FLINT, Michigan — The Flint festival celebrating local authors returns for its third year under a new name with a fresh new look including a change of date, location and expanded program line up.
Now dubbed the Flint Festival of Writers, the two-day event will run Sept. 13-14 at the Ferris Wheel in downtown Flint. The annual event is free and open to the public. This year the featured author is LaTashia M. Perry, a Flint native known for the series of children’s books she launched with “Hair Like Mine.”
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Previously known as the Flint Literary Festival, the name was changed in an effort to be more reflective of the festival’s commitment to creating accessible and engaging opportunities for writers of all ages, abilities, and levels of experience.
The festival begins with a kickoff party 6-9 p.m. at the Ferris Wheel, 615 S. Saginaw St. in downtown Flint. The event coincides with Flint Art Walk and will include a hands-on creative writing activities and a free book giveaway as well as live music, food and drinks.
The crux of the festival’s activities run throughout the day Saturday starting at 9 a.m. The first panel discussion is “What I Wish I Knew: Four Writers Share Their Experiences of Writing and Publishing” featuring local authors Bob Campbell, Jonah Mixon-Webster, Ben Pauli, and LaTashia Perry.
Other workshops include "Art Activism and Ecopoetics," "Poetry by Design," and "Writing our Stories." The day will also include a book fair from noon to 4 p.m. and a book launch celebration for “Expectations, Reality, and Brunch” by the Flint Public Library’s Teen/Tween Writers Workshop at 2 p.m.
As this year’s featured author, Perry will close out the celebration with a meet-and-greet and a book reading at 5 p.m. Perry’s list of successful children’s books include “Hair Like Mine,” “Skin Like Mine” and most recently “Dreams Like Mine.”
The Flint Festival of Writers is sponsored by the University of Michigan-Flint English Department, Gothic Funk Press and East Village Magazine. PEN America — whose membership includes more than 7,300 wirters and allies across the country — is also partnering with the festival to host the workshop by Mixon-Webster, who was a 2019 PEN/Osterweil Award for Poetry honoree.
An after-party is planned at Totem Books, 620 W. Court St., beginning at 7 p.m. It will include an open mic for writers to showcase their work as well as food and drinks.
For more information, visit the
Flint Festival of Writers website or
Facebook page.
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