Aspiring writers and book-lovers all across Columbia are invited to the 25th annual Fall Literary Festival, a series of book signings, lectures and Q&As with nationally acclaimed authors.
The festival was started by Dorothy D. Smith in 1999, and is currently sponsored by her charitable foundation. It is organized by the Department of English Language and Literature and University Libraries.
This year, the festival features three headlining authors, Jesmyn Ward, the author of "Sing, Unburied, Sing", on Sept. 25, Cinelle Barnes, the author of "Monsoon Mansion: A Memoir" on Sept. 29 and Walter Mosley, author of the "Easy Rawlins" series on Oct. 23.
The speakers at the 2024 iteration of the festival are more nationally acclaimed than those of years prior, Associate Dean for Special Collections and Festival Committee member Elizabeth Sudduth said. She said this choice was made to properly honor the festivals 25th anniversary milestone
“(Dean Banush) encouraged us to go out and explore bigger name people who were more renowned … So this year's lineup is very celebratory on a lot of levels,” Sudduth said.
David Banush is the Dean of University Libraries, and helps form the committee in charge of securing speakers for the festival. The committee is made up of staff from the University Library and the Department of English, often partnering with sponsors of the festival to secure speakers.
Sudduth said that the department worked with Richland County Library specifically to bring Ward, a nationally acclaimed author to the Literary Festival this year.
Ward is the first person of color to receive two National Book Awards for Fiction and the first speaker of the festival. Ward won the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction in 2022 and was named on Time Magazine's 100 most influential people’s list in 2018. The author's most recent novel “Let Us Descend” follows the journey of an enslaved woman throughout the deep South, starting in the Carolinas.
Barnes is a critically acclaimed author and the second appearance of the festival on Sept. 29 at All Good Books. She has been based in South Carolina since 2011, making her the only locally based author of the festival. Barnes came to South Carolina from New York, and said that trying to become published in a smaller literary market can present a challenge for upcoming writers, and says she hopes her presence will inspire fellow South Carolinians.
“I’m there to show you that it is possible coming from South Carolina,” Barnes said, “being in South Carolina, our work is possible if not probable.”
More specifically, Barnes said her appearance will center around the basics of memoir writing and converting life stories to publishable content.
“The harsh truth is that having lived through something often is not enough to get published,” said Barnes. “So I put together a lecture and really a hands-on workshop to help others present their life experiences as literature.”
Barnes' most recent memoir, “Monsoon Mansion,” is a coming of age story centered around her tumultuous upbringing in the Philippines. The memoir was named one of the 25 best nonfiction books of 2018 by Bustle and was nominated for their Reading Women Nonfiction Award.
Jesmyn Ward’s novel “Let Us Descend” is displayed at All Good Books bookstore in Columbia, South Carolina on Sept. 23, 2024. Ward will be signing books at the Fall Literacy Festival Preview this week.
The final author speaking at the festival is the author of the bestselling "Easy Rawlins" a 15 book mystery series, Mosley. While Mosley is most well known for his work in crime fiction, Sudduth says his versatility transcends genre.
“He’s written across all genres, so he’s written poetry, drama, young adult,” said Sudduth. “So he is in many ways a very good fit for relating to all of our collections here.”
Leslie Haynsworth, the Director of Communications for University Libraries, said that the events are receiving even more attention than she expected.
“The numbers are a lot higher than I would have expected for that far out,” said Haynsworth. “But there definitely is still room for more people (who are) interested.”
Ward's appearance on Sept. 25 and Mosley's appearance on Oct. 23 will both be in Capstone Hall and accommodate 350 people. Barnes' appearance on Sept. 29 in All Good Books will accommodate 50. Registration for all three events of the festival is required to attend, and all three events are free and open to the public.