This year marks the 20th anniversary of the South Dakota Festival of Books (SDFB) and the 50th anniversary of the South Dakota Humanities Council, the sponsoring organization of the festival.
This premier literary event takes place each year at alternating locations at opposite ends of the state—-in Deadwood on the far western border, and this year in Brookings on the far eastern border. The change of venue gives South Dakotans across this 77,047 square mile state, as well as neighboring states, equal opportunity to attend and enjoy,
This year there are 67 authors in attendance, signing and selling, as well as presenting talks on wide ranging topics of books and writing.
Festival organizers estimate 3,000-4,000 book lovers will attend this three-day event which is being held at the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center on the campus of South Dakota State University (SDSU.).
It’s a state-of-the-art facility that houses SDSU’s School of Performing Arts, and serves as a community center for concerts, theatrical and dance performances, and special events such as the festival.
Opening day of the festival for me was busy, It began with the setup of my author’s table. I always bring along a set of gorgeous linens—-a table runner and matching napkins—-to bring life to my display. They were a gift from my good friends Patti and John Huse, given in celebration of the publication of Beauty & Grace, and they add the perfect touch of color and elegance where ever I go.
In addition to books, most authors add a container of candy on their table as sweet enticement for people to stop and chat. In my case, I brought along a “Buffalo” etched glass bowl to which I added some toffees, and set it on a sparkly leaf placemat.
A new thing I added to my table for this festival are individual clear frames set next to each of my five books, with images of the titles and a brief description of each book. It helps when people gather at your table and you can only talk to one at a time.
Once my table was organized, I zipped down the hall for my first author presentation. The topic was “Finding Your Writer’s Purpose, A Storyteller’s Bucket List.” It’s always a bit nerve-wracking when you present in a community where you are not well-known. In the past, SDFB audiences have always been supportive of my work, and, thankfully, this time was no different.
A classroom full of authors and book lovers turned out for my 45-minute presentation that finished up with an interesting Q&A .The bonus to that experience came in the stream of people from the presentation who continually stopped by my table throughout the day to thank me, continue the Q&A conversation, and purchase books.
Towards the end of the day, as I was getting ready to pack up, I noticed a woman walking toward my table with intent. She headed directly to my collection of Money or Love books and enthusiactially exclaimed, “I found you!”
As we chatted I learned her name was Connie Lemke, and she is a longtime employee of the Larson Perfomring Arts Center. She explained that she had learned about me in the festival guide, which promotes Money or Love as my newest book. She enjoyed the book blurb and in her own words, “…just knew I had to read it.”
It’s hard to explain what happens to my author’s heart and soul when someone completely unknown expresses a desire to read something I’ve created. An immediate bond forms—-a connection that only the written word can form.
When I finished signing Connie’s book, we took a selfie to seal our bond. It was at the end of long day and the image is less than perfect. But it will forever serve as a reminder for me that I have truly found my writer’s purpose.