The Tucson Festival of Books is this weekend, and I\u2019m in for the full meal deal, from the beginning author reception on Friday evening to the Literacy Connects reception on Sunday after the festival closes.<\/p>\n
This if the ninth annual TFOB, and I\u2019m honored to have been a part of it from the very beginning. \u00a0When I did the keynote for the first one, I had no idea that the festival would grow into the third largest book festival in the country. Size matters, but so does quality, and it\u2019s no accident that this is, as far as I\u2019m concerned, the best run one of the bunch.<\/p>\n
Why do I say that? \u00a0Because the people in charge, along with their army of volunteers, really care. \u00a0There\u2019s no trash at the festival nor are there overflowing trash receptacles, either. You\u2019re probably thinking, \u201cWait, she\u2019s saying the festival is good became somebody handles the garbage?\u201d You bet. That\u2019s exactly what I\u2019m saying!!<\/p>\n
On the first day of that first festival, one of my fans tripped over an electrical cord and fell. \u00a0The people in charge sent a cart to pick her up and take her to a first aid station and on to the parking garage. \u00a0But do you know what they did next? \u00a0They sent a cart to pick ME up and take me to the garage so I could sign the woman’s book! \u00a0That\u2019s paying attention to detail.<\/p>\n
Shortly before one of the festivals, one of my fans, who happens to be blind, wrote to tell me that a whole group of my blind fans who were coming to the festival. \u00a0Would there be a chance of meeting with me privately? \u00a0I put the question to Bill Viner, and even with everything else on his plate, he arranged for a room in the Student Union where I was able to have a private program with those folks. \u00a0Thank you for that, Bill, and thank you for everything you and Brenda do for the festival and also for the community at large.<\/p>\n
So the details are everything. \u00a0But why is the festival so important? \u00a0Because it supports literacy. \u00a0All you have to do is land in China or Russia to suddenly experience what it must feel like to be illiterate. \u00a0In the past nine years, TFOB has donated 1.4 million dollars to literacy programs throughout Arizona, including Tucson\u2019s Literacy Connects. \u00a0I\u2019ve had the honor of meeting a Literacy Connects client, Marcia, as well as her tutor, Trish. Marcia is someone who, struggling with dyslexia, didn\u2019t learn to read until she was in her fifties. \u00a0Believe me, the Tucson Festival of Books is personal for her!<\/p>\n