We've Launched!

The Indiegogo Fundraising Campaign for The Festival of Women Writers in Hobart, NY has officially launched!!! 

Go to our Giving page at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/festival-of-women-writers-in-hobart-ny/x/2676071

I couldn't be more excited. I'm working with my sister Cheryl Clarke, poet, educator and activist. We are working with an enthusiastic committee of Hobart residents and the owners of the six, independently owned bookstores in the Book Village to create an exciting weekend for the celebration of the work of a breathtaking group of authors representing all genre, celebrating all style, supporting commerce and community for women. 

Elda Stifani in Hobart International Bookport 

in front of the cozy, unique Mysteries and More

Blenheim Hill Books has many very special children's titles

The Hobart Book Village Association http://www.hobartbookvillage.com will present the first Festival of Women Writers on September 6, 7, 8, 2013 in Hobart, N.Y. The Festival will attract book lovers, lovers of language, and connoisseurs of both to Hobart, promoting commerce and community. Hobart has been touted as the “Reading Capital of New York State” by Green Door Magazine in 2011. The Hobart Book Village Association supports the rich cultural and civic traditions of the Catskill region and, indeed, contributes to them.

The Festival will be a platform for the work of women writers and artists, including those living and writing in Delaware County. Artistic activities will include public readings, writing workshops, open reading opportunities for local, new, and emerging women writers; reading, writing, and art spaces for young people; dramatic readings; exhibits of visual, graphic, book art by women of all backgrounds.

Listen to our fundraising pitch.

Writers scheduled to participate are: Mariana Boncek, Breena Clarke, Bertha Rogers, Tayari Jones, Dara Lurie, Cheryl Boyce Taylor, Alexis DeVeaux, Garnette Arledge, Jewelle Gomez, Esther Cohen, Elana Bell, Cheryl Clarke, Marianela Medrano, Evie Shockley, Leslie T. Sharpe, and Mary Johnson.

The six Book Village shops: Adams Antiquarian Book Store, Blenheim Hill Books, International Book Port, Liberty Rock Books, Mysteries and More, and Paper Moon Bookbinding, were recently joined by Mt. Utsayantha Regional Arts League (MURAL). Each is poised to be a venue for the many activities scheduled to take place at the Festival.

The Festival of is being made possible, in part, with generous public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization Grant Program administered in Delaware County by the Roxbury Arts Group. The Hobart Community Foundation is also a generous funder of the Festival. Other supporters include: A Room of Her Own Foundation, Greater Stamford Area Trust, the Hobart Historical Society, Frank Lumia Real Estate, Greater Stamford Area Chamber of Commerce, the Stamford Village Library, Hatherleigh Press, and the Dorothy Marshall Book Group. 

Cheryl Clarke and Barbara Balliet in Blenheim Hill Books

the view along Maine St., Hobart, NY