By Lauri Wilson
When you think of festival time in Arkansas, you might not think of the South Arkansas Literary Festival. You won't see any tiller racing, pea-shelling, steak grilling, face-painting, live music, blistering heat and other trappings of summer festivals.
This festival is a showcase to celebrate books; to gather local authors and bring in other authors; to learn about getting your own book in print; to allow authors to sell their books; and to connect with our community partners. Most of all, it's an opportunity to talk to other bookish people about books -- we can never get enough of that!
This year's festival is scheduled for July 15, so mark your calendars! If you're not familiar with its story, here's a little history: In 2017 an idea was floated about how to tie the college and community together with a symposium on the book. After some brainstorming and obligatory committee meetings, we ended up with the first South Arkansas Literary Festival in April of 2018.
We had a few hiccups but also some real successes, then we were faced with the pandemic. Instead of simply closing up for that year, we decided to go virtual and have an online festival. Thanks to our technology, we pulled it off and had some of our best presentations so far.
For two years we were virtual, but last year were so glad to be back in person. In 2022 the festival was held in the library for the first time, and it was one of our best events.
Right now we're planning with help from with our community partners: the South Arkansas Historic Preservation Society, South Arkansas Arts Center, the El Dorado Conference Center and the Union County Public Library System. They'll be hosting festival-related events during the days preceding the festival. Be sure to watch for a schedule to be available soon!
As exciting as it is to have the community events included, the heart of the festival is author presentations. You may recognize one of our presenters: our own library director, Philip Shackelford, who'll talk about his book "Rise of the Mavericks." He's had a busy spring since the book's release in April, but if you missed him now is a great time to meet and talk to him about the history and development of the U.S. Air Force Security Service, the Cold War and related topics.
Also from SouthArk is Tim Johnson, our dean of student success and the owner of Truth Publications, who'll be leading a panel of authors on topics of interest related to writing and publishing. Included will be Larry D. Yarbrough Sr., Timothy and Lavonica Davis and Dr. Chris Jones. Also making an appearance will be Veronica Smith-Creer, author of "My Mimi Is the Mayor."
Aspiring writers take note: This group will be sharing their experiences regarding writing, their personal creative process and more valuable insights about how to finally get your own book into print. Have your questions ready!
If you like reading thrillers, don't miss hearing our scheduled authors. We can't wait to hear Glenn Meade, international bestselling writer and author of "Snow Wolf" and "The Last Witness," both available in our library. Next up is Rebecca Forster, author of the Josie Bates series and the Finn O'Brien series as well as many others. If you like small-town scandal, you'll enjoy Nicholas Lyon and his novel "The Baptist Bootlegger," which was recently named the winner of the Oklahoma Writer's Federation award for best published novel.
Through the years, we've hosted a holocaust survivor, an actress-turned true crime author, the Arkansas pie lady and many other fascinating speakers. As we're finalizing our speaker schedule, watch for more information in the next few weeks to see who'll be appearing. And one more important thing to remember: We'll be inside where it's nice and cool!
I hope that you'll join me for another memorable literary festival.
Lauri Wilson is the cataloging and digital content librarian at South Arkansas College.