Book festivals dot fall calendar

• By GREG LANGLEY
• Books editor
• Published: Aug 3, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Twitter
• Social Media

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

It’s not too early to think about the annual round of books festivals that dot the fall calendar. The best one (a subjective judgment) is here: The Louisiana Book Festival in downtown Baton Rouge.

This year’s event is Saturday, Oct. 4, and according to Jim Davis, new director of the Louisiana Center for the Book at the State Library of Louisiana,  authors who have committed to appear include Rick Bragg, Julia Reed, Olympia Vernon, George Singleton, Cokie Roberts, Louisiana Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque, James Wilcox, Scott Douglas, Charles Reagan Wilson, Phyllis Montana LeBlanc, James Nolan, William Conescu, Susan Spicer, Gary W. Moore, John Dufresne, Joe Formichella with Ben Jobe, Suzanne Hudson, Arthur Hardy, Paul Dietzel, Darryl Wimberley, Gary Richards, Rebeca Antoine, Rick Barton, Mike Lane, Gerald Duff, Elizabeth Singer Hunt, Michael Gates Gill, Christina Vella, Scott Douglas, Howard Bahr, Jack Pendarvis, Tom Piazza, Sara Roahen, Immaculé Ilibagiza, Dan Gill and Bev Marshall.

The winner of the 2008 Louisiana Writer Award is honored during the festival, but the honoree has already been announced. It’s children’s author and illustrator William Joyce. According to a press release, “he is being honored by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana for his extraordinary contributions to the state’s literary heritage exemplified by his body of work.”

“This is the first time that a children’s author has been honored with the Louisiana Writer Award,” said Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, whose office in the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism oversees the State Library. “Mr. Joyce has not only been successful at reaching children through his writing and illustrations, but he has directed his talent towards creating wonderfully playful animated worlds for both television and film. This artist truly represents the talent emerging from Louisiana’s literary culture.”

Joyce wrote his first book in the fourth grade.

State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton is particularly pleased that the Center for the Book is recognizing an artist who reaches children. “If we take a child and introduce him to the fun and joy that comes from knowing characters in a story, if we are able to inspire that child and see the first sparks of wonderment that come from reading, then we know we’ve set that child on a course that will be stayed throughout his or her life,” Hamilton said. “William Joyce’s work shines at this. His stories are playful, full of joy and mischievousness and children open up to that quality and want to know more.”

In an effort to help his fellow Louisianans, Joyce has used his art in at least two approaches to raise funds for those affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Faces of Katrina was an exhibit that combined the work of several photographers. With the goal of empowering evacuees through photography sessions, the exhibit sought to restore the face of dignity to these evacuees. Joyce also created an original work of art, “Katrinarita Gras.” The piece was originally done as a potential cover for The New Yorker magazine. The editors asked Joyce to develop a piece that would epitomize the storms and aftermath. “Coming up with a concept that tempered my rage with some hope was not easy, but I got inspiration from an old photograph of Mardi Gras in the ’30s by J. Guttman, called the ‘The Game’. It’s a wonderful, eerie image of New Orleans and its curious magic,” said Joyce. “Katrinarita Gras” is available at http://stores.ebay.com/Katrinarita-Gras-Foundation.

Joyce is an award-winning author and illustrator of such best-selling children’s books as George Shrinks, Santa Calls, Dinosaur Bob and his Adventures with the Family Lazardo, Rolie Polie Olie, The Leaf Men and The Brave Good Bugs, and A Day with Wilbur Robinson. In addition to being a recognized figure in the world of children’s literature, Joyce’s illustrations have appeared numerous times on the cover of The New Yorker and his paintings are displayed at museums and art galleries across the nation.

Joyce has won three Emmys for his popular children’s show William Joyce’s Rolie Polie Olie, an animated series that airs on the Disney Channel, and he has lent his creative expertise to the feature film world by creating conceptual characters for such films as Toy Story and A Bug’s Life. Joyce’s second television series, George Shrinks, is aired daily on PBS stations across the country. In March of 2005 Joyce released his first major animated feature film titled ROBOTS with Twentieth Century Fox. Joyce served as both a producer and production designer of this critically acclaimed and commercially successful hit film. Joyce’s latest film with Disney Feature Animation based on his classic tale A Day with Wilbur Robinson debuted in theaters in March 2007 as Meet the Robinsons.
Joyce and his wife, Elizabeth, and their children, Jack and Mary Katherine live in Shreveport.

The Louisiana Writer Award is given periodically to recognize outstanding contributions to the literary and intellectual heritage of Louisiana. Past recipients include poet Yusef Komunyakaa, historian Carl A. Brasseaux, novelists James Lee Burke, Ernest J. Gaines, Shirley Ann Grau, Elmore Leonard, scholar Lewis P. Simpson and poet William Jay Smith.

Southern Festival of Books
It’s not that far to Nashville, Tenn., and when the weather is good, it’s a perfect weekend getaway. Bibliophiles who don’t get enough readings, signings and books at the Louisiana Book Festival can take a fall jaunt up to the Southern Festival of Books in downtown Nashville the next weekend, Oct. 10-12. The event is held on War Memorial Plaza in front of the State Capitol. This year’s author lineup at Nashville includes: Sherman Alexie, author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian; Rick Bragg, author of The Prince of Frogtown; Stephen L. Carter, author of Palace Council; Tony Earley, author of The Blue Star; Clyde Edgerton, author of The Bible Salesman; Ellen Gilchrist, author of A Dangerous Age; Bill Ivey, author of Arts, Inc; Ben Jones, author of Redneck Boy in the Promised Land; Billie Letts, author of Made in the U.S.A.; David Maraniss, author of Rome 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World; Honor Moore, author of The Bishop’s Daughter: A Memoir; Susan Orlean, author of Lazy Little Loafers; Ann Patchett, author of Run; Richard Price, author of Lush Life; Elizabeth Strout, author of Olive Kitteridge; Mark Winegardner, author of The Godfather Returns; and David Wroblewski, author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

This festival also boasts an impressive lineup of children’s and young adult authors including Alexie, Orlean, Helen Hemphill, Susan McBride, William Sleator, Susan Vaught and Charles Ghigna.

The Southern Festival of Books is presented by Humanities Tennessee, a non-profit organization that promotes humanities education across Tennessee. The festival is sponsored by the National Endowment for Humanities, the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Ingram, Tennessee Arts Commission, the Frist Foundation, Davis Kidd Booksellers and Vanderbilt University.