ALMetro360 April 18

participate.” Along with Atkins, Howard, and Motley, Curnutt notes that the festival will unveil a new novel that is to be highly cele- brated, as well bringing together popular young adult novelists to engage aspiring authors in the how-to’s of novel writing, from point A, to point B. “Eric Motley has had a successful career, working for George Bush Sr. before writing his memoir, and we have a powerful book coming out through the Equal Justice Initiative by An- thony Ray Hinton — a man wrongly convicted of a crime,” said Curnutt. “His novel focuses on surviving prison, what he’s done now that he’s out, and delves into campaigning against wrongful imprisonment. We also have all-day workshops to help people learn how to write a novel, and two young adult au- thors will be there to talk about plotting and characteriza- tion. It’s a very hands-on event, where different workshops are offered, but no one gives a cri- tique; it’s more like giving help- ful hints, more a lecture. This year we’re expanding what read- ing is by doing a workshop on podcasting, researching, and how to write a biography. Basically, we pretty much offer any- thing to do with reading and writing.” The event is free for everyone and includes a book drive where people can get a free hot dog if they bring a book to do- nate. With 50 to 60 exhibitors, including a literary agent from Huntsville, along with books for sale by local authors, panels on how to self-publish or make an audio book, as well as em- phasizing the ever-popular YA genre, this year’s roster of events is seemingly endless. With all that said, however, Curnutt wishes to emphasize that at the core of the festival is an ex- tremely important message: by engaging our youth as well as ourselves with reading, we become better, more well-rounded people. Thus, in turn the festival seeks to promote the impor- tance of learning how to read, and why we should keep doing it. “This is a great family event, but part of what we do is mostly for readers and to celebrate literacy,” said Curnutt. “We try to get people to think of reading not as a hobby, but as part of a well-balanced life. Reading is not something that you stop doing; it’s both entertaining and educational, and we want to stress the health benefits of reading. It’s part of being a more informed citizen, and many studies show that reading makes you a more empathetic person. Reading is also an escape, an adventure, and just plain fun. We’ve had a really great record of people enjoying the festival, and there aren’t many events like this that are free to the public. We hope people will come and enjoy it.” ^ Find us on Facebook and Instagram APRIL 2018 15