NEWBURYPORT — Like the phoenix, the 15th annual Newburyport Literary Festival is rising from the ashes.In mid-March, the festival was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns.But thanks to some very hard work and a lot of flexibility, the festival is back on track.”We’re thrilled to announce we’re partnering with A Mighty Blaze to bring you our annual Newburyport Literary Festival in a live, two-day online streaming event,” said co-chairs Vicki Hendrickson and Jennifer Entwistle, from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m.on Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, May 3.The festival is partnering with A Mighty Blaze, a social media initiative created by authors Jenna Blum and Caroline Leavitt to help promote authors whose book tours have been cancelled during the COVID-19 shutdowns “Jenna Blum and Caroline Leavitt are both alumni of the festival,” Entwistle said.”Jenna was scheduled to be part of this year’s festival and when she was notified the festival was cancelled she reached out to me.
“’What if you guys did the festival online?’ she asked me.‘A Mighty Blaze can help promote it.’ It will be great because they are building a huge following.” The online festival will feature a subset of the fiction and nonfiction authors, who were originally scheduled to appear at the festival.Authors will broadcast from their own homes and there will be a mix of author readings and panel discussions.”The Literary Festival steering committee was receptive to the idea of a virtual festival from its first inception,” Vicki Hendrickson said, “and, despite having no experience with doing such a thing, the charge immediately gathered energy and collectively we began to see, not only a way to adapt this festival, but also a way to enhance future ones.
We are enormously grateful to A Mighty Blaze.”Jen, Leslie Hendrickson, and Hannah Harlowhave really managed this.
I’m awed by them, and by the marketing team as well.” Featured authors will include Elizabeth Ames, Sari Botton, Adrienne Brodeur, Jenna Blum, Kate Bolick, Michele Filgate, Dyke Hendrickson, Edwin Hill, Kate Larson, Ken Liu, Meg Mitchell Moore, Peter Orner, Nina Sakovitch, Tom Schwanda, Anne Easter Smith, Mimi Lemay, and Ghlee Woodworth.”We can’t fit in everyone, who was originally scheduled,” Entwistle said, “but we’re doing the best we can.
Our original honoree was a poet, but we’re not having poetry online.They will be coming in person next year.” On April 25, there will be two tracks with two events held at the same time throughout the day.On May 3, there will only be one track.Each session will be approximately 30 to 45 minutes, including time for questions and answers.The festival is free, but registration is required for each event.
“Each event is its own session,” Entwistle said.”You will have to dial in to each one separately through our website https://newburyportliteraryfestival.org.We will have to mute the audience, but they can ask questions because in Zoom there’s a text chat.The moderator will then ask the questions of the author.Everybody will be in their own homes, but coming together on the Internet.” There are some advantages to the virtual festival.Although no one will be able to enjoy the annual Dinner With The Authors, they will get to see the authors’ homes.For the panel discussion “Cooking the Books: Reading and Writing in the Kitchen” Entwistle said she will encourage authors Jenna Blum, Ramin Gamneshram, Crystal King, and Louise Miller to bring their computers into their kitchens and dining rooms and perhaps even make a dish and show it online.
At the panel discussion “Afternoon Delight: Sex in Fiction” authors Jenna Blum, Christopher Castellani, and Stephen Kiernan will discuss the challenges of writing about sex.Even though they will be broadcasting from their homes, it’s doubtful audience members will be invited into the authors’ bedrooms.First time presenters include authors Adrienne Brodeur and Ken Liu.Brodeur will talk about her new memoir “Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover and Me.” “I’ve read it and it’s really good,” Entwistle said.”I couldn’t put it down.It was pretty compelling.” Ken Liu is an American author of speculative fiction.Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Liu worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant.
Liu frequently speaks at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including futurism, crypto currency, history of technology, bookmaking, and the mathematics of origami.
“It’s interesting.Here we have to move to a technology festival,” Entwistle said, “and he’ll be talking about ‘The Values of Stories’ and how humans adapt.” One way the festival is adapting this year is by offering online book sales.At past festivals, audience members could purchase the authors’ books and have them signed.This year NLF is collaborating with local bookstores for online sales.
To celebrate the virtual festival, one of the official bookstores of the event, The Book Shop of Beverly Farms, will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from sales of featured authors’ books to BINC (Book Industry Charitable Foundation).For more information or to purchase a book, please visit https://bookshopofbeverlyfarms.com/.For all book purchases during the crisis, don’t forget to contact Jabberwocky Books of Newburyport https://www.jabberwockybookshop.com to arrange for free home delivery.”For all our loyal customers,” Jabberwocky said, “even those who drive a bit more to visit us, we will get your books to you, free of charge.
Call us at 978-465-9359, and we can chat about books over the phone, and make our usual stellar recommendations.” Organized by the Newburyport Literary Association, the festival annually celebrates reading and the love of books.Putting on an event of this size takes a lot of work, and the organizers start planning in the fall.The steering committee includes co-chairs Vicki Hendrickson and Jennifer Entwistle, Linda Carpino, Bethany Dorau, Hannah Harlow, Leslie Hendrickson, Nana Kennedy, Giselle Stevens, Skye Wentworth, Alfred Nicol, Meg Mitchell Moore, and Ghlee Woodworth.NLF is made possible through the generosity of founding sponsors the Newburyport Bank and the Institution for Savings.
Additional support is provided by the Massachusetts Local Cultural Councils in Newburyport, Newbury and West Newbury.For more information about the 2020 NLF, including authors and their work, and to register for sessions, visit http://newburyportliteraryfestival.org FYI WHAT: 15th annual Newburyport Literary Festival WHEN: Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, May 3 WHERE: Streaming online .
