The Mississippi Book Festival’s Facebook post on August 20th read – “Happy Book Festival Recovery Day” to all who observe. I am guessing a number of people observed who didn’t even see the post. I know that I did!
The Book Festival on Saturday was an exciting day with hard choices. When Jeannette Walls is interviewed in one place while Lois Lowry is interviewed in another, what is a person to do? In my case, I had met and heard Lois before, but not Jeannette, so that tipped the balance for me. I’m counting on them taping Lois’s session so I can watch later.
It was a day of extreme heat and steep steps with no rails. My signing under the tent – where the shade gave a bit of help – came at 3 PM, the hottest time of the day when the temperature had left 100° behind a while back.
It was a day with several serendipities. I learned that Maryemma Graham, my fellow panelist on the Author Biography Panel, had not only met my brother-in-law when she worked at Ole Miss, but he had written letters to encourage the writing program she established there. I spotted a nice contingent of my OLLI friends in the audience, smiling their encouragement, even though they have heard me before and see me all the time and could easily have chosen a different panel. It seemed that around every corner I ran into another of my book-loving friends that I had not seen in a while. Lagniappe came when one of those friends was Carmen Agra Deedy, wonderful children’s book writer and all-around fun person. I had first met her when I chauffeured her at the Fay B. Kaigler Book Festival. The day was filled with stimulation from the time I left home at 6 AM until I returned at 9:30 PM. The Mississippi Book Festival lived up to its reputation as the state’s biggest lawn party. I am looking to see the date of next year’s party.
Lyrics to the old Nat King Cole standard, “After the ball is over, after the break of morn, After the dancers leaving, after the stars are gone” left a feeling of sadness and longing. I think that doesn’t really apply here since I am rerunning wonderful memories in my mind. So what comes after?
Sunday worked for a recovery day. Monday the bathroom needed cleaning. Life moves on.