Select 2008 Festival Highlights Available on C-Span & in Podcast

With more than 100 authors at the 2008 Fall for the Book, it's no surprise that festival-goers couldn't make it to each event throughout the week. But the good news is that select events have been recorded for broadcast elsewhere, making it easy to catch up on some of the big programs you may have missed. 

C-Span recorded the second of Fall for the Book's panels celebrating the upcoming bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. The panel featured three members of the advisory committee for the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission: Michael Beschloss, author of nine books on American presidents including Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989; Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness (standing at the podium above); and James L. Swanson, author of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer. The program was moderated by presidential historian Richard Norton Smith. 

C-Span will air this program on their main channel on Saturday, October 4, at 8 p.m. as part of its monthly Lincoln programming leading up to next year's bicentennial.

Additionally, with economic issues making daily (and dire) headlines, Fall for the Book was pleased to offer some insider perspectives through a collaboration with the Business Alliance of George Mason University. The panel discussion "The Economy, The Election, and Your Business" featured Peter Coy, economics editor at BusinessWeek; Keith Hall, commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor; and John F. Sacco, associate professor of public and international affairs at George Mason.

An audio recording of this program is available here. 

Michael Cunningham Speaks About "Daily Miracle of Art" at 2008 Festival's Closing Event

Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours, was awarded the Fairfax Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Literary Arts on Friday, September 26, the closing night of the 2008 Fall for the Book festival. Cunningham's remarks spoke both to the roles and responsibilities of the writer and to the close relationship that readers have with the books that they treasure.

"In its ability to render the world with idiosyncratic but utterly unsentimental accuracy, a good book resembles a close friend or a lover," said Cunningham. "Like a friend or lover, a book should expand our powers of empathy, should enlarge the world around us and at the same time make us feel more at home in it, because someone we know and love is seeing and feeling and smelling and hearing it along with us, and their experiences of it links up with and enhances our own."

Cunningham's remarks echoed the types of connections that Fall for the Book each year hopes to encourage between readers and great literature and underscored the success of the 2008 festival, which introduced thousands of those readers to some of the nation's and the world's finest writers and scholars.

"The 10th annual Fall for the Book was a resounding success," said festival director William Miller. "Over the week, we welcomed more than 10,000 people to events at Mason's campus and throughout the region."

2008 marked a new direction for Fall for the Book, broadening the festival's geographical reach by partnering with libraries, organizations and business to offer events at 30 locations in a dozen localities throughout Northern Virginia, D.C. and Maryland. These additional programs helped Fall for the Book make good on its promise of "bringing the rock stars of writing to your backyard" and brought thousands of additional readers to the festival.

Special thanks go out to all of Fall for the Book's sponsors and partners and to both the festival's staff and its many volunteers, whose boundless energy and long hours helped make 2008 a milestone and unforgettable year.

Photo by Laura Foltz.

...And Stay Tuned!

The 2008 Festival may be over, but there's still more to come here, including:

• Updates on C-Span's and GMU-TV's broadcasts of events from this year's festival.
• Audio and video clips of this year's presenters.
• More photos from around the festival.
• And previews — as soon as we have them! — of authors scheduled for the 2009 Fall for the Book! 

Spoken Word Revolution at Mason; Michael Cunningham Headlines Festival's Closing Day

Hosted by Bruce George of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, the Spoken Word Revolution brought slam poetry to The Bistro in the Johnson Center on Thursday night and drew a huge crowd on an evening that also boasted award-winning poet C.K. Williams and bestselling novelist Sue Miller. Special thanks go to Grace Kendall, director of Connect Mason, for her great photography of several events on Thursday and throughout the week, and to Sherell Williams, managing editor of Broadside, Mason's student newspaper, for the outstanding preview in this week's issue of so many FFTB events.

The festival draws to a close on Friday, but many of the best events are still to come, including the presentation of the Fairfax Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Literary Arts to Michael Cunningham, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours. 

All of Friday's events are below, except for baseball historian Harvey Frommer's presentation, which has unfortunately been cancelled.

In the event of inclement weather, events scheduled for the Provident  Bank Tent may be rescheduled for Dewberry Hall North; check signage on site for complete and updated information. 

The complete list of Friday's events is below. Come out and make the last day of the Festival one of the best!

SCHEDULE FOR FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

12 p.m. — Poets Jennifer Chang, Kyle Dargan and Kevin McFadden
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center (RAIN VENUE: Dewberry Hall)
An afternoon of poetry features the rising stars of the University of Georgia Press, including Chang, author of The History of Anonymity; Dargan, author of Bouquet of Hungers; and McFadden, author of Hardscrabble.

3 p.m. — Journalist Robert Jensen
Gold Room, Johnson Center
A noted scholar of gender, media, and power explores the role of masculinity in today’s society through the lens of his latest book, Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity.

3:30 p.m. — Novelist Porter Shreve
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center (RAIN VENUE: Dewberry Hall)
This native Washingtonian reads from his third novel, When the White House Was Ours, set in 1976 and loosely based on his own childhood, in which he and his family started an alternative school called “Our House Is a Very, Very, Very Fine House.” A 3 p.m. reception precedes the event.

