Welcome to the Second Annual Tucson Festival of Books!

Kristen Cook, Arizona Daily Star / January 17, 2010

Consider this chapter two.

The second annual Star-sponsored Tucson Festival of Books - set for March 13-14 - is like the book you just can't stop reading.

"It's a totally new and different festival from last year," said Pima County Library Director Nancy Ledeboer, who co-chairs the festival's author committee.

Oh, the basics are the same: a free, family-friendly event at the University of Arizona campus celebrating books and reading and featuring best-selling authors, writing workshops and children's events.

It's just that this year, the festival will be more like the "Six Million Dollar Man" TV show - better, stronger - than it was before.

"It was a little harder to describe to people what a book festival is," Ledeboer said of the inaugural event. "Last year, you had to paint the picture for them, and now that people have an idea of it, it'll be bigger and better. It's going to continue to get better and better."

More than 400 authors are expected at the event held at the UA campus, with roughly a third returning from last year.

"I think it's a tribute to all the people who work on the festival that we have more and more authors looking at us," said Bill Viner, CEO of Pepper Viner Homes and one of the festival's founders.

In fact, organizers were put in the uncomfortable position of turning down authors who wanted a return engagement.

"We didn't just want to do the same festival over again," Ledeboer said.
Because of their popularity, the writing workshops have been beefed up this year. They will cover topics like writing romances and mysteries, screenwriting, writing plays and putting together a book proposal. Aspiring writers will also be pleased to see plenty of agents and editors, Ledeboer said.

Festival-goers should plan to attend both days, said Ledeboer and Viner. This year's event will feature more bilingual authors and those representing different cultural points of view. In an effort to appeal to men, the festival has added more thriller, mystery and nonfiction writers, Ledeboer added.

Just like last year, there will be a food court with local eateries along with a children's area offering story telling and entertainment. New this year is a literary circus, said Viner. LindleyLopez Productions will perform a circus act to literary themes, he said.

As another added feature, authors' books will be for sale in the book-signing areas.
C-SPAN will film some author sessions for its program, "After Words," Viner said.
Pretty exciting stuff considering that no one knew what to expect for the first festival.

"I can remember last year, waiting at 9 and wondering if anyone was going to show up," Viner said.

People did. In droves.

More than 50,000 attended the first festival, and organizers expect that number to grow this year.

"Listening up close to an author discuss his or her work is a delight," said Arizona Daily Star Publisher and Editor John M. Humenik, one of the festival's founders. "There's a small-town feeling to being there, under a tent, in a classroom on the campus or at a book signing, interacting with a national best-selling author - and all of this for free."

Another aspect of the festival is its push to reduce illiteracy. More than a dozen community agencies that promote literacy will also be a part of the event. The festival donated $200,000 to local literacy charities, including Reading Seed, which helps children learn to read.

The organization, which will have a booth at this year's festival, received $65,000, said Jim Murphy, president of Reading Seed's board of directors.

"That's just tremendous for a small program," he said. "Whether we receive any dollars or not, I think it is just a fantastic event for the community. It highlights the issue of literacy and the impact it has on making the community a better place."