Books Alive 2007 -- And The Big Announcement

If you saw me at Books Alive, then you know about The Big Announcement. If not:






I'll be editing a new literary anthology coinciding with the upcoming Panama City Centennial. It's called "CITY LIMITS," and it will include short fiction, poetry, memoirs, art and photography. It'll also have information about Centennial events, a profile of the artist responsible for the Centennial logo (which will be used for the front cover art), a brief history of Panama City, and more informative content. The plan is to produce one annually for 2007, 08 and o9. (2009 is the actual centennial date.)


For details on submitting content for the publication, go here.

As for Books Alive, it seemed off this year. Most of the presenters were non-fiction folks, leaving those who get excited about poetry or fiction in the cold. The keynote speaker was interesting, as she had personal stories of encounters with Mother Teresa to share. But the crowd was smaller than in past years.

I sold a few books, most notably Nathan's debut "Generation Huh?" For those who haven't heard, I collected three of Nathan's plays into book form for a Christmas present to him and his grandparents. We took two copies with us to Books Alive and he autographed them for the buyers. If he'd brought more, I'm convinced he would've sold more. Next time, we'll be better prepared.




I got an email Sunday from Rebecca Saunders (of the Bay County Public Library) who said she had purchased (from the online publisher) two copies for the library's Local History Room. Nathan was pretty pleased.

Finally, here are a couple more photos from Books Alive: Jack Saunders talking with a reader, and a posed shot of Marlene Womack and Norma Hubbard.