This past weekend I was lucky enough to be able to attend both the National Book Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC, and the Baltimore Book Festival.
The National Book Festival is gigantic, with approximately 15 huge white tents or pavilions. I took my daughter, age 6 1/2, and we made it to one tent. We went to the Pavilion of the States. She got a map of the United States and went from table to table getting it stamped and collecting swag: stickers, rulers, magnets, candy, crayons, pictures to color, in a healthy literary Halloween. After about 15 states, I figured she would have had enough and maybe we could move on to another tent, but she was determined to get all 50 states plus DC and territories, so that’s what we did. It was fun, but I didn’t get to see anything beside that tent. That night I had dinner, planned by Swapna at S. Krishna’s Books, with fellow book bloggers who had heard Jonathan Safran Foer, Jane Smiley, Suzanne Collins, and more (see WriteMeg’s account). I was jealous.
The next day I went sans children to the Baltimore Book Festival, which is about a fifth the size of The National Book Festival. I got to see practically the whole fair. I spoke on a panel of book bloggers organized by the tireless Heather of Age 30+…A Lifetime of Books. I spent no time at kiddie activities. I heard Michele Andrea Bowen and Fernando Quijano II. I picked up brochures and chatted with people and checked out the merchandise, and it was awesome. But I felt so harried, like I had to rush around to see the whole thing. So thanks to my girl for forcing me to go slow at the National Book Festival, and enhancing my enjoyment of both.
*cross-posted to Reading Local: Baltimore: http://baltimore.readinglocal.com
