This Memorial Day weekend, May 22-25, 2008, the Pilcrow Lit Fest in Chicago will do something very special for New Orleans. This new literary festival will hold a benefit inspired by the New Orleans Public Library’s ongoing efforts to rebuild. Authors and publishers have dismantled copies of their own work and rebuilt them into works of art. These “rebuilt books” will be auctioned with proceeds donated to New Orleans Public Library Foundation. The Rebuilt Books Auction will take place 8:00 p.m., Saturday, May 24 at The Fixx Coffee Bar, 3053 N. Sheffield Ave. in Chicago.
The Pilcrow Lit Fest will bring together writers, librarians, booksellers, and publishers from around the country for panel discussions, lectures and author readings. Authors and others interested in participating in the Pilcrow Lit Fest and the Rebuilt Books auction can check the festival’s web site for further information (www.pilcrowlitfest.com), or contact Amy Guth, festival organizer (theamyguth@gmail.com).
The Pilcrow Lit Fest’s Rebuilt Books auction is one of many efforts that people have undertaken to help New Orleans’ libraries. “We are amazed and grateful for the outpouring of support the Library continues to receive from across the country,” said Library Director Donna Schremser.
The New Orleans Public Library Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1990 to support the New Orleans Public Library. Since Hurricane Katrina, the Foundation has led efforts to raise funds for rebuilding damaged public libraries in New Orleans. For more information: www.neworleanspubliclibrary.org or phone 504-596-2615.