A surfeit of authors

I have to say this to begin - CUBS WIN! YES! They advance to the National League Division Series. WOO HOO!

Thus endeth this brief but heartfelt celebration. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

It's been a busy week in Seward. Not only was the Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival last weekend, author Alex George was in Seward on Sunday.

I had the opportunity to hear a whole bunch of authors and others in the industry. Even though the authors write books for younger readers, it's interesting to hear what they have to say. Most of them are people I've never heard of, mainly because I don't read children's books. But one was familiar - Eric Litwin, the creator of Pete the Cat. Up until last Christmas, that may not have meant anything to me. Then Brenden (my nephew, for the uninitiated) received the Pete the Cat series which came with CDs. We listened to most of them, and "Pete the Cat and His New White Shoes" became a favorite. We all learned the song Pete sang as he was walking along in his new white/red/blue/brown/wet shoes. We also heard about Pete and his groovy buttons (another story), which was one of the songs Mr. Litwin performed for us.

When I see the festival on the calendar, I automatically volunteer to cover it. I love the variety of authors and illustrators who come to the festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. I've heard a lot of different writers and artists speak over the years. I try to find people I've either heard of or who sound interesting. I don't think I've been disappointed yet.

On Sunday, as I said, I heard Alex George speak. Mr. George wrote "A Good American," which was the All Seward Reads Together title for this year. ASRT is an opportunity for everyone to read and discuss the same book. The library staff does a great job coming up with programs related to the book, whatever it happens to be. I've liked some, not liked others, and there have been some I simply haven't gotten to. Anyway, Mr. George is from England, so he could have kept talking for longer than he did and I would have listened. I did get started on "A Good American" but had to return it before I finished it. I think the coolest thing Mr. George shared was that, right around the time the book was published, he became an American citizen.

But wait, there's more. On Thursday (Oct. 1 for those of you keeping score), I interviewed James Tipper who wrote a book set in Seward. His partner grew up here, and his first introduction to town was on the Fourth of July. Welcome to The Fourth of July City. Mr. Tipper was born and raised in California, so small midwestern towns are like a foreign country. But he loved the town and decided it would be a perfect setting for a story. I'm most of the way through his book, which is called "Demons In the Tall Grass." Once I'm done, I'll share my thoughts on it.

For now, though, I've got to sort through them all in my head so they don't run together. I'll try to provide more information on all of them in the future. Wish me luck!