Imagine you’re in charge of an event. Perhaps leadership of said event was thrust upon you or you’re a previous attendee. Or, more likely… during Y2K your mental computer system deleted the vocabulary word “No” and you’ve been THE Leader of Everything since 2001. (i.e. tenured spokesman of the PTO, Boy Scout popcorn sales liaison, chairman of the children’s committee at church, etc. Which is all fine and good except you don’t have children or like popcorn!!)
Whatever the reason, let’s say you’ve planned the perfect event. Perfect time, date, and entertainment. You’re on a budget. Plus, a 13 year old who thinks everything is “Meh” has given you a strong endorsement of “Sounds all right.”
Unfortunately, no amount of perfect planning will save you from the following moment:
- 40 Minutes: Confirm Rocco Caldron will arrive on time.
- 30 Minutes: Escort Rocco Caldron’s Flying Ninja Troop backstage.
- 22 Minutes: Give Rocco Caldron’s Flying Ninjas complimentary box of GADs donuts.
- 21 Minutes: Rocco Caldron triple-backflip-kicks a donut, which Rocco Caldron’s brother, Ricci, catches on a sword that extends from his mouth.
- 20 Minutes: Send your BFF a text: I have the tiniest crush on a ninja and THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING.
- 19 Minutes and 40 Seconds: Send your BFF a second text: God, I really, really, really hope people show up for this.
This fearful text embodies the core of every event planner’s deepest nightmare. Will people come? What if they’re all still celebrating WKU’s run during March Madness and aren’t coming? What if it is…sunny? Do they know my event exists?
Truth is, we all know it doesn’t matter if Rocco Caldron is the most amazing ninja in the world, boasts 1.3 billion Instagram followers, and has agreed to leave his sold out Vegas show to perform for free at our library if … A.) You’ve never heard of Rocco Caldron or B.) You’ve heard of Rocco Caldron but you don’t know he’s coming to the library. (P.S. – Rocco Caldron is a metaphor, no ninjas were injured in the writing of this article, and I am now hungry for donuts.)
Friend. Friends. Have mercy on our weary, excited, event coordinators and plan to attend Book Fest on March 20 and 21.
Louis Sachar (not a metaphor) is coming.
More than likely you know his name or are familiar with his work. Remember Sideways Stories From Wayside School or There’s a Boy in the Girls Bathroom? Remember your fourth grade teacher handing you a copy of Holes? Remember how that book blew you away? And rightly so. Holes won the 1999 Newbery Medal and National Book Award and was later made into a feature film starring Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, and Tim Blake Nelson.
Folks, Louis Sachar is worth meeting. He is one of the world’s best word ninjas. And he is among the 80+ authors who will be signing and presenting at SOKY BOOK FEST 2020. (More attending authors will be released in the next SOKY Happenings.)
I could wax eloquent about the importance of literacy or explain the psychological value of building a book-author-reader connection; instead, I’ll tell you what book festivals mean to me.
When people find out I’ve written five full-length novels for HarperCollins they often ask, “Oh…Would I know any of them?” The answer is a resounding, “Maybe.” My work isn’t a New York Times Bestseller, but I’ve won awards. My titles aren’t listed in USA Today, but they’re in your bookstore, library, Amazon, and oh, yeah, I’ve been to SOKY BOOK FEST the last seven years. (Were you there? I hope so.)
Little known fact: I don’t attend book fest to increase sales numbers. I profit less than 1.50 per hardback book. Which means I can’t cover the cost of travel, hotel, or food, much less the new shirt I bought to look oh-so-cool in our photo op. More often than not, authors attend book fest for what we tuck into our hearts, not our wallets.
Moons and moons ago, I sat across a signing table from a nervous-looking young lady. “So great to meet you. Where are you from?” I asked as I uncapped my Sharpie. Her voice was a tiny peep. “California.” And then she said these unforgettable words: “My mom gave me a trip to meet you for my fourteenth birthday.”
Full stop.
This kid and her mom (huge props Momma) flew across the country. To attend a book festival. To meet ME. You guys, I’m a Grade-A No One in the book world, and yet there they were. Imagine the planning and expense. Unfathomable. I’ll never forget leaping across the table, hugging mom and daughter, and offering to continue the conversation over dinner. Spending time with them changed me.
Just like me, Louis Sachar wants to meet you. Everyone reading this article knows (or is) a kid who read (or will read) Holes or Sideways Stories from Wayside School. I’m not asking you to get on a plane. I’m not even asking you to travel Scottsville Road at Christmastime. I am asking you to make SOKY BOOK FEST 2020 a priority. And if you’re extra ambitious, buy or check out a Louis Sachar book for someone and promise to be a personal chauffeur to the festival. Come March 21, please don’t make me text my BFF “God, I really, really, really hope they show up.”
(Due to recent gluten intolerance issues, Rocco Caldron only approved 97.8% of this message.)
– by Courtney Stevens
About the Author: Courtney Stevens is the Community Outreach Manager for Warren County Public Libraries. She is also the author of some well-known young adult fiction books including Faking Normal and Dress Codes for Small Towns. She can be reached at courtneys@warrenpl.org or 270-781-4882 x223 or check out her website at www.courtneystevens.com.
