Harrisburg has been enjoying a fun festival in its midst, for all book-lovers and anyone else looking for some entertainment. Now in its second year, the Harrisburg Book Festival has been attracting many residents from the area to the Midtown Scholar Bookstore. It will culminate with a launch of the book written by ex-columnist for the Patriot News, Paul Beers, entitled, “City Contented. City Discontented. A History of Modern Harrisburg.” The book’s publishers are Midtown Scholar Press.
As well, there will be a discussion with Cate Barron (Patriot News Executive Editor); John Baer (Philadelphia Daily News political communist) and Linda Ries (Pennsylvania State Archives project director) to discuss the book. This is important for Harrisburg as there is a large gap in knowledge on Harrisburg’s culture on this so it is hoped the book will fill this.
This year the festival will be more than just book signings; discussions will be held with readers from Harrisburg and there will also be book readings to school children. Such festivals are a great opportunity to encourage reading and writing for kids. But it’s not just for kids; adults were having a great time too, making the most of the Book Festival.
There were also panels; one was entitled, “Path to Publication: Tips for Writers and Readers.” While we encounter the challenge of the digital world, such a festival like this in Harrisburg is a great way to battle against it, and to encourage people to get back to the world of pen and paper, a.k.a., books.
