pre-school programs to adult continuing education seminars. The organization’s annual used book sale, has also grown to include as many as fifteen thousand new, used and vintage books, CDs, DVDs, videos, toys and games, drawing people from across the state as well as from neighboring New York and Massachusetts. Now, the Friends of the Bennington Free Library are building on their successful past to host a different kind of event.
The premiere of the Bennington BookFest, a day-long celebration of the literary arts, will take place May 15, 2004, and feature not only a book sale, but also play host to Pulitzer Prize Finalist and National Book Critics Circle Award nominee David Gates, Guggenheim Poetry Fellow April Bernard, novelists Christopher Miller and Ben Jones, Children’s author Rebecca Rupp and award-winning poet Matthew Wills—nearly a dozen authors, poets and playwrights in all.
The event, to benefit literacy programming and accessibility needs, will feature Jennifer Barlow conducting a drop-in bookmaking workshop for kids. Novelist Ben Jones will lead a creative writing seminar on language and meaning, entitled: "I said it. I meant it. Pity the non-believers." Festival highlights also include a special childrenÂ’s story hour, a community-wide poetry slam and a cocktail reception at the Pangaea Lounge.
For over a century, Bennington County has been home to poets Robert Frost, W. H. Auden and Mary Oliver, authors Jamaica Kincaid, Bernard Malamud, Shirley Jackson, Jonathan Lethem, Donna Tartt, Rebecca Rupp, Anne Hunter and Johanna Hurwitz. “We’re extremely excited to be part of Bennington’s literary heritage as well as its renaissance,” said Tammy Buckley, President of the Friends of the Bennington Library, “It’s only natural that Bennington’s Library should set the stage for this kind of community event.”
According to Buckley, the idea for BookFest was sparked by the need to build on the library’s past fundraising efforts in order to maintain its current schedule of programming while meeting new technology and facilities needs. “One of our many goals,” said Buckley, “is to raise enough money to purchase an automated door system so that handicapped and physically challenged members of our community can have full access to the library and its resources. We want to serve the whole community and we think we can accomplish this by creating an event that recognizes and reaches back to the town’s remarkable literary roots, while acknowledging the next generation of writers who are deciding to call Bennington their home.”
The day will kick off at Sacred Heart-St. Francis de Sales Church located at 238 West Main Street in downtown Bennington with the used book sale starting at 9am and continuing until 4pm with surprise discounts announced throughout the day. Author readings, discussions and signings will begin at 10am. The drop-in bookmaking workshop will take place between 11am and 1pm. Participants should allow 30 minutes for this workshop. The poetry slam and author reception will begin at 6pm at the Pangaea Lounge on Prospect Street in North Bennington and continue on into the evening.
A complete listing of workshops, featured authors and books can be found at: http://www. benningtonbookfest. org (http://www. benningtonbookfest. org)
BookFest is sponsored by The Friends of the Bennington Free Library. Special thanks are due to The Bennington Book Shoppe, EvanÂ’s News, North Bennington Graded School, Off the Wall Gym, The Otter Pond Bindery, and the Pangaea Lounge & Restaurant.
For more information about the Bennington BookFest, please call The Friends of the Bennington Free Library at 802-447-8844 or e-mail info@benningtonbookfest. org, or visit www. benningtonbookfest. org.
The Friends of the Bennington Free Library is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational programming, services and community advocacy for the Bennington Free Library.
