Cornerstone Books Gone, Salem Lit. Fest Still a Go

This weekend, unpublished scribblers and internationally renowned authors will come together at The Salem Literary Festival to discuss the current state of the book world in a series of 25 panels and interactive workshops.

The 2011 Salem Literary Festival will run from today (Friday, Sept. 23) through Sunday, Sept. 25.

Events will be held at eight different venues throughout Salem, including the , and the .

With the exception of Friday and Saturday night’s dinner celebrations, a $5 admission button gives attendees full access to all of the weekend’s events.

The first Festival was held in 2008 when Cornerstone Bookstore (now closed) owner Gilbert Pili and his associate Beth Simpson decided that Salem needed its own literary festival.

“Salem has a long, historic connection…with literature. Newburyport had had a successful festival for years,” Simpson explained, “but Eastern Massachusetts was ripe for another literature-centered event.”

Each year, the Festival brings established authors, agents and other literary figures to Salem to participate in events that cater to both avid readers and aspiring writers. Most of the events feature a short presentation, followed by a Q&A.

“The audience wants different things and this format gives everyone a chance to get what they want,” Simpson said.

Even though the annual festival has been successful in the past, Simpson said this year’s event almost didn’t happen. Cornerstone Books closed last October and took with it much of the festival’s support base.   

Fortunately, Salem couple Brunonia Barry and Gary Ward agreed to co-chair the planning committee this year and help plan the weekend. Barry is also the award-winning, New York Times Bestselling author of The Lace Reader and The Map of True Places and this year’s festival host. Simpson said that authors are flying in this weekend from all of the country based on Barry’s recommendation of and presence at the event.

The Festival kicks off Friday at 6:30 p.m. with an opening Night Celebration featuring a reading from local author Erin Morgenstern. Her debut novel, The Night Circus, is currently Amazon’s Best Book of the Month and has already received praise from reviewers at publications such as The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and Elle Magazine. Her whimsical and engrossing love story is set in a 19th century circus and has been likened to the Harry Potter series because of its ability to wrangle the praise of both adult and adolescent readers.

Beginning Saturday morning at 10 a.m., various events for all ages and interests will be held at different locales throughout Salem.

For example, writers looking to improve their writing can drop into workshops such as "Writing Strong Women" featuring authors Brunonia Barry and Julia Glass, Writing Dialogue with author Shawn Klomparens, or "Writing Historical Fictions" with author Katherine Howe. Those looking to publish their work can then get insider tips from agents, self-published authors and publicists at panels like the Literary Agent Panel, "What Every Writer MUST Know About Publicity" and "The Changing Face of Publishing."

Bloggers, bibliophiles and fans will find a new forum for their thoughts and opinions at events such as "The Mystery Panel," "The Lipstick Chronicles," "Book Club Bonanza and Social" and "My Poetry Crush."

There are even events for children and teens. For instance, there’s a Young Adult Panel with author Joanna Philbin, a reading from the newly-released anthology Dear Bully and a performance by the History Tellers of the North Shore titled John Glover’s War about the Marblehead resident who provided the first ship for the United States’ navy.

Many of the events run concurrently, which Simpson said allows a variety of different events, but also limits the festival’s growth. She said that this year, rather than add more events, the committee bumped up the number of authors in attendance at each event in an effort to pack them all with a lot of energy and experience.

The 2011 Festival will feature over 50 presenters, including Heather Graham, Alethea Black, Jenna Blum, Robert Booth, Dana Cameron, Crissa-Jean Chappell, Erin Dionne, Hallie Ephron, Julia Fox Garrison, Ethan Gilsdorf and many more.

To view the full schedule and author list, purchase your admission button or reserve a spot at any of the Festival’s events, click here.