Big Orange Book Festival

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”779″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Featuring events for book lovers and film buffs, Chapman University’s Big Orange Book Festival: From Steampunk to Poetry, promises to intrigue and inspire visitors. The 2-day festival to take place on Fri. Sep. 21st and Sat. Sep. 22nd, will celebrate every facet of the written word – from books, to film. Located on the Chapman campus and free to the public, the 1st annual event will feature hundreds of books, discussion panels with accomplished writers, live entertainment and tasty food. Well-known authors to attend include Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones, Orange County’s “Ask the Mexican” columnist Gustavo Arellano with his new book, Taco USA and Lizz Winstead of the Daily Show and author of Lizz Free or Die. Inspired by the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, The Big Orange Book Festival taps into various components of the campus, says Char Williams, manager of administrative operations for Chapman University and assistant organizer of the festival. “In addition to showcasing books of well-known visiting authors, we’ll also feature the work of Chapman staff,” she says. Film will be an integral part of the event as well, including showing the time-transcending classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird” in honor of the film’s 50th anniversary. The showing will be hosted by actress Mary Badham, who played the part of 9-year-old Scout in the movie. “This film crosses a variety of disciplines within the school, including film, literature, history and even law, which epitomizes what we’re attempting to accomplish with the event,” says Williams. Six categories of literature will be represented in a variety of author panels, says Mary Platt, Chapman’s Director of Communications and Media Relations. These are California Voices, Outside the Box, including science fiction, steam punk, fantasy and paranormal. Old Towne novelist and Chapman English professor James Blaylock, co-creator of the steampunk genre, will be part of this tract. There are also categories for mystery, action and romance, chapters and verse, featuring poetry and creative nonfiction and “based on the book,” encompassing books made into film or TV movies. The event will also feature 10 selected students presenting their work, and visitors are encouraged to visit designated booths throughout the campus where for the first 10 minutes at the top of every hour they can share their talent. Entry and parking to the event are free, and there will be kid’s activities. For information, including vendor and volunteer opportunities, visit BigOrangeBookFestival.com.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]