It's a Read-a-Palooza Weekend!

My usual Friday Book Review will not be posted today, because I have stumbled upon a veritable Cornucopia of Book Stuff. A Literary Treasure Trove. A Book Lover's Dream Come True. It's too great not to share, and it's all crammed into this very weekend. Not only does it kick off Banned Books Week and its many accompanying celebrations, but there are a couple of awesome - and free! - book fests that I found.

And now, the book stuff:

Banned Books Week begins this year on Saturday, Sept. 26th. All week long, libraries and bookstores and other book-minded places are drawing attention to this issue in their own ways.

• Banned Books Week Read-Out* - Held in historic Bughouse Square in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. Authors of six of the ten most challenged books of 2008 will be there to read their books, and "share their experiences as targets of censors." And of course, there will be booksignings afterward.
• Ninth Street Book Shop - Located in Wilmington, Delaware, this bookstore will once again have a banned books display in their front window. Why? Here's what they have to say:

  "Starting in September and running through October, our store will feature a large front window display of recently banned books, which we've presented annually since Banned Books Week was instituted. Always a very popular and provocative exhibit, it draws many into our store to question "Why is my favorite book of all time being banned?" which is precisely the point of our display."

• Page after page* - This Lewisburg, Pennsylvania bookshop will also have their own Banned Books Week display.
• La Grange Association Library* - You can find this library in Poughkeepsie, New York, where they'll have a banned books display, and will hold a Banned Books Challenge: asking participants to match book descriptions with their titles and authors.
• McNally Jackson Books - Located in New York, New York, this bookstore plans to have a Banned Books Week display, too.

Except for the Banned Books Week Read-Out, the above events are Near My Neck of the Woods. To find out what folks are doing elsewhere, click here. If you find that there aren't any events near you, Banned Books Week has you covered with a list of all kinds of ways to participate in the festivities, whether you're a librarian, a teacher, a bookseller, a parent, a kid, or a Book Lover In General.

And finally - book festivals! Both of these a quick and convenient road trip apart from each other. But there are a ton of other book festivals out there, in all kinds of places, on various dates. A quick Google search for "book festivals" will point you in the right direction.

14th Annual Baltimore Book Fest - Going on all weekend: today (12 pm - 8 PM), Saturday, Sept. 26, (12 PM - 8 PM) and Sunday, Sept. 27 (12 PM - 7 PM). You'll find it at Mount Vernon Place, 600 block of North Charles Street, in Baltimore, Maryland. Food, music, presentations, author readings and booksignings, events, Literary Walking Tours, hands-on activities for kids, and more to keep the whole family busy, fed, and full of fun!

2009 National Book Festival - You'll find it on the National Mall, in Washington DC. Saturday, September 26, from 10 AM until 5:30 PM. Free and open to the public. Pavillions all up and down the Mall, full of more than 70 authors and illustrators - reading their books, presenting, and doing booksignings. Check out the official website for a list of authors, as well as signing and reading schedules. Can't get there? No worries - the official site also will point you to podcasts, and you can follow updates through Twitter (@librarycongress) and Facebook (become a fan of Library of Congress).

So, my weekend plans are all set. How about yours?

Edited Sept. 23, 2013:
*Banned Books Week Read-Out original link no longer works. However, you can visit the Banned Books Week site's Banned Books Virtual Read-Out instead, which seems to be a similar concept, only virtual.


*Page After Page no longer appears to be in business.


*Here is a link to the LaGrange Association Library's calendar page. For 2013, they are holding children's activities all week for Banned Books Week.