Interactive BookFest to celebrate art of the written word

After starting with a primary focus on comic books and catering to a somewhat niche audience, BookFest has expanded in its eighth year to include genre fiction, with a little something for everyone, whether you love sci-fi, romance or children’s fiction.

“BookFest PA is all about the book, the art of writing, design and inspiration,” said Maria Burchill, head of adult services at Schlow Centre Region Library. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate the craftsmanship of creating a timeless media. We have artists, authors and vendors from all over Pennsylvania (and sometimes beyond) who come to town during the festival. To top it off, we have interactive events too: a costume contest in the morning, speaking events or workshops and more.”

Bookfest will take place in a tent in the Schlow parking lot, where Burchill expects 1,000-2,000 visitors to attend, with quite a few in costume.

“This year I wouldn’t be surprised to see folks dressed as their favorite characters on TV, in the movies or in comics,” she said. “We’ve got prizes for the best of them, in multiple categories.”

Prizes include gift cards to Comic Swap, Jake’s Cards and Games and Michael’s, and costume contenders can register from 10-10:30 a.m., with prizes awarded at 11 a.m.

The fun continues with multiple talented artists and authors on-site to chat with fans and sign their work. Festivalgoers can expect to see Jim Rugg, the Eisner Award-winning cartoonist; Robert Hack from Archie Comics; Carrie Ann Noble, the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel award-winner and more.

For those who’d rather hone their craft than meet their idols, a character creation workshop is scheduled from noon-2 p.m., with A.Y. areyoshi, a self-published comic book artist. Guests can learn how to design a character right then and there, or get feedback on a pre-existing original character.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Interactive BookFest to celebrate art of the written word."