Books in Bloom to focus on the love of reading
Columbia’s second annual Books in Bloom festival will take to the lakefront Sunday.
The event is designed to celebrate reading for all ages, the beauty of the lakefront and Columbia’s tenets of progressiveness and inclusion, according to Phillip Dodge, executive director of the Downtown Columbia Partnership, the marketing and promotion organization.
Last year, the free festival was held in Symphony Woods at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Dodge said he’s excited to bring the festival to the lakefront, with one of the author stages located on the lake’s docks.
“Downtown Columbia has lots of really cool locations for festivals, so we thought this year we’d make it a little more accessible,”
Dodge said.
With more than a dozen authors set to attend, Dodge said he hopes to see the festival grow from 2,000 attendees in 2017 to at least 2,500 this year.
Headliners for the festival will include former White House photographer and author of “Chasing Light” Amanda Lucidon, and Edwidge Danticat, a National Book Award finalist and author of “Breath, Eyes, Memory.”
The festival will feature author talks, book signings and panel discussions as well as a dedicated kids’ space with crafts and story time. Politics and Prose, a D.C.-based bookstore, will also be back with a pop-up bookshop. For wine fans, there will be a rosé garden.
Clyde’s Restaurant Group also will offer wine and beer. There will be a coffee shop, too.
“Howard County is a community that loves to learn, they love discovery,” Dodge said. He festival, he said, “is a chance to hear from a favorite author, enjoy a day in the outdoors and try something new.”
Books in Bloom will take place Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Columbia Lakefront, 10221 Wincopin Circle.The festival is free. For more information and to register, go to dtcpartnership.com. kmagill@baltsun.com Books in Bloom The schedule for readings and panel discussions includes: Tent1 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.: Sujata Massey, author 12:15-1 p.m.: “From Casting Votes to Winning Votes: A History from Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Hillary Clinton,” a panel featuring Jennifer Palmieri and Winifred Conkling 1:15-2 p.m.: Ian Mackenzie, author 2:15-3 p.m.: Nathan Bromey, author 3:15-4 p.m.: Vikram Sunderam, author Tent 2 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.: Katia D. Ulysse, author 12:15-1 p.m.: Elliot Ackerman, author 1:15-2 p.m.: Jeannie Valasco, author 2:15-3 p.m.: “Design for Dissent: Graphic Design and its Power for Social Change” panel featuring Oliver Munday and Bonnie Siegler 3:15-4 p.m.: Jane Delury, author Headliners Tent 1-2 p.m.: Edwidge Danticat, author 3-4 p.m.: Amanda Lucidon, author Children’s Authors Tent 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.: Leah Henderson 12:15-1 p.m.: Markette Sheppard 1:15-2 p.m.: Elissa Brent Weissman 2:15-3 p.m.: Laura Melmed 3:15-4 p.m.: Erin Danielle Russell
The event is designed to celebrate reading for all ages, the beauty of the lakefront and Columbia’s tenets of progressiveness and inclusion, according to Phillip Dodge, executive director of the Downtown Columbia Partnership, the marketing and promotion organization.
Last year, the free festival was held in Symphony Woods at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Dodge said he’s excited to bring the festival to the lakefront, with one of the author stages located on the lake’s docks.
“Downtown Columbia has lots of really cool locations for festivals, so we thought this year we’d make it a little more accessible,”
Dodge said.
With more than a dozen authors set to attend, Dodge said he hopes to see the festival grow from 2,000 attendees in 2017 to at least 2,500 this year.
Headliners for the festival will include former White House photographer and author of “Chasing Light” Amanda Lucidon, and Edwidge Danticat, a National Book Award finalist and author of “Breath, Eyes, Memory.”
The festival will feature author talks, book signings and panel discussions as well as a dedicated kids’ space with crafts and story time. Politics and Prose, a D.C.-based bookstore, will also be back with a pop-up bookshop. For wine fans, there will be a rosé garden.
Clyde’s Restaurant Group also will offer wine and beer. There will be a coffee shop, too.
“Howard County is a community that loves to learn, they love discovery,” Dodge said. He festival, he said, “is a chance to hear from a favorite author, enjoy a day in the outdoors and try something new.”
Books in Bloom will take place Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Columbia Lakefront, 10221 Wincopin Circle.The festival is free. For more information and to register, go to dtcpartnership.com. kmagill@baltsun.com Books in Bloom The schedule for readings and panel discussions includes: Tent1 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.: Sujata Massey, author 12:15-1 p.m.: “From Casting Votes to Winning Votes: A History from Elizabeth Cady Stanton to Hillary Clinton,” a panel featuring Jennifer Palmieri and Winifred Conkling 1:15-2 p.m.: Ian Mackenzie, author 2:15-3 p.m.: Nathan Bromey, author 3:15-4 p.m.: Vikram Sunderam, author Tent 2 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.: Katia D. Ulysse, author 12:15-1 p.m.: Elliot Ackerman, author 1:15-2 p.m.: Jeannie Valasco, author 2:15-3 p.m.: “Design for Dissent: Graphic Design and its Power for Social Change” panel featuring Oliver Munday and Bonnie Siegler 3:15-4 p.m.: Jane Delury, author Headliners Tent 1-2 p.m.: Edwidge Danticat, author 3-4 p.m.: Amanda Lucidon, author Children’s Authors Tent 11:15 a.m.-12 p.m.: Leah Henderson 12:15-1 p.m.: Markette Sheppard 1:15-2 p.m.: Elissa Brent Weissman 2:15-3 p.m.: Laura Melmed 3:15-4 p.m.: Erin Danielle Russell
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