[Baltimore Sun] Eighth annual Books in Bloom to be held in Downtown Columbia on Saturday
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The 8th annual Books in Bloom Festival is set for Saturday in Downtown Columbia.
Known as one of the region’s most progressive community arts events, according to organizers, the festival “focuses on the power of books to heal, inspire and reveal despite differences of age, ethnicity, gender, race and religion,” according to a news release. Downtown Columbia Partnership and Howard Hughes Holdings are the hosts.
The festival aims to encourage open dialogue through readings, panel discussions and moderated conversations with literary figures, book club favorites, cultural critics and compelling memoirists, as well as middle grade and children’s authors.
The festival will include a “Student Voice” program featuring readings by writers from Howard County’s middle and high schools, a Mimosa Meet-Up for book club members and a 50th anniversary reception for the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society.
Phillip Dodge, executive director of Downtown Columbia Partnership, who has had a hand in organizing the event since its inception, said it began as a way to bring together book lovers from across the county.
“We’re a very well-educated county, we have one of the best library systems in the country and we were looking for a way to bring folks out to Downtown Columbia and see how it was changing and growing and developing and we felt like a book festival sort of tied in perfectly with the vibe in the county,” he said.
Casey Jones, head of marketing for Howard Hughes Holdings in Downtown Columbia, said she hopes the event encourages community members to read and feel empowered to learn.
“It’s ‘books’ and ‘bloom’ and there’s a lot in that ‘and,’” she said. “We want to provide something for everyone and create this dialogue that you can learn something you didn’t or meet another person and create this community of people who are engaged and active. The goal for me is to continue to contribute to this vibrant and activated new area of downtown.”
The roster of presenters include:
Julie Otsuka, “When the Emperor Was Divine,” “Buddha in the Attic,” and “The Swimmers”
Helen Simonson, “Major Pettigrew’s Land Stand,” “The Summer Before the War,” and “The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club”
Gitanjali Rao, “A Young Innovator’s Guide to STEM,” and “A Young Innovator’s Guide to Planning for Success”
Amanda Montell, “The Age of Magical Thinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality,” “Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language”
Natasha Alford, “American Negra: A Memoir”
Emily Barth Isler, “AfterMath,” “The Color of Sound”
R. Eric Thomas, “Kings of B’More,” “Congratulations, The Best is Over”
Sue Fliess, “Kid Scientist,” “Zoologists on the Trail”
Books in Bloom will be held at Color Burst Park, 6000 Merriweather Drive, in Downtown Columbia, from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday. For more information, visit merriweatherdistrict.com/books-in-bloom/.
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