FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- The 25th edition of Literary Feast, a well-known community event that has brought more than 365 authors to Broward County since it began in 1988, will once again celebrate books and authors at a series of events from March 15-18, 2013. Last year, the Broward Public Library Foundation raised more than $130,000 at Literary Feast to support both children's and adult literacy programs and services for Broward County Library.
This year's event has a twist - an in-depth look at the works and life of legendary author Edith Wharton. 2012 is the 150th anniversary year of her birth, and the literary world is taking notice. "You know who's hot right now?" wrote Entertainment Weekly recently. "Edith Wharton. Even though she died 75 years ago, and she mostly wrote about turn-of-the-century American society, she's still one of the most influential writers today."
Four writers, all Wharton experts, will attend Literary Feast: Jennie Fields, The Age of Desire: A Novel, Irene Goldman-Price, author of My Dear Governess: The Letters of Edith Wharton to Anna Bahlmann, Francesca Segal, author of The Innocents and Richard Guy Wilson, Edith Wharton at Home: Life at the Mount.
More than 20 sensational authors will be featured at this year's event. To date, the lineup includes Bob Spitz, author of Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill founder and CEO Lowell Hawthorne, author of the memoir, The Baker's Son and, graphic novelist Dwight Zimmerman, author of The Hammer and the Anvil: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery in America."
Literary Feast will celebrate Florida's 500th anniversary year in 2013 with Thom Hatch, author of Osceola and the Great Seminole War: A Struggle for Justice and Freedom.
"Literary Feast is crucial to sustaining the Broward Public Library Foundation's mission to support Broward County libraries' programs and services," said Joseph M. Goldstein, a partner at Shutts & Bowen LLP who, along with his wife, Mary, are serving as Literary Feast 2013 Co-Chairs. "Projects such as the Summer Reading Program, Books 'n' Bears at the Holidays, computer instruction classes and the innovative E-Reader loan program at the libraries are supported through the dollars raised through this unique event."
Former Literary Feast author Ellen Crosby described the event, saying, "Literary Feast paired a passionate group of people who write books with a passionate group of people who read books - and want to keep their libraries alive and well. A terrific weekend!"
During the four-day festival, the Literary Feast authors will participate in a series of events that will have them speaking to donors, students and South Florida's book-loving community:
LitLUNCH! - Friday, March 15: A luncheon featuring a Literary Feast author at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty-Six's revolving Pier Top restaurant overlooking scenic Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $65.
A Night of Literary Feasts - Saturday, March 16: The signature fund-raising event begins with an opportunity for ticket holders to meet all the Feast authors at a fabulous cocktail party, followed by intimate dinners featuring one or two authors hosted in private homes and upscale restaurants. Individual tickets are $175. Ticket packages start at $200. A limited number of special $75 cocktail reception tickets will be available.
LitLIVE! - Sunday, March 17: This free public event features all the authors participating in a series of lectures, discussions and book signings at the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center on the Davie campus of Nova Southeastern University.
Novel Day for Students - Monday, March 18: The authors will engage with students at Broward County high schools to discuss their work and the craft of writing. The authors will also announce the winners of the annual Novel Day for Students Short Story Contest, with more than 500 students participating each year.
Long-time Literary Feast supporter Mike Jackson, CEO, AutoNation, Inc., said "A successful society is, by necessity, a literate society. Reading is the first skill among all others, and the Broward Public Library Foundation plays an essential role in the civic, cultural and commercial well-being of our community."
This year's Literary Feast Title Sponsor is The Friends of the Mount, Edith Wharton's Home, and Presenting Sponsor is Maroone, an AutoNation company.
The current line-up of Literary Feast 2013 authors are:
- Kim Barnes, In the Kingdom of Men
- Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the End of Slavery in America
- Jennie Fields, The Age of Desire: A Novel
- Irene Goldman-Price: My Dear Governess: the Letters of Edith Wharton to Anna Bahlmann
- Thom Hatch, Osceola and the Great Seminole War: A Struggle for Justice and Freedom
- Lowell Hawthorne, The Baker's Son
- Tania James, Aerogrammes: and Other Stories
- Francesca Segal, The Innocents
- Bob Spitz, Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child
- Richard Guy Wilson, Edith Wharton at Home: Life at the Mount
- Dwight Zimmerman, The Hammer and the Anvil
About the Broward Public Library Foundation Incorporated in 1982, the Broward Public Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to enhancing the collections, programs and services of the Broward County Library system beyond the means of public funding. Broward County Library is the ninth largest library system in the United States.
