The 22nd annual Festival of Books returns to Brookings this weekend, from Sept. 20 to 22.
The festival, organized by The South Dakota Humanities Council, started in 2003 as a way for readers and writers to gather in South Dakota and share a common love for literature.
This year’s Festival of Books features 66 presenting authors, which will do readings, presentations, signings, and panels.
The festival is free to attend, besides one-on-one writing workshops with an author, which cost $20. Three events have food, which ranges from $20-$50.
Jennifer Widman, Center for the Book Director, hopes to accomplish two main goals with this event.
“One is to bring in writers from around the nation to meet South Dakotans,” Widman said. “The second is to support homegrown South Dakota writers. Here in Brookings, across the state, or in a broader region.”
“We want to give South Dakota writers a chance to talk to readers and sell their books and mingle with more established authors, to have a better chance at publishing success,” Widman said.
One writer at the event locals are excited for, is Billy Mills, who famously won a gold medal in his 1964 Olympic race.
“What’s exciting this year is Mills co-wrote his own book about his life growing up in poverty, facing racism, poor health, and a death in his family, to going on and winning at the Olympics,” Widman said.
South Dakotan writer, Trent Preszler, will also be attending. He released a book titled “Little and Often: A Memoir,” back in 2021, which tells his isolated adolescence growing up in South Dakota with his father who was a Vietnam veteran.
Jason McEntee, the director of the School of English and Interdisciplinary Studies, and a longtime fan of the event, will be moderating Preszler’s session.
McEntee has been involved with the South Dakota Humanities Council since 2004 and has been familiar with the festival since its inception.
“One thing I really enjoy is seeing the festival evolve to what it’s become today,” McEntee said. “The festival has gotten so much more grand in the authors and programming.”
“There’s something for everyone, all ages, and walks of life. It’s a great thing,” McEntee said.
Amber Jensen who is a Senior Lecturer here at SDSU, is leading a veteran’s writing workshop and is sharing work with her indigenous Wokini scholar students.
“This year I have a group of students who are presenting their narratives they’ve been crafting and reshaping over the last few years,” Jensen said. “It’s a project they’ve been working on to share their Indigenous identity in relation to their education.”
Jensen is also leading a veteran’s writing workshop, which she holds near and dear to her heart.
“My husband was in the military, and I wrote a book about our family’s experience during his deployment and after that,” said Jensen.
“For me, and for any veteran who’s gone through something challenging, writing is a good way to process and reflect,” said Jensen. “That’s why the writing workshop is a way I can connect with the community and hopefully help them.”
Jensen also appreciates the student opportunities offered at The Festival of Books.
“Our students can participate, meet people in the industry, and make connections,” said Jensen.
“It makes people realize how the writing world and literature is a small world, you can actually meet an author and have a conversation,” said Jensen. “It brings the literature to life.”
