Festival Attracts Readers Young and Old
Community Center Is Sunday Setting for Book Fair
By SAM TELLER
A new page was turned in Chilmark Sunday as hundreds flocked to the
first Martha's Vineyard Book Festival to seek autographs and hear
readings by more than 30 Island authors.
Held at the Chilmark Community Center, the free event began at 10:45
a.m. with a reading by Robert Brustein, director of the American
Repertory Theatre, and concluded just after 6 p.m. as the attorney and
scholar Alan Dershowitz discussed the Israel-Palestinian peace process.
About 800 people came and went throughout the sunny day. The
community center baseball field was converted into a makeshift
fairground, with a number of large white tents scattered in the
outfield. Three tents - marked nonfiction, fiction and food, and
children and Island life - each contained a podium, microphones
and chairs for eager Vineyard bibliophiles. Under the shade of another
white tent, lobster rolls, sandwiches, drinks and desserts were sold.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/08/09/content/book_fest_tent_sm.jpg" Dressed in turquoise T-shirts, dozens of volunteers, including many
community center employees, escorted authors and directed traffic. Under
the shade of a small tent near second base, Katrina Hacker, 15, sold
festival T-shirts in a variety of colors. "Green and blue are
selling most," she reported.
Inside the community center, the large room was lined with tables
piled high with books and manned by a small team of sellers from the
Bunch of Grapes Bookstore. A steady stream of customers kept them busy.
Sitting at the cashier's table, employee Nick Hathaway, 18, said
he was not surprised to find that selections by the author Judy Blume
were selling best.
Indeed, many visitors and volunteers later said that Ms. Blume, who
has sold over 75 million books in more than 20 languages, was the
highlight of the festival.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/08/09/content/book_fest_judy_blume_sm.jpg" With a broad smile, Ms. Blume took the stage just after 1 p.m. to
enthusiastic applause; more than 200 people from toddlers to
grandparents had turned out to see her. She read a new unpublished story
entitled The Tooth. The story begins as the character "the
Pain" loses a tooth on a morning school bus ride.
"You'd think he was the first person to ever lose a
tooth!" Ms. Blume read, eliciting giggles from her young admirers.
Beforehand, Ms. Blume had autographed hundreds of books for fans of
all ages. Volunteers said they appreciated not just her presence, but
her patience as well.
"She was so gracious," said Talia Herman, who
volunteered with her husband and daughters. "No one left with an
unsigned book."
Other authors, such as the mystery writer Philip Craig, made a point
of engaging their fans as well.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/08/09/content/book_fest_fans_sm.jpg" "He wrote manuscripts for each person," said Natasha
London-Thompson, opening to the title page of Vineyard Prey, where Mr.
Craig had written a short personalized note. She added: "He
rocks."
Mr. Brustein read from his most recent book, Letters to a Young
Actor, about the tension between colorblind casting and racial
typecasting in theatre today. He took a few questions before heading to
another tent to autograph copies of his books.
Signed copy in hand, aspiring writer and actor David Burstein, 16,
of Weston, Conn., said he came mainly to hear Mr. Brustein. He said he
was particularly impressed with the volume of creative activity on
display at the festival.
"There's such a rich Island culture of writing,"
said Mr. Burstein. "It seems like it's hard not to be
inspired creatively on the Vineyard."
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/08/09/content/book_fest_peter_kramer_sm.jpg" While reading her book The Secret, children's author Merrily
Fenner pointed out familiar Island locations, colorfully illustrated by
Joan Walsh. Several young fans approached so close that their voices
were picked up by Mrs. Fenner's microphone.
Festival attendees also had their voices heard on more serious
topics.
As the sun began to set, Mr. Dershowitz invited questions and
criticism in response to his short talk about his new book, The Case for
Peace. He emphatically argued that a prerequisite for peace in the
Middle East is a pervasive change in attitude toward Israel.
"Israel must be normalized in the international
community," he said, suggesting that Israel is currently held to a
different standard than all other nations. "It must be treated
like New Zealand, like Australia."
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/08/09/content/book_sheldon_hackney_sm.jpg" At the end of the day, the feedback was positive. "I bought
$200 worth of books, all my Christmas presents, and I got them
personalized," festival goer Linda Thompson said. "It was
great."
"Attendance was very good for the first year," said
organizer Suellen Lazarus. "The volunteers were amazing."
Mrs. Lazarus, a longtime Vineyard summer resident, based the idea
for the event on the National Book Festival held every year in
Washington, D.C. "We have authors everywhere," she said.
"It just seemed like a natural thing to do."
Her son, managing a nearby parking lot, attested to the hard work
involved. "My mom has been working all day every day for the past
week," said Eben Lazarus, 16. "She's going to be very
relieved to have it over."
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/08/09/content/book_fest_jules_feiffer_sm.jpg" At 6:30 p.m., as the final visitors headed home, Mrs.
Lazarus's enthusiasm was evident beneath her fatigue.
"It was terrific," she said. "There was a lovely
sense of community spirit. The authors enjoyed it, the people enjoyed
it, and it brought the Island together."
Comments
Comment policy »