5 p.m. — Poet Linda Bierds
Festival Tent, Outside Johnson Center (RAIN VENUE: Dewberry Hall)
Highly acclaimed poet Linda Bierds samples works from her seven volumes of poetry on the eve of her forthcoming collection, Flight: New and Selected Poems.

7 p.m. — Breakthrough Poet Reading
Firehouse Grill, 3988 University Drive, Fairfax, VA
Celebrate the new and the nouveau in poetry with Karen Anderson, Dan Beachy-Quick, Suzanne Buffam, and Srikanth Reddy, and then stay on for drinks and food or meander out into the newly renovated downtown City of Fairfax.

7:30 p.m. — Novelist Michael Cunningham
Harris Theater
Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize-winner for The Hours and author of A Home at the End of the World, Flesh and Blood, and Specimen Days, accepts the 2008 Fairfax Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Literary Arts, celebrating an author whose works have contributed significantly to American or international culture. A 6:30 p.m. reception precedes the event

Kudos for Porter Shreve

This week's City Paper featured a fine review of Porter Shreve's new novel, When the White House Was Ours. "Daniel, the adolescent narrator…, is growing up in interesting times: 1976, to be precise, the point when ’60s idealism begins to collide with the harsh realities of global economics and federal corruption," writes City Paper arts editor Mark Athitakis, who goes on to explore how Daniel's conflicts and decisions reveal something about the District's "split personality." The full review is available here. Shreve reads from When the White House Was Ours on Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. in the Provident Bank Tent on Mason's Fairfax Campus. 

Former VA Gov. Shares Stories; Thursday Brings One of Festival's Busiest Days

Fall for the Book's Wednesday evening events took place at various locations across Northern Virginia and in D.C. as well as across a wide range of genres. One highlight of the festival was an appearance by former Virginia Governor Linwood Holton, who spoke about his new memoir, Opportunity Time, at the City of Fairfax Regional Library.

Thursday has traditionally been one of the Festival's busiest days, and this Thursday is no exception. From Fall for the Book's annual High School Reads program with Chris Crutcher in the morning to a punk music performance by the Max Levine Ensemble mid-afternoon to evening readings by award-winning poet C.K. Williams and nationally bestselling novelist Sue Miller, Thursday is packed full of great events for readers of all types. Check out the schedule below or online here!

ADVERSE WEATHER PLANS: In the event of rain, all events currently scheduled under the Provident Bank Tent will be MOVED to Dewberry Hall, on the lower level of the Johnson Center. Signs will be posted on campus as needed.


SCHEDULE FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

10 a.m.
Young Adult Author P.W. Catanese
Harper Park Middle School, 701 Potomac Station Drive, Leesburg, VA
As part of Fall for the Book’s annual Middle School Reads program, P.W. Catanese, author of the Further Tales Adventures, talks with Loudoun County middle schoolers about the pleasures of reading and writing. Sponsored by Baker & Taylor book wholesalers. If you would like to attend this event please contact the school office at 571-252-2820 for information about seating.

11 a.m.
Poet Judith Harris
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Harris reads selections from her two volumes of poetry: Atonement and The Bad Secret.

12 p.m.
Poet Jennifer Atkinson and Short Story Writer David Taylor
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Atkinson shares selections from Drift Ice, her third and newest collection of poetry, and Taylor reads from his award-winning fiction collection, Success: Stories.

1 p.m.
Novelist Tim Wendel
Cherrydale Library, 2190 Military Road, Arlington, VA
An award-winning novelist, journalist and baseball historian, Wendel reads from his new WWII novel, Red Rain. The reading is accompanied by a period reception. Sponsored by the Arlington County Public Library.

1:30 p.m.
From the Writer’s Center: Peter Brown, Solveig Eggerz, Frank Joseph , and Elaina Loveland
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Members of The Writer’s Center, based in Bethesda, MD, read from their recent works, both novels — Brown’s Ruthie Black, Eggerz’s Seal Woman and Joseph’s To Love Mercy — and nonfiction: Loveland’s Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians, and Writers. The authors also share tips for aspiring writers seeking publication themselves. Sponsored by the Writer’s Center.

2 p.m.
Historians Vincent Carretta and Carroll Gibbs
Dewberry Hall South, Johnson Center
Carretta, author of Equiano, the African: Biography of a Self-Made Man, and Gibbs, a scholar specializing in African American history, present a reading and slide presentation on Freedom Narratives. Sponsored by the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library.

3 p.m.
Punk Music Historian Mark Andersen
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
The co-author of Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation’s Capital discusses this musical genre’s history in D.C. Local punk band The Max Levine Ensemble performs afterwards!

3 p.m.
Ethicist Rushworth M. Kidder
Harris Theater
Kidder, founder of the Institute for Global Ethics, discusses ideas from his two most recent books, Moral Courage and How Good People Make Tough Choices. A reception follows. Presented by MasonLeads as part of their 2008 Leadership Week.

3 p.m.
Breakthrough Poets Panel
Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts
Poets Karen Anderson, Dan Beachy-Quick, Suzanne Buffam, and Srikanth Reddy recount their path to success and read from their new books. A reception follows.

