The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Book lover? Plan your trip around a literary festival

- By Annie Groer

Our map of India was the size of a tablecloth, and our folder of can’t-miss sights bulged with papers. In the winter of 2013-2014, during a wave of sexual attacks on women in India, I, a smallish woman, was thrilled to be traveling there with a strapping 6-foot man. But when illness grounded him, I panicked. Despite decades of intrepid, solo travel, those crime stats rattled me, even as he urged, “You have to go for both of us.”

Then I discovered the Zee Jaipur Literature Festival. Held each January in the capital of the storied state of Rajasthan, it draws more than 200,000 people over five days of author readings, signings and debates, plus music, dance and food.

For a lone female bookworm, there was no better intro to the subcontine­nt: A safe place to hear emerging and establishe­d talent, savor Indian culture and cuisine, and meet friendly strangers from cities I’d later visit. Having attended the 2012 Sydney Writers’ Festival and several American book fairs, I knew these events were a blast.

But I really hit the Jaipur jackpot when two Australian women I’d spent time with invited me on their post-fest tour of Rajasthan. Seven days later, as we parted in New Delhi, I knew I’d be fine alone for the next six weeks, given all I’d learned from Yogi, our Indian driver, and the savvy Aussies.

I’m now mulling other foreign lit-ventures: the Hay Festival Wales, in the Welsh border town of Hay-On-Wye, 150 miles from London, and the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, on the dazzling Indonesian island of Bali.

“What makes a book festival great for solo women travelers is that the festival has done all the work for you,” says Julie Wernersbac­h, literary director of the Austin weekend. “You just show up. You meet people standing in line waiting for a book signing or sitting next to you at a reading. You can do yoga with authors, rent a kayak to go boating with authors. There are blocks of rooms in hotels we have already vetted. For safety, the streets are closed in and around the state capitol, which is already a destinatio­n. There are lit crawls in bars and galleries, so it’s a nice way to see nightlife that might otherwise be intimidati­ng if you’re a single woman.”

Feeling flush? Stay in the authors’ hotels, the better to corner them in the lobby or bar. Buy priority access, even at free festivals, for entry to private parties and meals, line-skipping privileges, even valet parking. This is, after all, a vacation. If a festival is part of a longer trip, start rather than end with it because locals are great sources of insider travel intel and can also be welcoming hosts and guides.

As I tell my solo vagabond girlfriend­s, it’s the best of all worlds: great books, new friends, safe travel.

To find literary festival listings, check book lovers’ resources such as the African American Literature Book Club or Everfest.com. For U.S. events, try Bookreport­er.com. Hoping to integrate a book festival into your 2019 travel planning? Some of this year’s major gatherings in the United States and around the world:

Feb. 16: Savannah Book Festival. Free. Some 40 authors in venues throughout the Georgia city’s historic downtown. Festival Saturday is bracketed by opening, keynote and closing talks Feb. 14-17, $20 each.

March 20-24: Virginia Festival of the Book. Featuring 250 authors in 70 spots across Charlottes­ville and Albemarle County. Most events free, but some featuring hot authors and food cost $22 to $60.

March 27-31: Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Book Festival. Five days of workshops, lectures, plays, discussion­s and tours. Single events $10 to $50; packages covering some or all 40-plus activities, $200 to $600.

March 29-31: Saints and Sinners Literary Festival. An internatio­nal celebratio­n of LGBTQ authors, partly overlappin­g the Williams event in New Orleans. $50 per day pass, $150 for the whole shebang.

March 30: Ujamaa Book Festival. Free. Forty authors gather at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. Sponsored by Harambee Books & Artworks, which focuses on African American writers and artisans.

April 13-14: Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Readings, panel talks and cooking demos. Free and paid events. A $100 two-day package buys priority entry and valet parking.

April 25-May 13: Buenos Aires Book Fair. Brush up on your Spanish (limited translatio­n) and join a million public and industry attendees at more than 1,000 events. Some free, some paid but not yet priced because of high inflation rates.

April 29-May 5: Sydney Writers’ Festival. A weeklong celebratio­n of more than 200 Aussie and internatio­nal authors; some free events, some paid.

May 4-5: Bay Area Book Festival. Free and paid events in downtown Berkeley, California; $10 and $15 passes for priority entrance.

May 23-June 2: Hay Festival Wales. With just 1,500 residents but over a dozen bookstores, Hay draws more than 200,000 bibliophil­es to its tented fields for a glorious spring lit-fix. Hay also hosts a smaller Wales festival in December, plus others during the year in Europe and Latin America.

June 8-9: Printers Row Lit Fest. Free. In this former hub of book production, the Chicago Tribune hosts author readings and signings, sellers of new and used volumes, food vendors and performers.

July 20: Harlem Book Fair. Free. Outdoor readings and panel discussion­s by 60 to 75 authors and poets, plus music events and vendors draw 20,000 book lovers to what organizers call America’s largest African-American lit fest.

Aug. 31: Library of Congress National Book Festival. Free. Another Laura Bush legacy from her White House years. Several hundred authors speak inside the city’s cavernous convention center.

Sept. 22: Brooklyn Book Festival. More than 300 authors on 14 stages, plus 250 bookseller­s and other vendors at an outdoor market. During Bookends (Sept. 16-23), multiple literary offerings in all five New York boroughs.

Oct. 23-27: Ubud Writers & Readers Festival. Internatio­nal tourists at this festival in Bali pay $85 for a day pass, $284 for four days’ access to 70 programs. Organizers offer hotel packages that hint at chance meetings with authors.

Oct. 26-27: Texas Book Festival. Most events free. Features 250-plus authors in the State Capitol building in Austin and nearby venues; many local exhibitors and food sellers, plus special events. A $100 donation buys priority seating and signinglin­e access for two people at select events.

Nov. 9: Portland Book Festival. Formerly called “Wordstock,” the day-long, multivenue celebratio­n in Oregon draws more than 100 American and internatio­nal authors; $15 for advance tickets,$20 at the door (both include a $5 book voucher).

Nov. 17-24: Miami Book Fair. Eight days of events with 500-plus authors. Given the community’s Latin and Caribbean cultures, some writers present in Spanish, French or Haitian Creole. with realtime translatio­ns. Daily tickets for the separate Street Fair and the Congress of Authors are free to $10, depending on age. “Evenings With” speakers require tickets, $20 and up.

 ?? RIDE HAMILTON, TENNESSEE WILLIAMS/NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL ?? Robert Olen Butler teaches a master class on writing at the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival in 2017.
RIDE HAMILTON, TENNESSEE WILLIAMS/NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL Robert Olen Butler teaches a master class on writing at the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival in 2017.
 ?? DOUG KAPUSTIN/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST ?? Attendees fill the main hall during the 18th Library of Congress National Book Festival at the Washington Convention Center.
DOUG KAPUSTIN/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Attendees fill the main hall during the 18th Library of Congress National Book Festival at the Washington Convention Center.

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