Boston’s a great city – it’s got a lot of things going for it: genuine American history, a truck-load of colleges and universities, Sam Adams beer, me…
Now, it’s also home to the brand-new Boston Book Festival. Sponsored by Mayor Menino, State Street Corp. and other city-based organizations, the first Boston Book Festival will be held Saturday October 24th in Copley Square. It will be free and open to the public, so you know I’ll be there. According to the website, the BBF will celebrate “the power of words to stimulate, agitate, unite, delight and inspire.” Authors, writers, critics, commentators and scholars will join together to give presentations, lead discussions and meet with fans, though since this is the first festival, I imagine some “make-it-up-as-we-go” tactics will be involved as well.
Most intriguing, however (especially considering my post on the collision of technology and literature), is the festival’s theme of “literary and technological creativity.” BBF Founder Deborah Porter told the Boston Globe’s Off the Shelf blog that the festival will feature presentations on how technology is changing the world of readers and books. She also said there would be a cyberart installation that will be “a visualization of what people are reading.” I’m excited about the possibilities here, because it could be really great. Apparently Boston has a history of technological innovation (the invention of electronic ink, anyone?), so it seems like a good fit. The BBF website even compared Paul Revere’s historical “viral marketing campaign” (i.e., “the British are coming, the British are coming!”) to the idea of social networking today. Strange as it sounds, that argument does make sense.
What do you think, bookworms? Are you excited for the first Boston Book Festival? How about the tech/lit theme? Can I plan on seeing you there?
