The Inaugural Post for the Inaugural Celebration

This blog will be dedicated to the first ever book festival in Chestertown, Maryland. Yes, people on the Eastern Shore do read books. Don't act so surprised. As a lifelong Chestertown citizen, I can tell you that this historical town has grown to become a hub of literary activity. From the writers drawn in by the Washington College Sophie Kerr speaker series, to the events sponsored by our numerous local independent bookstores, and especially the local writers that are making their way in the contemporary publishing world (not to mention our wonderful, newly-renovated public library), bibliophiles in the surrounding area know that Chestertown is the place to go to get involved in literary life, even beyond the local. We have watched from afar as Baltimore and Washington put on their annual book festivals and many of us have even trekked across the Bay to attend them. And with the same competitive spirit that inspired our Tea Party-rivalry with Boston, our local literary leaders decided that the time had come that we had our own yearly celebration of the written word. Excited, yet? We are. Our inaugural festival is to be a one-day event, planned for Saturday, November 14, 2009. We hope that next year it will grow even larger. For more details (as we get them), check in with this blog and the official website for ChesBookFest!