Bishop Hill Creative Commons to Hold Book Fair on Saturday, July 24
The Bishop Hill Creative Commons is hosting the second-annual Bishop Hill Book Fair on Saturday July 24th, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., where you can meet local authors in their natural habitat.
Bianca Sierra is the manager of the Fairmount library in Davenport. In her free time she writes young adult fiction. She has published two books and is working on a third.
Attendees can hear them speak and read from their recent work. Aspiring authors can attend workshops on cultivating the writer within. Books will be available for purchase, so people can collect autographs from their favorite local wordsmiths.
The event will be held at the Commons at 309 N. Bishop Hill Road, Bishop Hill (about 20 miles south of Geneseo). Authors will represent a wide range of genres from children’s books, folklore and young adult novels, to romance, mystery, biography and history. The lineup includes 20 area authors: Brian “Fox” Ellis, Dave Ramacitti, Andy Zach, Aubrey Barnes, Bianca Sierra, Christopher Edward Marchland, Holly
Lilly Setterdahl has written 24 books, 18 of which are nonfiction about Swedes in America (2 co-authored). “Bishop Hill Reframed Voices from the Past” is a 240-page book, with photographs, that covers Bishop Hill history from Colony to modern times.
Green Cox, Indigo Skye, Jackie Lawson, Jannifer Powelson, Lilly Setterdahl, Mary Davidsaver, Matthew Marchand, Reg Ankrom, Robert Glaser, Roy Swanberg, Sue Rovens, Tom Akers, and Victoria Noe.
This book fair is designed to offer something for everyone –
For book lovers: This is a day to meet and greet local authors, hear them read their recent work, support them in their artistic endeavors, and attend a series of programs on the writer’s craft. There will also be hands-on crafts for kids of all ages. The event is free and books will be available for purchase.
For young authors: Hear about the life of real writers from actual authors! Collect autographs and add to your growing stack of books to read. Explore writing ideas and walk away inspired to pursue your dreams!
For teachers: Meet some of your favorite local authors and make a few new friends. Book author visits to your school. Pick up some fun ideas to inspire your students to want to read and write more fluently.
Tom Akers is a native of Iowa but has lived in Cambridge since 2008. He began writing plays for his wife’s IHSA Group Interpretation teams. He has had three plays published by Heuer Publishing. “The Invisible Hand” is his first novel to be shared with the human race.
For aspiring authors: attend instructive and inspiring workshops to refine your craft and participate in productive workshops about the writer’s life, publishing and promoting your works.
The morning workshops are geared more towards young authors with ideas also appealing to teachers. Early afternoon workshops are geared towards teachers with writing exercises aspiring authors can use. And late afternoon workshops are focused on aspiring writers. Please register on the Facebook event page HERE.
There is no fee to attend, and all proceeds are earmarked to help re-establish Bishop Hill’s Community Orchard. They will pass the hat during the workshops. The event is hosted by author and storyteller Brian “Fox” Ellis of Fox Tales International, who is celebrating his most productive period of his career,
Q-C native Aubrey Barnes, also known as “Mister Aubs.”, is a poet, spoken word artist, author, battle rap enthusiast, Emcee, teacher of the arts, and host of Black Thoughts Podcast.
publishing 12 new books during this shelter-in-place period. The Midwest Writing Center and all of the authors have also offered their support for the success of this community-driven event.
The day-long schedule is as follows:
- 10:30 — Getting Children Back to Nature with Rachel Raccoon and Sammy Skunk with Jannifer Powelson
- 11:00 — Playing with Genre – Turning Poetry into Stories into Better Essays with Brian “Fox” Ellis
- 11:30 — A Classroom Built On Bars – Exploring The Art and Message of Rap with Aubrey Barnes
- 12:00 LUNCH at one of Bishop Hill’s several restaurants.
- 1:00 — Winning the War for Art with Tom Akers
- 1:30 — Writing History with Reg Ankrom
- 2:00 — Public Speaking for Shy Authors – Tips to Help You Stay Calm and Wow Your Audience with Victoria Noe
- 2:30 — Blasting Your Books Into Kindle with Andy Zach
- 3:00 — Writing in Retirement with Roy Swanberg
- 4:00 — Happy Hour & Round Robin Conversation with Authors discussing the nature of the work. (BYOB)
- 5:00 — Picnic with the Community (bring a basket and serving ware)
- 6:00 — Evening Concert will feature a few of the authors who are also musicians, including Holly Green Cox, Aubrey Barnes, Matthew Marchand, and host Brian “Fox” Ellis.
Brian “Fox” Ellis is an internationally acclaimed author, storyteller, historian, and naturalist. He has worked with The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, The Field Museum and dozens of other museums across the country.
For more information on Bishop Hill Creative Commons, visit https://www.facebook.com/bhcommons.
