FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 22, 1999
Contact: Steve Simon, 240-567-5385
 

Montgomery College to Host First-Ever "Montgomery Book Festival"
Authors, Book Signings, Readings, Music, Food and More on Tap for October 3 Event

        (Rockville, Maryland) -- Nearly 70 authors, book signings, poetry and children’s book readings, new and used book sales, and a book swap table. Toss in some musical performances, strolling entertainers, good food and children’s activities, and the result is the first-ever Montgomery Book Festival at Montgomery College, set for Sunday, October 3 on the College’s Rockville Campus.
 
        Presented by Montgomery College’s new Paul Peck Humanities Institute, this full-day celebration of books, reading and literature is open to book lovers of all ages. Admission is free for the festival, which will run from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., rain or shine.

        "Montgomery College is very excited about hosting the inaugural Montgomery Book Festival and we invite the community to join us for this most family-friendly of all activities," said Montgomery College President Dr. Charlene R. Nunley.

        The festival will provide the public with a unique opportunity to meet and interact with local and regional authors, including writers of fiction, non-fiction, children’s tales, self-help books and poetry.

        "We hope that this event will begin a great Montgomery County tradition of showcasing the works of local authors and of celebrating the power of books, literature and the humanities in our daily lives," said Dr. Myrna Goldenberg, Director of the Paul Peck Humanities Institute. "We’re delighted to have attracted nearly 70 participating authors and to have such an enthusiastic group of sponsors."
 
        As part of the festival, a new award recognizing the "Humanities Angel of the Year" will be presented to William E. Hanna, Jr., a former Montgomery County Council member and mayor of Rockville. Hanna authored legislation to create the Montgomery County Commission on the Humanities and is a major supporter of the arts and humanities.

        Festival sponsors include Discovery Communications, Inc., The Gazette Newspapers, the Maryland Humanities Council, Phillips Publishing International, Inc., Montgomery County Public Libraries, Barnes and Noble, Borders Books, Friends of the Humanities, Friends of the Libraries, The Writer’s Center and Peerless Rockville. The festival’s honorary co-chairs are Michael Dirda, editor of The Washington Post’s Book World; Alice McDermott, winner of the National Book Award; Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan and Barbara Duncan; and County Council President Isiah Leggett and Catherine Leggett. Dirda will lead a discussion on Book World at noon.

        Montgomery College’s Rockville Campus is located at 51 Mannakee Street. Parking is free and the campus is accessible via both Metro and Ride On bus service. For more information, call 240-567-7417 or log on to the festival’s web site at: www.montgomerycollege.edu/bookstores.