Berkeley, CA June 6 & 7
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| Eco Alley |
How could it be that I hadn’t
even heard of the Bay Area Book Festival until two weeks before it happened? After
all, I live quite close by and yet the first time I read about it was in a
pop-up ad on Goodreads. Apparently, it had been well publicized in the SF
Chronicle, but who even reads that paper anymore? And even they only started
carrying information about it less than a month ago. I must not be hanging out
with the right crowd….the festival was quite well attended.
The book festival website boasted
hundreds of authors and a ton of free talks about everything you could imagine:
current affairs, culture, entertainment, memoirs, tech, spirituality, writing,
publishing, and more. There were areas for children’s books, teen books,
radical writers, and environmental warriors. Even after carefully going through
the website program, and noting the talks I wanted to attend, I had no idea
just how large and comprehensive it was to be.
Downtown Berkeley is relatively small
but always crowded and a general mess to get around. And it isn’t what I would
call a pleasant place to take a stroll – too grungy for my taste, especially
when I recall years gone by when it was rather lovely. Having said that, with several
blocks cordoned off for pedestrian traffic, thereby not having
to dodge all the hazards that are generally present, it was quite enjoyable.
And here is where I found out
just how cool the whole deal was. I turned the corner at Shattuck, onto
Addison, (renamed Literary Lane for
the weekend), surprised to see the street lined with booths of booksellers and
authors. The first few booths held places like The University of California Press, and other small publishing houses. But just a few steps
further along and I ran smack dab into a couple of ladies that sure looked like
fellow independent authors.
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| sidewalk poetry downtown Berkeley |
Lori Hart Beninger and SabrinaRawson stood side by side, books on the table, business cards out front. I
quickly ascertained that they were in fact fellow members of the Tribe of Struggling Authors.
Huh? I could have had a booth at
the Fair? I had thought it was just for the Big Guys and not folks like me. Suddenly,
I no longer felt the pangs of intimidation I had experienced while reading
about all the known authors and deep thinkers who were to be featured at the festival. All those
self-doubts that had surfaced telling me things like who do you think you’re kidding….real authors actually get invited to
give talks, quickly vanished. These women were definitely real authors and they were part of
the Book Festival! It was absolutely wonderful to exchange thoughts, ideas, marketing tips,
and experience with others like myself.
Maybe it was better that I hadn’t
known of the possibility of having a stand at the fair because I now had the
leisure to cruise around and talk to lots of other indie authors. I met Kristin Fulton, Barbara Hawkins, James Robinson, Alina Sayre, and Mandy Rowe, all of
whom had wonderful books just waiting to be discovered by the world at large.
The plan had been to attend a
bunch of the talks, but I soon realized it would be more of a hassle than I was
willing to put up with. First, one had to stand in a block-long line to pick up
the free tickets to a lecture. Then one would have to stand in a long line
outside of a venue. Crowds, and the subsequent florescent lighting, sealed the
deal; I stowed my list of events and simply continued to walk the circuit.
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| Literary Lane |
While walking down Literary Lane,
I noticed a man with an official author’s badge around his neck, seated in front of a booth, holding a
book. I glanced more closely and saw that it was John Scalzi, the science
fiction author whose lecture I had wanted to attend.
In my younger years, sci fi was
my preferred genre. I dreamed of being a spacer although, realistically, I knew that that
could only really take place a few centuries after my expiration date. The next
best thing was reading it, and I had big dreams of writing it. Somewhere along the
way, reading sci fi got lost. Maybe it was because the books I picked up didn’t
appeal to me, or maybe it was because no one I knew read it so recommendations were
scarce. Whatever the reason, my sci fi fix turned to tv and movies.
I approached Mr. Scalzi and
mentioned how I had hoped to attend his talk but would probably pass on it due
to the long lines. He wasn’t bothered in the least. I told him of my love for
sci fi books, but that I just hadn’t read anything in quite a while, and asked about
his latest book, Lock In. As he began to tell me about it,
I remembered why I love science fiction. I will be reading his work very soon. Someone
that pleasant, who takes the time to talk to an unknown like me, (the lady who couldn't be bothered with waiting for his talk), has to be a good author. He also told me a little about his life as a writer which gave me hope for my own career. What a very pleasant
man! Heck, he was even kind enough to take my card.
Maybe next year, if I am still in
the area, I’ll be on a panel….though I can’t imagine what panel….local girl
makes good? I actually think I’d prefer to do what I did this weekend, just
walk around and talk to authors and enjoy being surrounded by books, thoughts,
and happy people.
