I promised to post something about the 2013 Ohioana Book Festival last Saturday, and I’ve been remiss.
The Festival keeps getting bigger and better. Having stood behind a table at the front entrance to the Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center for four hours, giving away Ohioana quarterlies and pencils to visitors and hawking $5 Ohioana coffee mugs and tote bags — and thanks to every book lover who was gracious enough to accept my spiel and pony up a fiver, by the way — I can say with confidence that there were a lot of people there. Positioned as I was directly across from the book-buying check-out line, I can also say that many books were being sold.
There were families and reading friends, would-be authors and genre fans. At times, during the interim periods after one set of panel discussions ended and before the next began, the authors’ table area was jammed. The picture above, taken from my table near the entrance, gives you some idea of the crowd.
Everyone I spoke to was enjoying the Festival and was glad they came. Next year, maybe you can join us?
The Ohioana Book Festival is free, easy to reach, and open to the public. Parking is free, too.
he doors open at 9:45, and 
It’s supposed to be a lovely day, weather-wise, with temperatures in the 70s — perfect conditions for walking the Fort Hayes campus as you go from program to program. You might want to start, say, with a morning program about fiction by women or juvenile literature, then dip your toe into the mystery writing area. Over the lunch hour you can visit one of 
Get a good book, stretch out on your patio furniture with a cool beverage, and read a little in the bright sunshine. Or take your current paperback to a nearby park, sprawl on the cool grass under the leafy spread of a tree, and really get into the story. Enjoy the sultry air as you reread a favorite novel and relish, anew, every beloved word. Lose track of time and lose track of everyday cares as you lose yourself in a great story.
The 2012 Festival offers 
If you’ve never been to an Ohioana Book Festival, don’t admit it to me because I’ll just lose respect for you. Anyway, if you fall into that unfortunate category you’ve really missed some interesting stuff. At the Book Festival, you get to meet Ohio authors, listen to them give readings or address topics of interest, and ask them questions. I’ve enjoyed the individual presentations by certain authors, where they talk about what inspired them or how they came up with their ideas. I’ve been fascinated when writers who pursue different disciplines get together and bring their different perspectives to bear on a particular topic. And I’ve relished meeting the many enthusiastic bibliophiles who call Ohio home and who proudly claim reading as their passion.
I’ll be spending most of the day at the Board table, welcoming book lovers, answering questions, and handing out tote bags to new members. I will also have the opportunity to introduce authors who will be giving readings from their works in the main room. If you’re interested in books and listening to some interesting discussions, stop by at the State Library, 274 East First Street, just north of downtown Columbus.
