| Baton Rouge: The festival that celebrates books, authors and everything else related to reading and writing is back for its seventh chapter. The 2009 Louisiana Book Festival is set for October 17, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in downtown Baton Rouge, with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra presenting at 6:00 p.m. a sunset performance of "The Sound of Books," a program of music selections from films that originated as books.
More than 175 authors and participants will present their latest releases, discuss them with their fans and sign autographs. As always, the book festival remains free and open to the public. The festival takes over the State Library of Louisiana, the Louisiana State Capitol, the Louisiana State Museum and the nearby streets. And since it’s a Louisiana festival, there will be plenty of great food and live music.
Throughout the day, Louisiana Book Festival readings and discussions continue in the Senate and House Chambers and Committee Hearing Rooms. A sample includes two panels on “Louisiana Women: Their Lives and Times.” Robert Hicks, author of “A Separate Country” will present his rich telling of the final days of Confederate General John Bell Hood; his extraordinary wife, Anna Marie; and a host of other New Orleans citizens struggling to come terms with a post-Civil War era as the terrible devastation of Yellow Plague bears down upon them. New York Times Bestselling author Wally Lamb will explain why his third novel “The Hour I First Believed,” owes its genesis to a visit he made to New Orleans's cavernous St. Louis Cathedral and how his Connecticut-born sons became Louisiana residents during the writing of the story. Additionally, visitors will experience Ethan Brown’s “Shake the Devil Off,” which chronicles the life of Zackery Bowen, an Iraq war veteran who murdered his girlfriend and then killed himself in New Orleans in 2006. And perennial favor Rick Bragg, a former Louisiana resident, returns for his first appearance in the state to discuss his anxiously awaited new book, “The Most They Ever Had,” which was released only a few days prior to the festival.
While most of the programs in the Capitol are geared towards adult and young adult readers, the Young Readers Pavilion is meant to capture the interest of children of all ages. Louisiana Book Festival organizers have scheduled storytellers and performers including Philip Melancon, Johnette Downing, Janie Spaht Gill and magician Chris Miller.
In keeping with LBF tradition, a Cooking Demonstration Tent will be set up on Spanish Town Road where cookbook authors Kit Wohl, Karl “Cajun Karl” Breaux and Pamela Lyles will cook up tasty samples of their favorite dishes. As a special treat for the kids, Roosevelt Pitt, Jr. will offer a cooking demo just for them. Parents, stand back while your children learn how to create their own healthy smoothies.
Barnes & Nobles Booksellers will be in full force with the Festival Market & Signing Tent, including a special book tent just for kids. Visitors will get a chance to buy the books penned by the festival’s authors and have them signed. For those who love to poke around exhibits there will be more than 80 book-related organizations on hand with booths set up between the State Capitol and the State Library on North 4th Street.
To cap off a wonderful day of books, the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra will present a free outdoor concert in front of the Louisiana State Capitol. From 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., Conductor David Torns and the symphony will present a sunset performance of “The Sound of Books,” a program of music selections from films that originated as books.
The Louisiana Book Festival is the premier event of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Last year more than 21,000 visitors from across the nation attended the festival, the highest attendance increase since the festival’s inception. During that single weekend, visitors injected more than $2 million into the economy. More than 500 citizens from across the state volunteered at the festival.
The Louisiana Book Festival continues to demonstrate what is great and unique about Louisiana,” said Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu, whose office oversees the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana, which presents the festival. “Our cultural heritage is extraordinary and our literature reflects this fact. I invite everyone to come out and celebrate this world-class celebration of writers and books.”
State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton agrees. “We hear from festival goers each year that the LBF is the one festival they don’t want to miss and we think you will agree. This nationally recognized event brings to life historical and political figures and truly demonstrates what makes Louisiana different from the rest of the world,” said Hamilton.
The Louisiana Book Festival is co-sponsored by the Office of Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu, Louisiana Center for the Book; the State Library of Louisiana; the Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism; and the Louisiana Library Foundation. It is funded through federal and state grants as well as sponsors such as the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
Information on the 2009 Louisiana Book Festival is available online at www.LouisianaBookFestival.org or by calling (225) 219-9503.
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