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Have you ever wanted to meet the writers you read about in The Literary Hill? Well, mark your calendars. On May 15, you’re invited to the first annual (we hope!) Literary Hill BookFest.
In celebration of my tenth year with the “Hill Rag,” my friend and fellow writer Maggie Hall and I are planning a festival featuring authors who have appeared in these pages. There will be talks and readings, book sales, a children’s corner for story times, and plenty of opportunities to chat with your favorite writers. Invitees include Martha Grimes, Gene Weingarten, Louis Bayard, Frederick Reuss, Ariel Sabar, Peter Manseau, and many more. The BookFest will take place in the North Hall of Eastern Market from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and admission is free.
But first, some history. A decade ago, I finally decided that it was time to stop wanting to be a writer and actually be one. That year, 2001, I submitted my first article to the “Hill Rag” – on home canning. I followed that up with a piece on adult education and then one about people who took their pets to work. Clearly I needed some focus. Enter Executive Editor Melissa Ashabranner, who not only believed that I could write but who also has a gift for getting right to the heart of the matter.
“What do you like to do?” she asked. “I like to read,” I offered. “What kinds of books?”“Well, mysteries…” I began. “Did you know that Martha Grimes lives on the Hill?” she replied. I gulped. And “Hill Writers” was born.
Ms. Grimes became my first “Hill Writer,” although I was so terrified at the thought of actually meeting her that I conducted the interview via fax. Lou Bayard was the unwitting guinea pig for my first face-to-face interview. Thanks to his kindness and encouragement, I mustered the courage to tackle more than forty authors over the next four years.
During that time, I interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winners Edmund Morris and Jonathan Yardley, DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Martha Grimes (in person!), political activist Sam Smith, poet Jean Nordhaus, reporter Jim Myers, novelists Frederick Reuss and Marie Arana, three members of the Kelly clan (Tom, Marguerite, and Katy), and many others. These distinguished and talented Hill denizens welcomed me into their homes, with my loyal photographer/husband Ed McManus in tow. They were invariably gracious and forthcoming about their work and their lives. It was a rare privilege — although my palms never stopped sweating.
In 2005, I decided to broaden my focus to “The Literary Hill,” making the column a compendium of writers, books, and events of local interest. Since then, I have written more than a hundred short reviews of books, scores of announcements of readings, and coverage of events such as the National Book Festival.
On the tenth anniversary of my writing debut, I look back in astonishment at Capitol Hill’s never-ending supply of writers and readers and people who care about books. The first annual Literary Hill BookFest is a way of paying homage to them and encouraging others to join their ranks.
Over the next few months, I’ll share some behind-the-scenes stories about my early interviews and keep you updated on plans for the BookFest (a website is coming soon). So watch this space! And if you’d like to help, either on the day of the event or with preparations (such as poster design), please e-mail us at volunteer@literaryhillbookfest.org.
A Local Author Shines
When Peggy Walton’s daughters were small, she wrote a story for them about growing up and finding the light within. Now her daughters are grown, but she recently pulled out her story, reworked it, and called upon her friend Hazel Caldwell to illustrate it. The result is “Shine!”
The book tells an inspiring tale about a pair of sisters named Alison and Jayme, little fireflies who bask in the warmth of their family. Eventually, however, they begin to be curious about what’s beyond the familiar boundaries of home. “What do you suppose is out there?” Jayme asks Alison. They set out to explore and their subsequent adventures, both wondrous and frightening, help them to discover that they have it within themselves to navigate in the world. In the end, “encircled by their own warm glow, [they strike out] confidently into the darkness to find their way home.”
Having “nurtured two daughters and helped keep a marriage shining,” Peggy Walton lives and works on Capitol Hill. For more information about “Shine!” visit www.presence-publishing.com.
Coming Attractions
2011 promises to be a banner year for lovers of books, poetry, and literary discussions. Here are just a few of the treats in store for the New Year on Capitol Hill.
New books. Martha Grimes returns to her series about young sleuth Emma Graham in “Faraway Girl” (February 3), which takes up the cold case of a baby who vanished from the Belle Ruin Hotel twenty years ago. Hill favorite Lou Bayard hearkens back to the sixteenth century for his new historical mystery, “The School of Night” (March 29), about a cabal of scholars who practice the black arts and a modern-day duo trying to solve an ancient puzzle. And Ariel Sabar, whose first book, “My Father’s Paradise,” won a National Book Critics Award, tells the true stories of nine couples who found romance in the Big Apple in “Heart of the City: Nine Stories of Love and Serendipity on the Streets of New York” (January 11).
Poetry Readings. The Capitol Hill Reading Series at Riverby Books has scheduled a stellar slate of poets for 2011. On January 18, enjoy “Pi Pie Poetry: On Mathematics, Formulas, Fillings, Fruitfulness & Crusty Subjects,” which is billed as both a poetry reading and a pie tasting. Upcoming readings will feature author, teacher, and host of NPR’s “The Poet and the Poem,” Grace Cavalieri, whose latest work is “The Poet’s Cookbook,” and Kim Roberts, noted poet and editor of “Beltway Poetry Quarterly.” Readings are held the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. For more information, visit http://capitolhill.poetrymutual.org or call 202-526-1632.
The newly-renamed O.B. Hardison Poetry Series at the Folger Shakespeare Library also promises some great poetic moments in 2011. On January 6, the series travels to The Phillips Collection for a co-sponsored presentation by Kevin Young, who will read works that accompany images from an exhibition called “TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art 1845-1945.” Mary Karr, better known for memoirs such as “The Liar’s Club,” will read her poetry in March, and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass joins Capitol Hill’s own Jean Nordhaus for a reading and discussion in May. For more information, visit www.folger.edu or call 202-544-7077.
Readings and Talks. No slouch in attracting literary stars, the PEN/Faulkner reading series at the Folger will feature dual offerings in February: a triple bill with Elinor Lipman, Stephen McCauley, and Cathleen Schine on the 7th and “An Evening with Jonathan Franzen” on the 18th. On January 14, a moderated conversation on politics, race, and family spotlights novelists Porochista Khakpour, Achy Obejas, and Danzy Senna. For more information, visit www.penfaulkner.org or call 202-544-7077.
Finally, on February 15, Folger Lectures will present Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, co-creators of “Kill Shakespeare,” a graphic novel that creates new adventures for Shakespearean characters. For more information, visit www.folger.edu or call 202-544-7077. |
