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HeartWood
A blog about cultivating
creativity, connection and contentment
wherever you are

Booked for the Weekend

4/4/2018

12 Comments

 
​We’re back from our travels with loads of impressions and images to share in coming weeks.
PictureThe Tucson Festival of Books -- two full days of books, books, books and more
​

​Today's topic: the Tucson Festival of Books, our first stop on the trip. I wrote at length about last year's festival, and I won't repeat all the details here. (But if you're curious, you're welcome to look back at that post.)

PictureThis was Ray's first visit to the festival


​​This was my third visit to the festival, but Ray's first. In previous years, I scurried from one end of the University of Arizona Mall to the other, trying to catch as many talks on writing and publishing as I could. It was almost like being back in college (without the exams, thank goodness). This time, I took a different tack, hoping to make the weekend fun for both of us rather than dragging Ray along to talks on topics that would make his eyes glaze over. (Besides, how many more Moleskin notebooks do I really need to fill with conference scribblings?)

​I scrolled through the long list of presentations and found several by mystery authors Ray enjoys, and because I'm always interested in other writers' insights, I knew I'd find their talks informative. 
​The festival's presentations are all free, but some require advance reservations—and those go quickly. We were lucky to snag tickets to "Setting the Bar in Mystery" by New York Times bestselling authors Greg Iles and Scott Turow. It was just plain fun to witness the interaction between the two authors, good friends who traded jibes as well as compliments. I was fascinated, too, to hear them describe their writing processes. Turow is methodical, treating writing like a day job. Iles, on the other hand, goes long stretches without writing—occupying himself with music and other interests—and then writes his books in marathon sessions, fueled by granola bars and Tab. (I hope he makes up for that with healthier habits during his non-writing periods!)
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Author Greg Iles (Photo: Giles34 via Wikimedia Commons)
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Author Scott Turow (Photo: Jeremy Lawson Photography)
​We also made sure not to miss Michael Perry, described on his website as "New York Times Bestselling Author, Humorist, Singer/Songwriter, Intermittent Pig Farmer." I first discovered Michael's writing at the 2015 Tucson Festival of Books. I had only enough room in my luggage to bring back one book, and I also wanted find a gift for Ray. When I saw Michael's memoir, Truck: A Love Story, I knew I needed to look no further. After all, memoir is my favorite genre, and Ray's all in for anything automotive. 
Picture
Author Michael Perry
​Perry's humorous—and heartfelt—accounts of rural Wisconsin life enchanted me, and when I heard him speak at last year's festival and then read another of his books, Roughneck Grace: Farmer Yoga, Creeping Codgerism, Apple Golf, and Other Brief Essays from On and Off the Back Forty, I became an even more faithful fan.
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​​This year, he read from his latest book, Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy. As the blurb describes it, the book is a down-to-earth look at the ideas of a philosopher "ensconced in a castle tower overlooking his vineyard," channeled by a Midwestern American writing "in a room above the garage overlooking a disused pig pen." I can't wait to read it.

PictureA festival-goer takes a book break

​​


​As in previous years, it was heartening to be in the company of more than 130,000 book lovers, to overhear conversations about books and authors and see people browsing through and actually reading books. 

But still weary and bleary from the nearly 2,000-mile drive, we could expect only so much of our brains. The festival's entertainment schedule of sixty-some performances offered restorative time-outs from nonstop literary engagement. ​
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Young performers awaiting their cue
​We applauded pint-sized musicians, whooped it up with local clog dancers, the Saguaro Stompers, and ooh-ed and aah-ed at acrobatic feats.
Picture
We applauded . . .
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and ooh-ed . . .
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and . . .
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aah-ed!
​By the end of the weekend, we were inspired, entertained, enlightened, and ready to take on more of Tucson.
12 Comments
Sally Pobojewski
4/4/2018 07:44:27 am

A book festival is my idea of heaven. What fun! Your pictures bring make it seem like I'm right there with you. Great job, as usual.

Reply
Nan
4/4/2018 07:48:45 am

Wish you had been there, Sally! There's a book festival coming up in Detroit in July (http://detroitbookfest.com/). Not as big as the Tucson one, but a start. Maybe you can make it to that one. I hope to!

Reply
Susie
4/4/2018 07:45:35 am

I was invited to this event this year by friends in Tucson. I declined due to health issues, but did not imagine I could have met you there! Missed opportunity!

Reply
Nan
4/4/2018 07:49:42 am

That would have been mind-blowing, Susie! Maybe we can meet up there next year.

Reply
Janet Glaser link
4/4/2018 03:33:51 pm

What a wonderful place to go and at the right time of year! Sounds like it was a worthwhile trip. Sounds like fun.

Reply
Nan
4/5/2018 06:08:06 am

Yes! And the book festival was just the beginning. Lots more good stuff after that.

Reply
Nita
4/4/2018 05:57:47 pm

Thanks, Nan! Fun, informational, and inspiring! So glad you and Ray got to go. :)

Reply
Nan
4/5/2018 06:08:28 am

We were glad, too, Nita!

Reply
Kitty Kole
4/5/2018 10:39:43 am

And I got to run into Nancy and Ray at the festival as I still race from session to session! My favorite was Dave Barry and bought his hilarious book about Florida where he lives. Also got to see Scott Simon of NPR interview NBC correspondent Katy Tur who followed Trump on the campaign trail and just published “Unbelievable-the craziest campaign in American history “. Nancy is right! The Tucson Book Fest is marvelous!!! ❤️😺

Reply
Nan
4/5/2018 11:29:58 am

It was a great surprise to run into you, Kitty. I would love to have seen that Scott Simon interview with Katy Tur.

Reply
Katherine Myers
4/15/2018 10:41:32 am

One of the perks of being a librarian was having opportunities to meet and listen to authors and illustrators, and I took advantage of every opportunity I could! Unfortunately, the many many cuts made in education and library funding in Oklahoma over the decades have resulted in the decline of those opportunities for current librarians....I rediscovered and finally read and enjoyed Michael Perry's Truck while 'organizing' my book collection. As you know, memoir is my favorite genre, so I bought the book and promptly lost it on my shelves, only to rediscover it recently. Love to shop my own library...no telling what I'll find!

Reply
Nan
4/16/2018 07:29:41 am

So glad to hear that you unearthed Truck and enjoyed reading it. If you ever get a chance to hear Michael Perry read, take advantage of it. He's so entertaining.

I, too, enjoy finding surprises in my own library. I have a number of books that I've set aside over the years to read "someday," knowing that one day, that particular book will be just what I'm in the mood to read.

Reply



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    Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray.

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