4:30 p.m.
Breaking in to Poetry
Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts
Robert Giron, poet and founder of the Gival Press; Bill Glose, author of The Human Touch; and Ann Falcone Shalaski, author of World Made of Glass, share the secrets of their success and offer tips on how to get your poetry published.

5 p.m.
Science writer Michael Sims
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
The author of Apollo’s Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination, chosen by NPR as one of the best science books of 2007, draws on science, history, literature and more to illuminate a single day on earth, from before dawn to after midnight.

5:30 p.m.
Poets Alec Finlay and Rod Smith
The Bistro, Johnson Center
“Avant garde” and “experimental” are the terms of the day with British poet and artist Finlay, and Smith, who was named “Best Poet” in D.C. in a recent issue of Washington’s City Paper. A reception follows the reading.

7 p.m.
Poet C.K. Williams
Harris Theater
The world-renowned poet, winner of both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, reads from his body of work. A 6 p.m. reception in Johnson Center, Room 116, precedes the event.

7 p.m.
Runner Chris Lear
Pacers Running and Walking Store, 10427 North Street, Fairfax, VA
Noted runner Lear, who held the record as fastest runner in New Jersey in the 1990s and later earned All-Ivy, All-East, and All-America honors at Princeton, discusses his book Running with the Buffaloes: A Season Inside with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and the University of Colorado Men's Cross-Country Team. Co-sponsored by Pacers and the City of Fairfax.

7 p.m.
Short Story Writer David Taylor
Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library, 4701 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA
The author of Success: Stories is a special guest at the library’s World Short Story Book Group. Sponsored by the Alexandria Libraries.

7 p.m.
Journalist Lonnae O’Neal Parker
Busboys and Poets, 4251 S. Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA
A Washington Post correspondent, Parker discusses her book, I’m Every Woman: Remixed Stories of Marriage, Motherhood and Work. Co-sponsored by Busboys and Poets and the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library.

7 p.m.
Teen Author Kyndall Brown
Borders, 931-A Capital Centre Boulevard, Largo, MD
The 13-year-old poet reads from her debut collection, I Ain’t Ascared of Nutin’: The Evolution of Me, and encourages other teen poets, talking about finding your voice and finding a publisher. Sponsored by the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library.

7:30 p.m.
Memoirist Christina Thompson
Dewberry Hall South, Johnson Center
The editor of the Harvard Review reflects on her marriage to a Maori foundryman and explores New Zealand and Maori history in her debut memoir, Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story. A 6:30 p.m. reception precedes the event.

7:30 p.m.
Folklorist Mary T. Hufford
Johnson Center, Room C
An expert on ethnography, cultural policy, and ecological crisis, this author of Chaseworld: Foxhunting and Storytelling in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens shares stories about researching and writing.

8 p.m.
The Spoken Word Revolution
The Bistro, Johnson Center
Bruce George, co-creator of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, leads a poetry slam. Watch and participate, too. A 7 p.m. reception precedes the event. Co-Sponsored by Mason’s Office of University Life, Office of Diversity Programs and Services and Weekend Initiatives.

8 p.m.
Novelist Sue Miller
Concert Hall, Center for the Arts
The bestselling author of The Good Mother, Inventing the Abbotts and While I Was Gone reads from her latest book, The Senator’s Wife. Sponsored by the Friends of the George Mason Regional Library. A 7 p.m. reception precedes the event in Grand Tier III of the Concert Hall.

Festival Hits Halfway Point on a High Note — More Great Events Ahead!

The 2008 Fall for the Book Festival has officially passed the halfway mark, but for every highlight and headliner who's already taken the stage, there is another ahead — still plenty of time to meet and greet some of the best authors on earth!

Tuesday night's programming ended with a terrific staged reading of Alan Bennett's play Habeas Corpus (above). Mason's Theatre of the First Amendment brought a stellar cast to the Old Town Village Gallery, and the standing-room-only audience got into the high spirits of this lively satire. The reading was presented in conjunction with the Fairfax County Public Library's All Fairfax Reads program.

Wednesday's schedule includes writers across a diverse range of genres: journalists Ariel Sabar and Jonny Steinberg, poet Eric Pankey, former VA governor turned memoirist Linwood Holton, and acclaimed novelist Ethan Canin.

Wednesday's full schedule of events is below. Come out and join the fun!

Or looking toward the rest of the week, visit our online calendar for complete and updated program information. [Note: A Thursday event has been cancelled: Alexandra Villard de Porchgrave's poetry reading, originally schedule for 10:30 a.m.]

SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
10 a.m.
Children’s and Young Adult Author Chris Crutcher
Potomac Falls High School, 46400 Algonkian Parkway, Sterling, VA
As part of the Fall for the Book’s annual High School Reads Program, the author, whose latest book is Deadline, shares insights about writing with high school students from across Loudoun County. Sponsored by Baker & Taylor book wholesalers. If you would like to attend this event please contact the school office at 571-434-3200 for information about seating.

