March 29, 2024
Annapolis, US 47 F

Key School Hosts 10th Annual Annapolis Book Festival

Key School

Nationally renowned authors Daniel Pink, David Corn, Evan Thomas, Kathryn Erskine, and James Fallows are among many distinguished speakers scheduled to appear at the 2012 Annapolis Book Festival on Saturday, April 21, at The Key School.

The Annapolis Book Festival is a free community event that features more than thirty prominent authors, as well as book signings, family activities and new and used book sales. The festival draws approximately 3,000 visitors to Key School each year to celebrate the written word.

Featured panels this year include a discussion about the 2012 presidential election with Newsweek editor-at-large Evan Thomas and Mother Jones Washington bureau chief David Corn. Best-selling author Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, will explore the changing world of work. Former presidential speechwriter James Fallows joins a panel focused on 21st century China, and Kathryn Erskine, author of 2010 National Book Award Winner Mockingbird, joins fellow authors for a panel about young adult fiction. Other highlights include everything from explorations of naval history and mental illness to the politics of food and writer’s workshops in collaboration with The Writer’s Center.

“With the tenth anniversary of this popular event, we at The Key School look forward to celebrating an important milestone in the life of this community activity, and to welcoming an array of compelling speakers, once again prepared to engage us in conversation, as well as to prompt inspiration, understanding and appreciation,” said Key School head Marcella Yedid. “April’s punctuation point for book enthusiasts could easily be the Annapolis Book Festival! The Key School is delighted to serve as host for this annual celebration of the written word.”

In addition to author appearances, the 10th annual festival includes family-friendly entertainment and educational performances, as well as a variety of interactive children’s activities, live music and a silent auction of storybook-inspired furniture.

“We have a strong volunteer base of veteran and brand new volunteers that have stepped up to create what we know will be a memorable event for Key and the Annapolis community,” said Annapolis Book Festival co-chair Alanna Wright. “Not only do we have a rich program of authors’ panels and workshops that will appeal to fiction and non-fiction enthusiasts, we have an array of family activities and entertainment to capture the imagination of the entire family.”

The Annapolis Book Festival is held on the campus of The Key School at 534 Hillsmere Drive, Annapolis, MD, 21403 on Saturday, April 21, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Designed to promote and celebrate reading among all ages and interests, the event is free and open to the public.

Connect With the Annapolis Book Festival:

On our website at www.keyschool.org/annapolisbookfestival
On Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AnnapolisBookFestival
On Twitter @KeySchool

2012 Annapolis Book Festival Panel Topics and Authors

The Brain

Election 2012

  • Steve Frantzich —author of Honored Guests: Citizen Heroes and the State of the Union Message; The Conversations of Democracy
  • David Corn —Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones, author of Showdown: The Inside Story of How Obama Fought Back Against Boehner, Cantor and the Tea Party (due out March 2012)
  • Evan Thomas —editor-at-large of Newsweek, co-author of The Right Fights Back; author of Sea of Thunder

21st Century China

  • Damien Ma —China analyst at Eurasia Group
  • Deborah Fallows —author of Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love and Language
  • James Fallows — Atlantic Monthly correspondent and former presidential speechwriter; author of China Airborne: Aviation and the Future of China (due out May 2012)

Young Adult Books: Keeping It Real

  • Kathryn Erskine —author of Mockingbird; The Absolute Value of Mike
  • Debbie Levy —author of The Year of Goodbyes
  • Valerie Ormond —author of Believing In Horses

Author Chat

  • Mark Athitakis —book reviewer
  • Howard Norman —author of The Northern Lights; The Bird Artist; What is Left the Daughter

Afghanistan

Wives Tell the Secrets of Long Marriages

  • Iris Krasnow —author of The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married

Naval History

  • Craig L. Symonds —author of Decision at Sea: Five Naval Battles that Shaped American History; The Battle of Midway
  • Elliot Carlson —author of Joe Rochefort’s War: The Odyssey of the Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto at Midway
  • Bert J. Hubinger —author of 1812: Rights of Passage

The Politics of Food

  • Alex Cortwright —morning show host at WRNR
  • Sandra Beasley —author of Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life
  • Robert J. Davis —author of The Healthy Skeptic and Coffee Is Good for You

Peculiar Journeys

  • Carl Hoffman —author of The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World Via It’s Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes
  • Peter Manseau —author of Songs for the Butcher’s Daughter; Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World’s Holy Dead

Voices in Fiction

  • Tupelo Hassman —author of girlchild

Matters of the Mind: Mental Illness and Addictions

The Craft of Writing Workshop: Telling Your Story

  • Laura Oliver —author of The Story Within: New Insights and Inspiration for Writers

The Craft of Writing Workshop: Science Fiction, Past and Future

  • Charles E. Gannon —author of Extremis; Rumors of War and Infernal Machines
  • Catherine Asaro —author of the Ruby Dynasty series; The Quantum Rose
  • Michael Swanwick —author of Dancing With Bears

The Craft of Writing Workshop (The Writer’s Center): The New Landscape of Publishing

  • Stewart Moss —executive director of The Writer’s Center
  • Kenneth D. Ackerman —author of The Gold Ring: Jim Fisk, Jay Gould, and Black Friday, 1869
  • Richard Peabody —author of Blue Suburban Skies; Speed Enforced by Aircraft (due out fall 2012)
  • Thor Sigvaldason —chief technology officer of On Demand Books
  • Laura Strachan —founder of Strachan Literary Agency

The Craft of Writing Workshop (The Writer’s Center): Can Creative Writing Be Taught?

  • James Mathews —author of Last Known Position
  • Sandra Beasley —author of author of Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life
  • Ron Capps —founder of the Veterans Writing Project
  • Laura Oliver — author of The Story Within: New Insights and Inspiration for Writers
  • Lynn Schwartz —playwright

2012 Annapolis Book Festival Children’s Activities

Hunger Games Training Center

  • Join expert instructors from East Coast Martial Arts who will conduct training circuits to test your skills in agility, strength and survivor instincts.

Clever Jack Takes the Cake

  • Listen to an interactive reading of Candice Fleming’s award winning book, Clever Jack Takes the Cake, then join Jack on his quest to deliver the birthday cake to the princess.

Bubbles

  • Learn how to make your own bubble blower and partake in this timeless activity.

The Good Ms. Padgett Sings The Little Red Hen and Other Stories

  • The Good Ms. Padgett offers her unique musical interpretations of four classic stories: “The Little Red Hen,” “Goldilocks,” “Henny Penny,” and “The Billy Goats Gruff.”

Imagination Required! – How to Create and Draw a Cartoon Character

  • Children’s book writer and illustrator K. Michael Crawford, author of The Mystery of Journey Crowne and Professor Horton Hogwash’s Museum of Ridiculous demonstrates how to create and draw a cartoon character.

Tales From Different Cultures

  • Key School’s resident storyteller Katherine Haas tells fascinating stories from different cultures, races and ethnicity.
Source: Key School
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