Printer's Row Lit Fest Is One For The Books
By Jessica Mlinaric in Arts & Entertainment on May 26, 2013 9:00PM
The Printers Row Lit Fest returns to Chicago for its 29th year on June 8 and 9. Featuring more than 200 authors participating in panels and discussions and more than 150 booksellers and exhibitors from across the country, the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest is a bibliophile’s mecca.
You don’t need to be a bookworm to take advantage of Lit Fest’s extensive programming. In an uneasy age for publishing, Lit Fest artfully broadens the literary festival lineup to include events ranging from cooking to comedy. All events are free but some require tickets, which will be available online beginning May 27.
Highlights on this year’s festival schedule include a conversation with Art Spiegelman, who remains the only cartoonist to win a Pulitzer Prize for literature for his graphic novel Maus. Spiegelman kicks off Lit Fest as the winner of the Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Literary Award. Beloved young adult author Judy Blume, who is featured as the 2013 Chicago Tribune Young Adult Literary Prize winner, will also be reading. Three local writers participating in discussions on Saturday include Tavi Gevinson, teen icon and author of Rookie Yearbook One as well as Joe Meno (Office Girl) and Christine Sneed (Little Known Facts).
The Good Eating Stage is a festival area devoted to exploring the relationship between food and literature. Several celebrity chefs and authors are scheduled to lead cooking demonstrations and discussions, including Rick Bayless, Fabio Viviani, and Art Smith.
Oh and if you didn't already feel like a rock star checking out Lit Fest, Sting will be there. Joined by authors Colum McCann and Luis Alberto Urrea, Sting will be on hand promoting Narrative 4, an initiative is dedicated to creating global social change through storytelling.