11 a.m. — Richard Wright’s 100th Birthday
Research I, Room 163
A panel of scholars, including Aime Ellis, James Miller, and Maryemma Graham, assess the legacy of one of the country’s greatest African American writers, author of Black Boy, Native Son and other classics.

11:30 a.m. — Exploring the Iraq War Through Poetry
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Brian Turner, Melissa Tuckey, and others share poetry about the war. A reception follows. Sponsored by Mason’s Office of University Life.

12 p.m. —4:30 p.m. — Paperback Swap
North Plaza, Outside the Johnstojn Center
Volition, Mason's undergraduate journal of literature and art, hosts a paperback swap.

12:30—3:30 p.m. — Poetry-on-Demand!
Near the Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
The University Writing Center hosts a Poetry-on-Demand table, with students from Mason’s MFA Program in Creative Writing offering original verses in a minutes!

2 p.m. — Journalist Eric Lichtblau
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Lichtblau discusses his new book, Bush’s Law: The Remaking of American Justice.

2 p.m. — Tuskegee Airman Christopher Robinson and Author George Norfleet
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), 4210 Roberts Road, Fairfax, VA
Robinson and Norfleet share stories from their collaborative memoir, A Pilot’s Journey: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman, Curtis Christopher Robinson. Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

3 p.m. — Journalist and Memoirist Ariel Sabar
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Noted journalist Sabar shares stories from his new book, My Father’s Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq.

3 p.m. — Author/Producer Bruce George and Publisher Lisa Moore
Student Union Building II, Room 5
The co-creator of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and the founder of Red Bone Press discuss the challenges and rewards of publishing minority authors, including gang members, black lesbians, and gay men. Co-sponsored by Mason’s Office of University Life, Office of Diversity Programs and Services and Weekend Initiatives.

4 p.m. — Photographer Nancy Crampton
Lobby, Center for the Arts
The official photographer of the Unterberg Poetry Center at New York’s 92nd Street Y discusses images from her collection Writers, featuring some of the nation’s leading literary luminaries.

4:30 p.m. — Journalist Jonny Steinberg
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
The award-winning South African journalist reads from Sizwe’s Test: A Young Man's Journey Through Africa's AIDS Epidemic. Sponsored by Mason’s Office of University Life.

4:30 p.m. — Mason Provost Peter Stearns
Research I, Room 163
With more than 100 books to his credit, Mason Provost Stearns draws on his observations and research to offer insights into America’s present by looking into its past. Sponsored by the George Mason University Libraries. Followed by a reception and exhibition of Stearns’ books.

5:30 p.m. — Poets Eric Pankey, Caren Scott, and Ryan Walker
The Bistro, Johnson Center
Acclaimed poet Pankey, author most recently of of The Pear As One Example: New and Selected Poems, joins up-and-coming poets Scott and Walker. A reception follows. Sponsored by Phoebe: A Journal of Literature and Art.

5:30 p.m. — Craft Talk with Ethan Canin
Gold Room, Johnson Center
Canin, a faculty member at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and author most recently of America America, hosts a talk on the art and craft of fiction.

6 p.m.
Short Story Writers Nicole Shivers and Tahra Nicols
Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th Street, Washington, DC
The co-authors of Maddening Behaviors: Some I Hear, A Lot I See share stories of eleven young women who leave America to find adventure in Africa. Co-sponsored by the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library and Busboys and Poets.

7 p.m. — Novelist and Comedienne Alison Larkin
Oakton Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton, VA
In the bestselling novel The English American, Alison Larkin draws further from her experiences as an adopted English woman who finds her birth parents — and a new homeland — in the United States.

7 p.m. — Novelist Jenny Gardiner
Potbelly Sandwich Works, 3955 Chainbridge Road, Fairfax, VA
The author reads from her smart, sassy debut novel, Sleeping with Ward Cleaver. Co-sponsored by Potbelly and the City of Fairfax.

7:30 p.m. — Former Governor Linwood Holton
City of Fairfax Regional Library, 10360 North Street, Fairfax, VA
The first Republican to govern Virginia since Reconstruction — and the governor who signed George Mason University into existence — shares excerpts from his memoir, Opportunity Time.

7:30 p.m. — Novelist Ethan Canin
The Bistro, Johnson Center
Canin reads from his highly acclaimed new political novel, America America—which the Washington Post called “a worthy successor to Robert Penn Warren's All the King’s Men.” A reception precedes the reading at 7 p.m.

Achebe Draws 1,200 Fans to FFTB; Lincoln Panels Headline Tuesday's Fall for the Book

Monday's night's event with Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe drew more than 1,200 readers to George Mason's Fairfax Campus. The event featured a traditional Libation Ceremony and the presentation of this year's Mason Award, and Achebe enchanted the audience with readings from both his poetry and prose. A memorable night not only for this year's festival but for the entire decade of Fall for the Book history — just check out Laura Foltz's photo above!


Headlining Tuesday's schedule is a day-long series of panels celebrating the upcoming bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth. Several of the nation's leading Lincoln scholars will take part throughout the day. And evening events include a quintet of American novelists — both veteran talents and up-and-coming stars.

The week's complete schedule is available at www.fallforthebook.org/events.html.

Tuesday's events are listed below, by time and location.

SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

9 a.m.—3 p.m. — University Library Book Sale
Dewberry Hall North, Johnson Center

10 a.m. — Lincoln Scholars, Part I
Daniel Mark Epstein and Andrew Ferguson
Dewberry Hall South, Johnson Center
Honoring the forthcoming bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, this panel features Daniel Mark Epstein, author of The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage, and Andrew Ferguson, author of Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe’s America. Moderated by Richard Norton Smith. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning, the Finley Lecture Series of the Department of History and Art History, and Mason’s Office of University Life.

10:30 a.m. — Environmental Activist Mike Tidwell
Harris Theater
The author of The Ravaging Tide: Strange Weather, Future Katrinas, and the Coming Death of America’s Coastal Cities highlights the importance of protecting our environment. Sponsored by Mason’s Sustainability Project and Mason’s Office of University Life.

11:30 a.m. — African Poet Noelle Bolou
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Bolou witnesses the collapse of her native Côte d’Ivoire through her poetry.

12 p.m. — Writers Across Africa
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Writers including Biyi Bandele, Alain Mabanckou, and Veronique Tadjo read from their recent work.

12 p.m.—4:30 p.m. — Paperback Swap
North Plaza, Outside the Johnstojn Center
Volition, Mason's undergraduate journal of literature and art, hosts a paperback swap.

12:30 p.m.
Poet Brian Turner
Ernst Cultural Center (CE Bldg), Northern Virginia Community College, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA
An Iraq War veteran reads selections from his award-winning debut collection, Here, Bullet. Sponsored by the NVCC Lyceum Committee.


1:30 p.m. — Poet and Musician Joy Harjo
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Harjo shares poetry influenced by her Native American heritage and performs songs from recent CDs. Co-sponsored by Mason’s Office of University Life, Office of Diversity Programs and Services, the Women and Gender Studies Center and the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program.

1:30 p.m. — Lincoln Scholars, Part II
Michael Beschloss, Joshua Wolf Shenk, and James L. Swanson
Dewberry Hall South, Johnson Center
Michael Beschloss, Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989; Joshua Wolf Shenk, Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness; and James L. Swanson, Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer, discuss the legacy of Lincoln. Moderated by Richard Norton Smith. Sponsored by Gale Cengage Learning, the Finley Lecture of the Department of History and Art History, and Mason’s Office of University Life.

1:30 p.m.
Novelist and Legal Scholar Garrett Epps
Mason in Loudoun, Ridgetop Two, Suite 210, 21641 Ridgetop Circle, Sterling, VA
This legal historian, who recently joined the faculty at the University of Baltimore School of Law, discusses his best seller, The Shad Treatment, and the genre of the political novel. Sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

2:30 p.m. — Environmental Sustainability Advocates Larry Rockwood and Lee Talbot
Research I, Conference Room
Mason professors Rockwood and Talbot address the questions: What is environmental sustainability? How do we achieve it? What are the prospects for maintaining it?

3 p.m. — Poet Catherine Bowman
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Bowman samples her award-winning poetry from collections including Notarikon and 1-800-HOT-RIBS.

4:30 p.m. — Novelist Gioia Timpanelli
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
The “Dean of American Storytelling” reads from her first book of fiction, Sometimes the Soul and previews her forthcoming novel, What Makes A Child Lucky.


4:30 p.m. — Graywolf Press Presents Novelist Ron Carlson, Essayist Sven Birkerts and Poet Katie Ford
Research I, Room 163
Carlson discusses his craft book, Ron Carlson Writes a Story; Birkerts reads from his most recent work, The Art of Time in Memoir: Then, Again; and Ford unveils her new poetry collection, Colosseum. A reception follows.

5 p.m. — Historians Garrett Epps and Robert Whitaker
Dewberry Hall South, Johnson Center
Epps, Democracy Reborn: The Fourteenth Amendment and the Fight for Civil Rights in Post-Civil War America, and Whitaker, On the Laps of Gods: The Red Summer of 1919 and the Struggle for Justice that Remade a Nation, touch on some of the pivotal moments in American history.

6 p.m. — Environmentalist Eric Brende
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
The author of Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology highlights the difference that each of us can make on our own ecological footprint.

6 p.m. — Novelists Richard Bausch and Charles Baxter
Johnson Center Cinema
Baxter reads from The Soul Thief and Bausch from his new novella Peace. A reception follows. Sponsored by the College of Education and Human Development.

6 p.m.
Poet Brian Turner
Northern Virginia Community College, 1000 Harry Flood Byrd Highway, Sterling, VA
An Iraq War veteran reads from his award-winning debut collection, Here, Bullet. Sponsored by the NVCC Lyceum Committee.

6:30 p.m. — Historian Ryan Coonerty
Fairfax Museum & Visitors Center, 10209 Main Street, Fairfax, VA
Law professor Coonerty discusses on his book Etched in Stone: Enduring Words from Our Nation's Monuments. Sponsored by the Fairfax Museum and the City of Fairfax.

7 p.m. — World Security Analyst Michael Klare
Johnson Center, Meeting Room C
The defense correspondent for The Nation reads from and discusses his new book, Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America’s Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum.


