Reading is Resistance
Lake Erie Lit Fest Returns to Frontier Park
SATURDAY, SEPT. 13
Books are powerful. They have the power to transport, to inform, to inspire, to enlighten, to escape, and to educate. The organizers behind the annual Lake Erie Lit Fest understand this importance and feel that their event and the attention it brings to the literary arts is more important now than ever.
For one day, the Lake Erie Arboretum at Frontier Park (LEAF) will be taken over by the written word. On the main stage (which is the amphitheater space at LEAF), attendees can expect live performances, poetry, storytelling, and readings. Budding bookworms will delight in the children's tent which will feature storytimes and activities designed to spark a love of reading. The marketplace will feature literary vendors of all kinds: bookbinders, local authors, local booksellers, nonprofits, and more. Additionally, there are multiple workshops scheduled throughout the event which puts fans and practicing writers in conversation with published authors. Subjects of these workshops range from "Building Unique Characters" to "How to Start Journaling."
To combat recent governmental acts of censorship in the form of book bans, this year's event will feature a special banned book giveaway. Brad Ford, owner of Erie Art Company and organizer of the festival, comments, "Books are mirrors and windows. For marginalized children, they validate identities; for all children, they offer glimpses into other lives, fostering empathy." Attendees will be able to choose one free banned book to take home with them including titles such as The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, and All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, among others. "In the face of division and fear, reading a book and a librarian shelving it are powerful declarations of commitment to an inclusive, enlightened future," Ford expresses.
Noon to 6 p.m. // Frontier Park, 1501 W. 6th St. // Free // For more info: erielitfest.com
