Two Fort Collins favorites – brewing and books – will come together in a memorable event at the first FoCo Book Fest, set for Saturday, Oct. 22.
Working off the theme “Brewin’ Up Books,” the inaugural book fest will blend brewing – beer, coffee, tea and more – and books and authors in a free event at venues throughout Old Town Fort Collins. It will feature several prominent authors, including Gov. John Hickenlooper, Katrina Roberts and others.
“The importance of a book festival to connect and energize a community cannot be overstated,” said festival co-founder and organizer Mike Liggett, a longtime Fort Collins lawyer and library advocate. “We’re excited to bring the first annual book fest to Fort Collins. The potential for developing this into a premier literary festival in our community is unlimited.”
CSU well represented
Sponsors include CSU (Morgan Library, College of Liberal Arts, Division of External Relations) and Poudre River Public Library District. The fest, which runs from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., has been in the planning stages for several years.
“People have been bouncing around the idea of the Book Fest for years, and this time it got the traction it needed,” says CSU English professor Camille Dungy, who is part of a creative writing program that is ranked in the top 25 nationally. “This is a great opportunity to celebrate the literary talent of this town and this university.”
A host of faculty, students and alumni not only helped procure talent for the FoCo Book Fest but will serve as readers, panelists, moderators and volunteers. In addition to Dungy, English faculty who are playing a role include Dan Beachy-Quick, Matthew Cooperman, Sasha Steensen, Harrison Fletcher, Andrew Altschul and EJ Levy. In addition, Dungy estimates that 18 to 20 of the volunteers at the Book Fest are current or former students in the English department.
Lots of free options
Participants can attend panel discussions, writing workshops, author readings, book signings, classes and other sessions throughout the day and engage with a variety of writers.
Other festival highlights include interactive tea and kombucha brewing classes, coffee demos and other unique opportunities to indulge literary and brewing passions. There also will be special, limited-time FoCo Book Fest Brews from New Belgium Brewing, Bean Cycle Roasters and Happy Lucky’s Teahouse to round out the day.
A full schedule of the day’s presentations, authors and venues is available online at www.FoCoBookFest.org, including information on registering for writing workshops and other classes, and how to snag a free ticket for Gov. Hickenlooper’s session (limited seating available).
