In its 39th year, Printers Row Lit Fest, one of the largest and
oldest literary festivals in the United
States, attracts over 100,000 visitors annually to a festive
celebration of literature, readers, and community. The two-day
event, where admission and all programs are free of charge, runs
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday,
Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept. 8 in
Chicago's historic Printers Row
neighborhood, will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and U.S.
Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith as its opening headliner. Smith,
author of "Life on Mars," "The Body's Question," and "Duende" is
the 2024 recipient of the Harold Washington Literary Award. This
award is a program of the Near South Planning Board, a
not-for-profit community-based organization.
CHICAGO, July 8, 2024
/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In its 39th year, Printers Row Lit Fest, one
of the largest and oldest literary festivals in the United States, attracts over 100,000
visitors annually to a festive celebration of literature, readers,
and community.
The two-day event, where admission and all programs are free of
charge, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 7, and Sunday, Sept.
8 in Chicago's historic
Printers Row neighborhood, will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
and U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K.
Smith as its opening headliner. Smith, author of "Life on
Mars," "The Body's Question," and "Duende" is the 2024 recipient of
the Harold Washington Literary Award. This award is a program of
the Near South Planning Board, a not-for-profit community-based
organization.
As a preview to some of the events at the Lit Fest, PRLF is
pleased to announce some of the programming. No. 1 New York Times
Best-Selling Author Veronica Roth
will showcase her newest Slavic folklore novel "When Among Crows."
Phillip B. Williams whose novel
"Ours," a story about slavery and freedom in the United States, earned Most Anticipated
Book of 2024 by Oprah's Book Club, Elle, Reader's
Digest, The Rumpus, Kirkus Reviews, The Millions, and Lit Hub.
A presentation titled "Missing Black Women in Chicago" will feature Jamie Nesbitt Golden of Block Club Chicago,
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalists Sarah Conway of City Bureau, and
Trina Reynolds-Tyler of Invisible
Institute. They will be joined in conversation with Olivia Obineme
of Public Narrative.
"Amplifying Women's Voices: The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction"
will include Claudia Dey,
Kim Coleman Foote, and Janika Oza. The presentation will be moderated
by Emily Kellogg, author and program
and operations manager for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction.
This award is the first major English-language literary prize that
celebrates creativity and excellence in fiction by women and
non-binary writers in Canada and
the United States.
Children are invited to wear their favorite costumes and parade
among the booksellers' tents—led by the Chinatown Chamber of
Commerce's Miss Chinatown, the Yin He Dancers and the Chicago
Public Library's Great Horned Owl. The Broadway Dropouts will
create an interactive production of "Beauty and the Beast: Choose
Your Own Once Upon a Time." Also, bestselling author and
illustrator DJ Corchin and award-winning artist and musician
Dan Dougherty will inspire children
to get on the fast draw with their artwork with Call Itta Draw! the
hilarious drawing game show for kids.
Other programming at the Lit Fest includes Ben Austen, author of "Correction: Parole,
Prison, and the Possibility of Change," a New York Times Editor's
Choice selection that received Washington Post's Best Nonfiction of
2023. From the critically acclaimed author of "High-Risers," comes
a groundbreaking and honest investigation into the crisis of the
American criminal justice system—through the lens of parole.
No. 1 New York Times Best Selling Author Chaz Ebert illustrates four fundamental human
values that are key to unlocking great unity and humanity in "It's
Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness,
Empathy, Compassion, and Kindness." The widow of famed film critic
and Chicago icon Roger Ebert, Chaz
Ebert is also the author of "Hidden Potential" and "Think
Again."
Diversity in programming is the hallmark of Lit Fest. Creator,
producer, and host Jeremy Owens will
bring his long-running live-lit storytelling series You're Being
Ridiculous to Printers Row. Owens' guests include Archy Jamjun,
Corbette Pasko, and Chad the Bird.
For those who love intrigue with dashes of danger, the
Chicagoland chapter of Sisters in Crime will present a Mystery
Minute Reading and Contest with a chance for audience members to
join local crime authors such as 2012 Harold Washington Literary
Award Winner Sara Paretsky,
Lori Rader-Day, Tracy Clark, Susanna
Calkins on stage. These genre giants will discuss the
process of writing crime fiction and host a live flash fiction
contest.
Printers Row Lit Fest's major sponsors include the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation, Joseph & Bessie Feinberg Foundation,
Alphawood Foundation Chicago, The Chicago Public Library
Foundation, and ReadersMagnet. Event sponsors are NASCAR, Grace
Episcopal Church, and Hotel Blake. Media sponsors are the Chicago
Sun-Times, WBEZ 91.5 FM Chicago and Newsweb.
About the Producer, Near South Planning Board
Near South Planning Board (NSPB) – a not-for-profit community-based
organization serving businesses, institutions and property owners
since 1946. Primary service area is Jackson Boulevard to the north,
Dan Ryan to the west, 35th Street to
the south, and Lake Michigan to
the east. NSPB's mission is to plan, guide, and encourage a program
of development for the near south area. In addition to the annual
Printers Row Lit Fest, NSPB produces literary programs in
Chicago Public Schools through its
Authors in the Schools program. As one of the City of Chicago's delegate agencies in the
Neighborhood Business Development Center Program (NBDC), NSPB works
to attract and retain businesses by serving as facilitator and by
providing resources, referrals, permit assistance, marketing, and
other educational programs. For more information, visit this
link.
About Printers Row Lit Fest
Printers Row Lit Fest, now in its 39th year, has become a
cornerstone of the literary scene, attracting hundreds of thousands
of visitors annually. The Lit Fest takes place on South Dearborn
Street from Ida B. Wells to Polk
Streets in Chicago. As one of the
largest literary festivals in the country, it offers an incredible
platform for established and emerging authors to engage with their
readers and discuss their latest works. For more information, visit
https://printersrowlitfest.org/.
Media Contact
Marie Lazzara, JJR Marketing,
630-400-3361, marie@jjrmarketing.com ,
https://jjrmarketing.com/
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SOURCE Printers Row Lit Fest