Chicago’s historic Printers Row Book Fair may carry more cachet, but Aurora civic leaders are confident there’s a place for the city’s fledgling Midwest Literary Festival on the heartland literary landscape.
“We drew about 10,000 people at last year’s event, and we think we can draw 15,000 this year,” said Sherman Jenkins, president of the Aurora Public Library Foundation and executive director of the Aurora Economic Development Commission, which teamed to launch the free festival in 2003. “We definitely plan to make this an annual event.”
More than 100 authors representing a gamut of genres–from former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins to home decor/lifestyle writer Alexandra Stoddard and Caldecott Award-winning children’s books illustrator Eric Rohmann–are scheduled for the fest, to be held Saturday and Sunday near Stolp Avenue and Galena Boulevard in downtown Aurora and at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove.
Programming includes poetry slams, panel discussions, how-to workshops, author signings, children’s activities and plenty of street theater.
“We wanted to bump up the energy on the street this year with more costumed characters,” said fest coordinator Tracey Daniels, who lined up The Cat in the Hat, Curious George, Winnie the Pooh and a number of other familiar fictional figures for appearances. “We ended up with so many that we’re throwing a parade at noon Sunday.”
According to Jenkins, the festival is budgeted at about $155,000, nearly the same as last year, with funding provided primarily by the Aurora Economic Development Commission, the City of Aurora, grants and private donations. The commission estimates the 2003 fest generated nearly $900,000 in revenues for area hotels, restaurants and shops.
“We would have done a lot better if we hadn’t gotten hit by some big rainstorms on both mornings of the festival,” Jenkins said. “If the weather is perfect, the festival could generate close to $2.5 million for local businesses.”
To market the celebration more widely as a family-friendly destination, organizers have made a special effort to reach out to Chicago-area teachers and librarians and have scheduled more all-ages programs this year, Daniels said.
One such event, scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday in the Copley Theatre in Aurora, will feature a panel discussion by children’s book illustrators Wendell Minor, Rohmann, Mordicai Gerstein and Jane Dyer. All have won the prestigious Caldecott Medal, awarded annually by the American Library Association for the best children’s picture book illustrations.
“I like doing book fairs because I get to talk with other children’s book illustrators, and I also meet kids who would like to do what I do,” said Rohmann, who works out of his home studio in La Grange and won a Caldecott Medal for “My Friend Rabbit” last year. “I can teach them that this is hard work, but you can have a full, satisfying life as a children’s book author and illustrator.
“I don’t know if book signings and festival appearances are good marketing tools, but they do put a face to your book,” added Rohmann. “And what’s so great about a festival like this is that it appeals to so many different interests.”
Other highlights include a reading by Collins at noon Saturday and a talk by best-selling novelist E. Lynn Harris at 3 p.m. Sunday, both in the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
Midwest Literary Festival hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, rain or shine. For a complete program listing visit www.midwestliteraryfestival.com.
