Downtown Madison is once again the stomping ground of numerous bookworms, wannabe poets and published authors as the third annual Wisconsin Book Festival comes to town. The festival, which started Wednesday, continues with a weekend full of readings, lectures, discussions and book signings as well as storytelling, exhibits and children events, offering something for every reader.
Soren Schoff, coordinator of the Wisconsin Book Festival, said students can look forward to Sunday when Ben Karlin, producer of The Daily Show, and on-air correspondent Ed Helms will arrive at the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State Street, at 2:30 p.m. At four o'clock, P.S. Mueller, John Krewson, Mike Loew, Joe Garden and other members of the Onion writing staff will take the stage to celebrate \Fanfare for the Area Man: Onion ad Nauseam Vol. 15,"" the Onion's most recent collection.
Schoff also mentioned a new addition for the festival this year that will be on campus.
""I think one of the highlights for students is Zine Fest,"" Schoff said. ""I think that should be a great event.""
Zine Fest will come to the Open Book Caf?? in Helen C. White Library, on Saturday at 10 p.m. It will bring together local, regional and national zine creators, distributors and librarians to support zine creation, free speech and the availability of alternative materials in library collections. Chris Dodge, a prominent personality on the zine scene, will be making an appearance from 2 to 4 p.m.
Schoff said this year the festival is pulling back from the overabundance of author appearances from last year. In 2003 the festival featured over 115 events, with some major speakers overlapping each other. Two years ago, the first festival had 60 events and this year it will settle at a little under 100. Schoff still hopes the festival will satisfy as many people as possible.
""We can't be all things to all people but we can be a lot of things to most people,"" he said. ""I think we have a really diverse program with something for everybody.""
So far the gala seems to be living up to its reputation as the premiere statewide literary event by attracting large full houses. Masarah Van Eyck, director of development and communications for the Wisconsin Book Festival, said events that are a little more low key have excellent turnouts.
""We're seeing good attendance, even at the smaller, more intimate events, like writing workshops and panel discussions during the day,"" she said in an email. ""That's very encouraging.""
Van Eyck said the panel discussion ""What do Poetry Editors Want"" on Thursday was an event to be proud of. A free public event geared toward an underrepresented niche drew over 50 people to hear panelists talk about why they would or would not accept certain pieces of poetry.
She said the festival's signature events are the Friday Night Festival of Fiction, 6 p.m. at the Orpheum, and the Saturday Night Festival of Fiction starting at 7:30 p.m. On Friday novelists Edmund White will read from his book ""Fanny: a Fiction"" and will be followed by Nell Freudenberger, Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum, Anthony Doerr, Tenaya Darlington and Mark Winegardner. Winegardner will be returning to read from ""The Godfather Returns,"" a continuation of the Corleone family saga.
The next day Madisonians will greet Charles Baxter and Richard Bausch, two of the nation's top short story writers. Later in the evening National Book Award finalist Edwidge Danticat will join Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides, author of ""The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex.""
Van Eyck said those events might take on a political edge because the festival comes so close to a significant election. Alison Jones Chaim, director of the Wisconsin Book Festival, agreed.
""Authors that are nonpolitical are probably going to get very political in what they read and in what they say before they read,"" she said.
Chaims pointed out to another event that may be a hot-button event. On Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Red Gym a panel discussion will address the question of whether or not Wisconsin's literary community invites writers of every sort.
She thanked the Wisconsin Humanities Council for supporting the event and looks forward to the years ahead. With a wide array of events, she feels the Wisconsin Book Festival has reached a dynamic equilibrium in the city.
""We're really committed to this being an annual hoopla in Madison because Madison comes out and really seems to love it,"" she said.
For complete details see www.wisconsinbookfestival.com
