Tucson Festival of Books

When I was growing up, my mom would give me a time limit whenever we went to the library. Otherwise she would wait for hours, only to discover me on the floor between the shelves, where skimming the first few pages had become reading the first hundred pages . Even when I brought a list of the books I wanted, I was never ready when the time limit ended. This led to me attempting to make it from section to section without running into my mom, so that she wouldn't have the chance to extract me before I was ready. My sister would usually end up spotting both of us: my mom roaming around, ready to inflict her time limit, and me, frantically trying to evade her.

That being said, you will understand why I was excited to go to the Tucson Festival of Books this weekend. When I mentioned to my housemate that I planned to go, she said, "Oh, take a look at this guide that was in the paper." The guide was more than 20 pages long. I kid you not. It was overwhelming.

The book festival featured hundreds of authors selling, signing, and talking about their books. The public could attend free lectures, panels, and discussions, and performances by various local groups could be seen on stages around the festival. Booths for literacy groups, the library, authors' associations, publishers, used book sellers, and more lined the UA Campus, where the event was held.

The festival also had a science section that was geared towards kids, and it was filled with interesting and interactive booths. Local groups could share their research, teach about nutrition, or demonstrate other scientific principles. While walking through, we saw a toddler lifting 60lbs using a pulley system!

I went with a couple of friends and we went to two different lectures. The first was a panel of authors who run writing workshops in the state prison. One of the writers was a former convict who had been through the program himself. It was so interesting to hear them all share their experiences, as well as a good (albeit depressing) reminder of how broken the justice system is in the US. I also received a free book of their most recent publications.

The second lecture was with Todd Miller, the author of the book Border Patrol Nation. A journalist from the Arizona Daily Star facilitated, and Todd recounted some stories of how different people have been affected by Border Patrol, including undocumented immigrants, permanent residents, and US Citizens. It was particularly interesting to me because several of the stories he shared took place at the Port Huron - Canada border or in northern New York, both of which are places I have experience with.

It is times like this when I am thankful that I have two years here in Tucson, because I can look forward to going to the book festival next year, and I will have a better idea about what I can do. I'm hoping that next year I can meet or at least hear from some of my favorite authors! This year Lois Lowry and Cornelia Funke were there, but sadly I was not able to meet them. Regardless, I am still happy to have been able to attend a festival that feels like it was created for me!