Special Events, New Website Launched for 2003 Wisconsin Book Festival

24-Hour Writing Contest, Book Club Night, and live NPR interview show announced, along with preliminary schedule and new Festival website.

Madison, Wisconsin (PRWEB) September 21, 2003 - With just five weeks remaining before the start of the second annual Wisconsin Book Festival (October 22-26, 2003), organizers unveiled a new website and announced plans for several special events that put Wisconsins Fest at the head of the class when compared to the size and scope of other states book festivals.

Nearly 150 authors of local and national renown will be on hand for five days of free readings, book discussions, workshops, and family activities in Madison. Organizers plan several new programs for this years festival that will appeal to book club participants, aspiring writers, and film buffs. The festival has also expanded to other cities this year, giving more Wisconsinites the chance to take part in the book-world buzz.

The latest list of participating authors can be seen on the Wisconsin Book Festival website at www.wisconsinbookfestival.org. An initial schedule of events appears on the website, and more events are being added daily.

SPECIAL EVENTS

THE PLOT QUICKENS"-A 24-HOUR WRITING CONTEST
The Plot Quickens" is a unique contest that challenges writers to craft a compelling short story (up to 2,000 words) in twenty-four hours or less. The catch is that the story must adhere to a secret assignment that will not be announced until the day before the festival starts. We know Wisconsins writers possess tremendous skill, but what about speed?" asks contest organizer, Book Festival Associate Director Tilney Marsh. To compete, writers must register by Oct. 15. On Tuesday, Oct. 21, registered participants will be given the contest assignment. Completed stories are due on Wednesday, Oct. 22, the opening day of the festival. Stories will be evaluated by a panel of local authors, including lead judge Samuel Ligon (Safe in Heaven Dead). Authors of the top three stories will receive cash prizes, publication in The Capital Times and Wisconsin Academy Review, and an invitation to read their stories at the Festivals closing event at the Orpheum Theatre on Oct. 26. To register, visit http://www.wisconsinbookfestival.org/contest.

BOOK CLUB NIGHT CLUB"-A BLOCKBUSTER EVENING AT CLUB MAJESTIC
Hundreds of avid readers and book club participants will rub shoulders with bestselling authors Jacquelyn Mitchard (Twelve Times Blessed; The Most Wanted), Elizabeth Berg (Say When; Open House), and Carolyn Parkhurst (Dogs of Babel) at a gala reception and reading to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Madisons downtown Club Majestic.

LIVE, ON-STAGE EVENT FOR "TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE"
Wisconsin Public Radios nationally syndicated program "To the Best of Our Knowledge" will host a special live interview event at the Orpheum Theatre on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 5:30 p.m. The show will feature interviews with best-selling novelist Tim OBrien (July, July; In the Lake of the Woods), Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David Maraniss (They Marched Into Sunlight), legendary short story master Grace Paley, and others. The interviews will be recorded for future broadcast on To the Best of Our Knowledge. For more information, please visit http://www.ttbook.org.

NEW COLLABORATIONS

HARRY SCHWARTZ BOOKSHOPS, MILWAUKEE
A key partner in expanding the festival to Milwaukee is Harry Schwartz Bookshops. The bookseller is developing a week of Book Festival events in Milwaukee, culminating in a gala Saturday night (Oct. 25) event at the Milwaukee Public Librarys Centennial Hall featuring authors Tim OBrien (July, July; In the Lake of the Woods), Anne Garrels (Naked in Baghdad), James Bradley (Flyboys; Flags of Our Fathers), Sena Jeter Naslund (Four Spirits; Ahabs Wife), and Elizabeth Berg (Say When; Open House). For more details, please visit http://www.schwartzbooks.com.

CINEFEST NUESTRA AMERICA FILM FESTIVAL, MADISON
The Wisconsin Book Festival is teaming up with the CineFest Nuestra America Film Festival to present some of todays top Latino authors and artists, including Piri Thomas, Marcelo Brodsky, Tammy Gomez, and Luis Rodriguez. CineFest will screen several films and documentaries about Latino poets, spoken word artists, musicians, and authors. For the CineFest schedule, see http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/lacis/new/outreachevents/cinefest/5thcinefest.html.

BOOK FESTIVAL SPONSORS
Sponsors for the second annual Wisconsin Book Festival include the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, Isthmus, the Argosy Foundation, the Evjue Foundation/The Capital Times, Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, Friends of the Libraries at UW-Madison, Terry and Judi Paul, UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies, Orbitz, Canterbury Booksellers Inn, Cyberius Network, Borders Books & Music, Madison Area Reading Council, University of Wisconsin Press, University of Michigan Press, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences Arts & Letters, Wisconsin Arts Board, and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Partner organizations include Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops, Center for the Humanities at UW-Madison, Wisconsin Historical Society, and Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Donor organizations include the Center for the History of Modern Print Culture, The Progressive Magazine, Wisconsin Library Association, and WisconsinMade.com.

Event sponsors and hosts include Avols Book Store, Barnes & Noble, Booked for Murder, Café Montmartre, Club Majestic, Great Dane Pub, Madison Public Library, Michelangelos Café, Middleton Public Library, Mimosa Community Bookstore, Polish Heritage Club of Wisconsin, Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative, A Room of Ones Own Feminist Bookstore, Star Books, University Book Store, UW-Madison Program in Creative Writing, and the Willy Street Co-op.

Media support is provided by Little o Works, Red Design, Steve Coss, and Full Impact Communications.
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