Santa Barbara Book and Author’s Festival to Award Authors and Poets on Sept. 30

The City of Santa Barbara will be presenting the celebrated Santa Barbara Book and Author’s Festival on Saturday, September 30, 2006 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Central Public Library, located at 40 E Anapamu St in the city of Santa Barbara. More than 50 exhibitors will attend the festival, which include authors, poets, major and independent bookstores and literary organizations. The Book Festival is free to festival attendees of all ages.

This year’s Book Festival will include a diverse range of authors including
Mystery and Suspense author Robert Craig, winner of the 2006 Ross MacDonald Award, poet Jane Hirshfield, a 2006 Glenna Luschei Distinguished Poet Fellowship recipient, and Helena Maria Viramontes, 2006 Luis Leal Award winner for Distinction in Chicano/Latino Literature. Local West Hollywood authors Mickel Angelo Paris, writer of the GoWEHO.com series “The West Hollywood Story,” and Clint Romag, writer of Horror novels “The Werewolf Manuscript” and “A Spreading Madness,” will also be attending the book festival.

The day-long event, themed “Bringing Books to Life,” includes not only author booths and book signings, but panel discussions on relevant topics affecting the literary world. Panels will be held in
Faulkner Gallery covering Media, Mystery, Writing in Multiple Genres, and Awards. In the Townley Room, panelists will discuss Other Cultures, Other Stories and a special topic called “Santa Barbara Reads!”

A Poetry Event will be hosted by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, where festival patrons can hear poetry come alive as some of Santa Barbara’s finest poets present their work including poems written in response to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Readings will be held in the Museum’s Children’s Gallery, directly across from the Museum Café. The Glenna Luschei Distinguished Poet Fellowship will be presented at 11:00 in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Mary Craig Auditorium to Jane Hirshfield, who will also read from her work.

The Santa Barbara Book & Author Festival was created by readers who want to share their passion for books. Its members are writers, librarians, journalists, booksellers, and teachers. For more information about the Santa Barbara Book & Authors Festival, or to view a complete list of exhibitors and a schedule of events, go online to sbbookfestival.org.