Thousands of book lovers enjoyed renowned authors, creative book stands and a huge used book sale at the historic Union Depot in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Twin Cities Book Festival (TCBF) on Nov. 8.
The Twin Cities Book Festival is a free, annual event organized by the literary nonprofit Rain Taxi, celebrating reading and community. Minneapolis-St. Paul is among the nation’s most literate cities. Thus, the festival was founded in 2001 to make reading and writing more accessible and to support writers, publishers and booksellers in the Twin Cities area. The main hall was bustling with exhibitors and guests from all over Minnesota and the Midwest, offering activities for kids, including reading corners and crafts, guest speakers and more.
The very first guest author of the day featured the internationally renowned Eoin Colfer, best known for his acclaimed “Artemis Fowl” series. He attended the festival to promote his new book, “Firefox Moon,” the sequel to his 2023 novel “Juniper’s Christmas”. Colfer explained the inspiration behind his books through hilarious anecdotes from his childhood.
He explained that in his “Juniper Lane” series, the main protagonist, Juniper, is based on his sons and Juniper’s mother is based on Colfer’s own mother. Time flew by quickly as Colfer made the audience laugh, witty story after witty story, a testament to his talent as an author and impromptu comedian. After his presentation, fans had the opportunity to meet Colfer and get their books signed by him.
The Red Cap Room, where Colfer was speaking, overlooked the massive main hall of the Union Depot, where, at the very back of the hall, one could observe visitors browsing TCBF’s extensive used books collection. Guests strolled around with a book in hand while occasionally sipping iced coffee from a featured local coffee place.
The second guest speaker, Stephanie Burt, a well-known literary poet, critic and Professor of English at Harvard University, discussed themes from her new book, “Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift”, analyzing her lyrics, music and influence.
It was also a nod to her immensely popular Harvard English course, called Taylor Swift and Her World. According to Burt, songwriting is literature because, in her own words, “Literature is all of the arts that use words.” Attendees were also able to get their books signed by Burt.
Besides Colfer and Burt, there were many other guest speakers eager to share their work. Between speakers, attendees could wander through the aisles of exhibitors spread across the main hall of the Union Depot. Beautifully decorated tables invited visitors to purchase original novels and literary knick-knacks. Popular stands included Bee Curios who were selling miniatures and Christmas ornaments inspired by popular books, Red Balloon, Katherine Woodman-Maynard’s watercolor graphic novels and Israh Azizi’s lavish table featuring copies of her “Heroes of the Empire” series.
The TCBF offered an entertaining weekend outing suitable for all ages, regardless of one’s literary interests. Above all, it was an excellent opportunity to experience the blend of world-renowned authors and local favorites.
