The Fifth Annual Bangor Book Festival, Sept. 30-Oct. 1 will host 35 Maine authors including Colin Woodard, Sarah Braunstein, Paul Doiron, Richard Foerster, Jennifer Richard Jacobson and Catherynne M. Valente, and will feature a creative writing workshop with Barbara Baig. All events are free and open to the public.

Keynote speaker Colin Woodard has reported from more than 50 countries and is a foreign correspondent for the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Christian Science Monitor and a contributing editor at Down East. His books include “The Lobster Coast” and the forth coming “American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America.”

Sarah Braunstein is only the second author to receive a “5 Under 35” award from the National Book Foundation prior to the release of her debut novel, “The Sweet Relief of Missing Children,” recently short-listed for the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize from The Center for Fiction.

Paul Doiron’s first crime novel, “The Poacher’s Son,” was nominated for an Edgar Award, a Thriller Award and others. “Trespasser” was published earlier this year. He is editor-in-chief of DownEast.

Richard Foerster, two-time poetry recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and winner of a Maine Literary Award from Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, has published six books including “Sudden Harbor” and “Double Going.”

Jennifer Richard Jacobson’s books have been selected for book clubs and included in many best books for children lists. Her newest middle-grade novel is “Small as an Elephant,” set in Maine.

Catherynne M. Valente’s works have won numerous fantasy and children’s publishing awards. She is a nine-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize. Her books include “Deathless” and “The Orphan’s Tales.”

Creative writing instructor Barbara Baig has taught at Harvard University and Lesley University using techniques in her book, “How to Be a Writer: Building Your Creative Skills Through Practice and Play.”

The 2011 Festival is supported by the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, and is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Bangor and others.

Contact:
Barbara McDade
207-947-8336
info@bangorbookfest.org