{"id":474278,"date":"2025-10-04T20:02:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T20:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/474278\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T20:02:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T20:02:15","slug":"for-the-love-of-reading-new-hampshire-book-festival-promotes-literacy-and-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/474278\/","title":{"rendered":"For the love of reading: New Hampshire Book Festival promotes literacy and community"},"content":{"rendered":"

Emilie Christie Burack and Sarah McCraw Crow sat chatting in Gibson\u2019s Bookstore a few years ago for a regular writer meet-up and found themselves thinking about the literary landscape around them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish New Hampshire had a book festival,\u201d Burack said to Crow. <\/p>\n

Both local authors, the two women locked eyes, and in that moment, an idea formed: Since a book festival didn\u2019t already exist, they\u2019d start one themselves. Why not?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe genesis of this was really to get people together for something that is joyful and something where people can come together as a community and talk about things other than some of the things that have been upsetting our country so much as of late,\u201d said Burack, who writes for children and young adults. \u201cJust to get together and talk about great books, and great stories, and the things that we have in common and the things that make us maybe reach farther or deeper into our own lives and our own thoughts.\u201d<\/p>\n

She and Crow set to work forming a board of directors, connecting with authors and amassing a team of dozens of book-loving volunteers dedicated to breathing life into the festival. <\/p>\n

\"\"Emilie Christie Burack gets ready to host the Words, Rhythm, Silence and Songs panel discussion at the New Hampshire Book Festival on South Main Street in Concord on Saturday morning, October 4, 20205. Credit: GEOFF FORESTER \/ For the Monitor<\/p>\n

They launched the inaugural New Hampshire Book Festival last fall, bringing authors from around the country to Concord to participate in free panels, meet readers and share in a collective love of literature. Nearly 5,000 people attended.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Hampshire is traditionally a place where there are a lot of writers and, maybe especially, poets,\u201d said Crow, a novelist who lives in Canterbury. \u201cI hope we\u2019ve contributed something to New Hampshire\u2019s literary community.\u201d<\/p>\n

That community, in large part made up of avid readers, gathered again this weekend for a second iteration of the festival, which has only grown in scope since its inception. Six dozen authors ventured to Concord for the event, which began with two keynote speeches on Friday and took over downtown by Gibson\u2019s and the Capitol Center for the Arts on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Austanne Barney and her mother, Melissa, traveled from Michigan as a surprise for Austanne\u2019s birthday. <\/p>\n

\"\"The lineup of author signings at the New Hampshire Book Festival on Saturday morning, October 4, 2025 on South Main Street in downtown Concord. Credit: GEOFF FORESTER \/ For the Monitor<\/p>\n

A freshman in college, Austanne described herself as an avid fan of Tui Sutherland\u2019s \u201cWings of Fire\u201d series. She got to meet Sutherland on Friday during a book signing at Gibson\u2019s \u2014 an interaction she\u2019ll not soon forget.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just speechless at the time,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m a writer and an artist. I was like, \u2018I really should have more questions in my brain.’\u201d<\/p>\n

The Michigan pair said they appreciated the laid-back, outdoor venue for the festival and the ability to share in an appreciation of books alongside others.<\/p>\n

For Burack, books are \u201chugely important to the part of us that makes us human.\u201d <\/p>\n

She and Crow sought to promote literacy and access to literature as much as they could throughout the festival, incorporating organizations such as New Hampshire Humanities and Concord Public Library Foundation into the street stalls set up downtown. They also intentionally geared the festival towards readers of all ages.<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s librarians Liza Manner and Cheryl Rowell believe that books have the power to bring people together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you read a story with someone, you\u2019re inviting them or they\u2019re inviting you into a space that\u2019s mutual,\u201d Manner said. \u201cIt\u2019s this whole world. And you get to share that together.\u201d<\/p>\n

She and Rowell came to Concord on Saturday from the Fremont Public Library. They each relish the daily opportunity to broaden kids\u2019 exposure to books and get them excited about reading. Recently, they helped several dozen third-graders register for library cards.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve loved books my whole life,\u201d Rowell said. \u201cI get to keep children reading, connect with the kids that come into the library.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The crowd at the New Hampshire Book Festival on Saturday morning, October 4, 2025 on South Main Street in downtown Concord. Credit: GEOFF FORESTER \/ For the Monitor<\/p>\n

The festival helped underwrite the cost of transportation for 1,300 schoolchildren around the state to come on Friday for Tui Sutherland\u2019s Children\u2019s Keynote. Each student also received a free copy of Sutherland\u2019s latest book.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s invaluable,\u201d Manner said of reading.<\/p>\n

None of the components of the festival could have happened without volunteers. Everyone involved, including the co-founders and members of the board, donates their time and dedication to ensuring the event can come to life each year.<\/p>\n

Rachel McCauley signed up to volunteer as soon as she heard about the festival. She spent the day handing out maps and guiding authors to different locations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how the festival physically itself is just integrated into the community, where people would already be,\u201d said McCauley, who drove an hour from Croydon.<\/p>\n

The event\u2019s significance extended beyond the celebration of literature. <\/p>\n

\"\"Emilie Christie Burack hosts the Words, Rhythm, Silence and Songs panel discussion with authors David Elliott, Aaron Becker, Matt Forrest Esenwine, and Cheryl Willis Hudson at the New Hampshire Book Festival on South Main Street in Concord on Saturday morning, October 4, 20205. Credit: GEOFF FORESTER \/ For the Monitor<\/p>\n

Crow has remained attuned to the cuts happening to arts funding across the state and country, and she said she hopes to eventually see some of the arts funding restored. <\/p>\n

She knows the power of literature to engage individual readers and the power of events like the festival to engage entire communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust on a more practical level, these kinds of things like book festivals and arts festivals can help a city\u2019s economy, can really make a difference, bring people in, get them going out to dinner, buying things,\u201d Crow said.<\/p>\n

The organizers have already begun brainstorming for next year. They hope to one day add a portion of the festival geared towards writers, including the possibility of hosting workshops. <\/p>\n

For now, though, they\u2019re thrilled at how the event has gone and the people it\u2019s reached.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiteracy is the key to the castle,\u201d Burack said. \u201cIt\u2019s your key to pop out of poverty. There are just so many connections between literacy and just living a healthy and fulfilled life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat to Read Next<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Emilie Christie Burack and Sarah McCraw Crow sat chatting in Gibson\u2019s Bookstore a few years ago for a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":474279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3938],"tags":[3444,77,157592,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-474278","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-books","8":"tag-books","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-homecenterpiece1","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115317686241133120","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}