The popular Louisiana Book Festival in downtown Baton Rouge is being replaced this year by two new literary events scheduled for Oct. 30.
The programs will showcase prominent literary talent in Louisiana, including a program honoring Louisiana writer Ernest J. Gaines and those who have followed in his footsteps, said State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton.
Hamilton said the State Library, along with all state agencies, experienced a budget cut that affected the library’s staffing level but is looking at all available opportunities and has every intention to present the 2011 Louisiana Book Festival next fall.
“The State Library of Louisiana believes deeply in the literary heritage of our great state,” Hamilton said. “Through good times and bad, we have always worked hard to do what we can to highlight the tremendous literary talent in our state and to provide programming that brings this fact home to as many citizens as possible.”
The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana is presenting the event “Continuing Literary Bloodlines,” which will be held Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. in the Seminar Center of the State Library. The event is made possible by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.
The event will feature a panel discussion with the recipients of the Ernest J. Gaines Award — Jeffery Renard Allen, author of “Holding Pattern”; Ravi Howard, author of “Like Trees, Walking”; and Olympia Vernon, author of “A Killing in This Town.”
Gaines has been recognized for his achievement as a master novelist and short story writer with works like “A Lesson Before Dying,” which won the 1993 National Book Critics Circle Award.
The Ernest J. Gaines Award is designed to inspire and recognize African-American writers of excellence as they work to achieve high literary goals.
“Having read the work of Ernest Gaines over the years, I was honored to receive the award,” Howard said. “His work has been the focus of much attention from readers and scholars, and he truly is one of the icons of American literature.”
Each author will read a passage from his or her Gaines Award-winning work and offer information about his or her future literary works, according to a news release for the event.
The Louisiana Writing Project and the Louisiana Center for the Book will honor the winners of two statewide writing contests, Louisiana Writes and Letters About Literature, at an awards ceremony at the State Library after the Continuing Literary Bloodlines event at 1:30 p.m., Hamilton said.
For Louisiana Writes, Louisiana students in grades K-12 were invited to enter poetry, fiction, nonfiction and French original writing. The entries will be judged by teacher-consultants for the Louisiana Writing Project and Louisiana authors Ann Dobie, Darrell Bourque and Sharon Doucet, Hamilton said.
Hamilton said the Letters About Literature competition found students writing letters to the authors of their favorite books telling how the books influenced their lives.
Though enjoyable new events have been planned in place of the Louisiana Book Festival, many people, including Howard, are disappointed by the festival’s absence this year.
Howard said he hopes Louisiana will push to bring the Book Festival back because festivals are important to careers of emerging writers. They provide exposure to more readers and are necessary to the growth of new writers and established ones.
 
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Contact Ferris W. McDaniel at [email protected]