7:30 p.m. — Novelists Ron Carlson, Alan Cheuse, and Benjamin Percy
Johnson Center Cinema
Veteran novelists Carlson, Five Skies, and Cheuse, To Catch the Lightning, are joined by up-and-coming talent Percy, celebrating his debut novel, The Wilding. A 7 p.m. reception precedes the readings.

7:30 p.m. — A Celebration of Alan Bennett
Old Town Village Gallery, North Street at Route 123, Fairfax, VA
The Theatre of the First Amendment performs Habeas Corpus by English playwright Bennett. Sponsored by the Fairfax County Public Library.

7:30 p.m.
Politics Laid Bare
Original Building, Room 329, Mason’s Arlington Campus, 3401 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA
As the 2008 Presidential race unfolds, local scholars and journalists examine the contenders, the issues, and the prospects. Presenters include political analyst Michael Fauntroy, Pew Research Center survey director Scott Keeter, and presidential scholar Colleen Shogan.

8 p.m. — Folklorist Diane Goldstein
Research I, Room 163
A scholar specializing in the origins and permutations of health beliefs discusses the folklore surrounding AIDS, explored in her book Once Upon A Virus: AIDS Legends and Vernacular Risk Perception.

Festival Gets Underway — More Great Events Monday!

The 2008 Fall for the Book Festival got off to a great start on Sunday, with hundreds of book-lovers gathering at events in downtown Fairfax and in Alexandria, Arlington, Bethesda and Bowie. A special event (pictured here) featured young authors published in the Northern Virginia Writing Project's anthology, Falling for the Story. Special thanks go to the businesses and libraries who helped to host the opening day events and get the festival off to a great start!

Monday's events include both the on-campus kick-off at noon — a series of readings by graduates of Mason's MFA program in creative writing — and a day-long celebration of Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, beginning with a scholarly discussion of his work at 10 a.m., continuing with a late afternoon reception featuring traditional Nigerian music and food, and finishing with Achebe's acceptance of the Mason Award for connecting great literature with a wide reading public. As Fall for the Book prepares to present this award, word has arrived that the 50th anniversary of Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart has helped to push it onto USA Today's list of national bestsellers — proof that Achebe's masterpiece is continuing to connect with readers everywhere. 

A full list of this week's events is available HERE.

The schedule for Monday, September 22, is below — with times and locations. 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

10 a.m. — Celebrating Chinua Achebe
Johnson Center Cinema
Scholars from different parts of Africa discuss the work of Chinua Achebe and other African writers. A reception follows. Co-sponsored by Mason’s Global Affairs Program and New Century College.

12 p.m. — The On-Campus Kick-Off!
Mason Alumni Authors
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Opening this year’s on-campus festivities, graduates of Mason’s MFA Program in Creative Writing — including Brian Brodeur, Robert Drummond and Mel Nichols — read from their recently published works. This event features music, prizes and more!

12 p.m.—4:30 p.m. — Paperback Swap
North Plaza, Outside the Johnstojn Center
Volition, Mason's undergraduate journal of literature and art, hosts a paperback swap. Trade books you've already finished for others you can't wait to start.

12:30—3:30 p.m. — Poetry-on-Demand!
Near the Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
The University Writing Center hosts a Poetry-on-Demand table, with students from Mason’s MFA Program in Creative Writing offering original verses in minutes!

12 p.m. — Writing Professor Don Gallehr
Dewberry Hall South, Johnson Center
Gallehr leads a workshop exploring how meditation practices can enhance the writing process.

12:30 p.m. — Photojournalist David Bacon
Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts
Bacon discusses labor, immigration and international politics, drawing on his two most recent books Communities Without Borders and Illegal People: How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants.

1 p.m. — GMU Dancers
North Plaza, Outside Johnson Center
“Impulse Present” is a site-specific dance performance. GMU dancers will draw from audience suggestions to create a spontaneous moving environment.

1:30 p.m. — Novelist Frank Delaney
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
The author of the bestselling novels Ireland and Tipperary offers a sneak peek at the third novel in the series, Shannon, to be published in spring 2009.

2 p.m. — Memoirist Lori Smith
Dewberry Hall South, Johnson Center
Journalist Smith combines a travel memoir and history in her latest book, A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey Into Adventure, Love, and Faith.

3 p.m. — Novelist Ana Maurine Lara
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
An activist for social justice and for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues reads from her award-winning novels Erzulie’s Skirt and Anacaona’s Daughter. Sponsored by Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library.

3 p.m. — Espionage Expert Fred Hitz
Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts
The first statutory inspector general of the CIA offers an insider’s perspective of espionage today through his books The Great Game: The Myth and Reality of Espionage and Why Spy? Espionage in an Era of Uncertainty. Sponsored by the Friends of the Reston Regional Library.

4:30 p.m. — Political Analyst Michael Hais
Provident Bank Tent, Outside Johnson Center
Hais examines the intersection of politics and technology in the new study he co-authored with Morley Winograd, Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics. Sponsored by Mason’s Democracy Project and Office of University Life.

