New Indy literary festival wants to unlock power of Midwestern writers
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A new festival concept from Indiana Humanities this weekend aims to show how lit Midwestern authors truly are.
Why it matters: The inaugural Proof: A Midwest Lit Fest is designed to highlight the Circle City's thriving independent bookstore era, and follows the success of Indy's first book crawl this spring.
The big picture: Nearly a dozen new bookstores have opened in the greater Indianapolis area over the last three years, giving local writers a platform and reversing a trend of local shops losing out to online sellers like Amazon.
- The national reading renaissance has been attributed to a rise in readership during the pandemic and in places like Indiana, a response to efforts to censor books.
Driving the news: Organizers say Proof will bring together writers, readers and literary enthusiasts to celebrate the power of Midwestern-grown writing.
- The event will be headlined by Indy native author and New York Review of Books contributor Darryl Pinckney and the 2018-19 Indiana Poet Laureate and editor of Poetry Magazine Adrian Matejka.
- It will begin with a local author's morning mixer and end with an open mic hosted by VOCAB and That Peace Open Mic.
Zoom in: The one-day event packs in programming for both creators and consumers. Highlights include:
📚 A book fair with local sellers.
🗣️ Conversations about the literary Midwest.
📖 Local and regional author readings.
🤝 Opportunities to connect with publishers and literary magazines.
🧑🏫 Workshops led by experienced writers.
🚸 Bookish activities for all ages including games, food, live music and prizes.
If you go: 10am-8pm Saturday at Harrison Center, 1505 N. Delaware St.
- The event is free, but registration is encouraged.
A full agenda with more speaker info can be found here.