Aurora literary festival has book lovers covered

It's fall festival time, which to many means a beer-and-brat extravaganza.

But an Aurora festival this weekend will cater to a different crowd: book lovers.

The city's fifth annual Midwest Literary Festival, a celebration of books and writers, will be Saturday and Sunday in and around the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., in downtown Aurora.

The free fest will feature appearances by more than 90 authors, including Karen Abbott, who wrote "Sin in the Second City;" Daniel Wallace, who wrote "Big Fish;" Jacquelyn Mitchard, who wrote "The Deep End of the Ocean;" and Andrew Gross, who penned "The Blue Zone."

Also scheduled to attend are celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito and TV stars Victoria Rowell and Allison DuBois. Best-selling "Nanny Diaries" authors Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krause will greet fans at a free movie screening.

"I'd like for people to discover new authors they're just crazy about," said Isadora Wagner, fest programming manager.

A day-long writer's workshop will be held Friday, allowing potential authors a chance to mingle with agents, directors and other authors at North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd. The cost is $130.

The fest began as a way to spotlight and promote Aurora, with creators wanting to do more than design ads, said one founder, Sherman Jenkins of the Aurora Economic Development Commission.

And the idea of a book fest was born.

The inaugural event featured about 35 authors and attracted several thousand guests. It has grown each year since, now pulling in crowds of around 10,000.

"This has gotten bigger than just a local two-day festival," event director Rick Mervine said. "We now expect and are getting people from all across the three-state area."

One out-of-towner told organizers her family holds a reunion in Aurora every year centered around the fest.

Guests like the event's intimate atmosphere, allowing a chance for individual author chats, Wagner said.

"Fans come because they're getting access to authors that they wouldn't get elsewhere," she said.

Organizers this year are emphasizing the children's arena, which will feature 20 best-selling children and young adult authors and illustrators.

For a full events list, visit the fest's Web site.