5:30 p.m. — Reception for Chinua Achebe
Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts
The traditional food, music, and dress of Nigeria are the hallmarks of this event, sponsored by Mason’s African Student Association.

6 p.m. — Candid Yak
The Bistro, Johnson Center
The Candid Yak, Mason’s graduate reading series, and Student Media host an open mic reading, with two featured poets from GMU's MFA program: Danika Stegeman and Ethan Edwards. All are welcome to participate. Bring a short poem or prose sample to read, or just come out and cheer on your friends!

6 p.m. — Wine Tasting and Discussion
The Wine House, 3950 University Drive, Fairfax, VA
The Wine House owner Michael Pearce guides local wine lovers on a tasting of four special wines. Make reservations now to stay for dinner afterwards! Co-sponsored by The Wine House and the City of Fairfax.

7 p.m. — Journalist Scott Huler
Foster’s Grill, North Street, Fairfax, VA
Journalist Huler takes us behind-the-scenes of America’s most popular sport with A Little Bit Sideways: One Week Inside a NASCAR Winston Cup Race Team. Sponsored by Fairfax City Auto Dealers and the City of Fairfax.

7:30 p.m. — Novelist Chinua Achebe
Concert Hall, Center for the Arts
Nigerian novelist, poet and critic Chinua Achebe accepts the 2008 Mason Award, celebrating an author whose body of work has made extraordinary contributions to bringing literature to a wide reading public. The author also reads from Things Fall Apart, the most widely read and perhaps most profoundly influential African novel ever. Co-sponsored by Mason’s Global Affairs Program and Office of University Life.

2008 Festival Opens Sunday!

From poet Jon Pineda at Busboys and Poets in Arlington to D.C. crime writers Roach Brown, Richard Currey, and James Grady at the Writer's Center in Bethesda to novelist and memoirist Nani Power at downtown Fairfax's Sweet Life Cafe — the opening day of the 2008 Fall for the Book has a little something for all tastes. AND for all ages, since Sundays' schedule features an array of children's and young adult authors at venues throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland.

The festival's complete calendar of events is available HERE.

Sunday's events — with times and locations — are below.

All events are free and open to the public. Join us as we kick off our milestone year!

1 p.m.
The Youngest Published Writers at Fall for the Book
Old Town Hall, 3999 University Drive, Fairfax, VA
Students from across Northern Virginia share original works selected for the two-volume Northern Virginia Writing Project anthology, Falling for the Story. NVWP sponsors the reading.

2 p.m.
D.C. Crime Writers
The Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD
Contributors to the successful D.C. Noir anthologies share stories from the grittier side of the nation’s capital. Sponsored by the Writer’s Center.

2 p.m.
Children’s Book Author Jerdine Nolan
Prince George’s County Library, 15210 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD
Nolan reads from her latest picture book, Big Jabe. Sponsored by the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library.

2 p.m.
Children’s Book Author Katy Kelly
Sherwood Regional Library, 2501 Sherwood Hall Lane, Alexandria, VA
A former reporter for People, USA Today, and U.S. News and World Report, Kelly reads from her popular Lucy Rose books. Sponsored by the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library.

3 p.m.
Novelist Kathleen McCleary
Circa Home & Garden, 10435 North Street, Fairfax, VA
The popular journalist — whose work has appeared in The New York Times and Good Housekeeping and on HGTV.com — reads from her debut novel, House and Home.

3 p.m.
Young Adult Writers Beckie Weinheimer and Kathy Erskine
Old Town Hall, 3999 University Drive, Fairfax, VA
The authors discuss their books’ exploration of religion and politics and their effects on teens. Followed at 4:30 p.m. by a writing workshop for teens.

3:30 p.m.
Children’s Book Author Moira Donohue
City of Fairfax Regional Library, 10360 North Street, Fairfax, VA
A former lawyer, Donohue stresses the importance of punctuation in her charming picture books — and discusses the Supreme Court case in which she proved her point!


4 p.m.
Poet Jon Pineda
Busboys and Poets, 4251 S. Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA
The award-winning poet reads from his third collection, The Translator’s Diary. Co-sponsored by Busboys and Poets and the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library.

4 p.m.
Children’s Book Author Lulu Delacre
Sherwood Regional Library, 2501 Sherwood Hall Lane, Alexandria, VA
Award-winning author/illustrator shares Latin American stories and more, and discusses her first young adult book, Alicia Afterimage. Sponsored by the Friends of the Sherwood Regional Library.

4:30 p.m.
Memoirist Nani Power
The Sweet Life Café, 3950 Chain Bridge Road, Fairfax, VA
Noted novelist Power reads from her new memoir with recipes, Feed the Hungry, about growing up in Virginia. Co-sponsored by the Sweet Life Café and the City of Fairfax.

6 p.m.
So to Speak Faculty and Fellows Reading
Old Town Village, North Street at Route 123, Fairfax
George Mason University faculty members, including Helon Habila, Sally Keith and Kyoko Mori, and fellowship winners, including Elizabeth Eshelman, Alyson Foster, Sarah Klenakis, and Robb St. Lawrence, read from their recent works. Sponsored by the Mason journal So To Speak: A Feminist Journal of Language and Art. For extra fun, grab a drink or some food at any area restaurants near the reading!

7 p.m.
Political Journalist Amy Sullivan
Fairfax Presbyterian Church, 10723 Main Street, Fairfax, VA
A national correspondent for Time Magazine discusses her new book, The Party Faithful: How and Why Democrats are Closing the God Gap. Sponsored by the City of Fairfax.

7 p.m.
Historian Clint Johnson
Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA
The noted Civil War expert discusses the escape and pursuit of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Sponsored by the Arlington Library.

7:30 p.m.
Memoirists Honor Moore and Scott Huler
Old Town Hall, 3999 University Drive, Fairfax, VA
Acclaimed poet and memoirist Moore reads from her new book, The Bishop's Daughter, examining the secret life of her late father, Paul Moore, Bishop of the Diocese of New York. National Public Radio regular Huler takes a journey into mythic Greece, modern Greece and the first days of middle age with No-Man’s Land: One Man’s Odyssey Through the Odyssey. A reception precedes the reading.

The Spoken Word Revolution Comes to Mason

Bruce George, co-creator of HBO's Def Poetry Jam, will host a slam poetry competition on Thursday, September 25, at 8 p.m. Students will present their best work in hopes of capturing the top prize!

To perform, sign-up here. (Registration closes September 23.)

To watch, just SHOW UP and keep the FLOW UP with your presence in the crowd.

The event takes place in The Bistro, located in the Johnson Center on Mason's Fairfax Campus. A 7 p.m. reception precedes the event. Co-Sponsored by Mason’s Office of University Life, Weekend Initiatives and the Diversity Programs and Services Office.

Bit O' Lit Samples Beckie Weinheimer's Converting Kate

An excerpt from Beckie Weinheimer's young adult novel Converting Kate appears in the latest issue of Bit O' Lit, a booklet-sized magazine that is handed out for free to Metro commuters in Washington, D.C. The excerpt is also available online at www.bit-o-lit.com.

Weinheimer joins Kathryn Erskine, author of Ibhubesi: The Lion and Quaking, on the Festival's opening day — Sunday, September 21 — at Old Town Hall, 3999 University Drive, Fairfax, Va. The authors will read from their works, discuss writing for young adults, and then host a short writing workshop for teens after the event.

Preview Event at Politics & Prose Rallies Against the Storm

Fall for the Book 2008 got off to a rousing if rain-dampened start on Saturday, September 6, with a preview event in partnership with Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. More than 40 people braved the torrents of Tropical Storm Hanna to hear journalist Alan Weisman read from and discuss his latest work, The World Without Us.

Weisman, who flew in from Boston despite the storm, walked listeners through some of the key points of his book, detailing how, if people were removed from the earth, the planet would slowly shed off almost all evidence of their presence. Within those details, he said, are clues as to how people might live on the earth more successfully.

Festival Manager Ruth Goodwin thanked the owners of Politics & Prose, an independent bookstore in Northwest D.C., for partnering with the festival, noting how such joint presentations characterize Fall for the Book in this its 10th year.

Just Added! Journalist and Memoirist Ariel Sabar To Speak September 24

Fall for the Book is thrilled to welcome to this year’s festival Ariel Sabar, author of the stirring and timely memoir, My Father’s Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq.

A melding of cultures and generations, My Father’s Paradise traces Sabar’s and his father’s journey through today’s postwar Iraq in an effort to locate his father’s birthplace—or what is left of it. Along the way, the journey becomes one of self-discovery and reawakening for both men.

Sabar will read from and discuss the memoir on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 3 p.m. in the Provident Bank Tent, outside the Johnson Center, on Mason’s Fairfax Campus.


Sabar’s father, Yona, was born in ancient community of Kurdish Jews in Northern Iraq — a community of “self-made mystics and gifted storytellers, humble peddlers and rugged loggers who dwelt in harmony with their Muslim and Christian neighbors.” After emigrating first to Israel and then to the U.S., Yona became a professor at UCLA — but despite his new country, he was also determined to preserve the heritage and traditions of his people.

Though son Ariel has not originally shared this wish, the birth of his own child left him reflecting on his past — and soon sent him and his father off on a quest to revisit Yona’s homeland.

As the book’s publisher states, “My Father’s Paradise is Ariel Sabar's quest to reconcile present and past. As Ariel and his father travel…, Sabar brings to life the ancient town of Zakho, telling his family’s story and discovering their place in the sweeping saga of the Sephardic Jews' millennia-long survival in Islamic lands…. Populated by Kurdish chieftains, trailblazing linguists, Arab nomads, and devout believers, this intimate yet powerful book is an improbable story of tolerance and hope set in what today is the very center of the world’s attention”

A former staff writer for the Baltimore Sun and the Providence (RI) Journal, Sabar is now covering the 2008 U.S. presidential campaigns for the Christian Science Monitor. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Monthly, Mother Jones magazine, and other publications.

An essay adapted from My Father’s Paradise appeared in the August 15 issue of the New York Times Magazine. Another essay appears in the latest issue of Moment Magazine. The complete book will be released the week before Fall for the Book opens.