09/29/2015
Here is the schedule for the LIT in the LOU Book Festival weekend:
Lit in the Lou 2015 Literary Festival
Festival Events October 2-4, 2015
737 Kingsland Avenue in the Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Center
Delmar Loop, University City
Organizers: Saint Louis Literary Consortium
“Promoting the Literary Arts in the Greater St. Louis Area”
www.stllit.blogspot.com
Lit in the Lou 2015
Festival Theme: Literature in Our Lives
This year’s festival is designed to demonstrate the relevance of the written word as we approach 2016—an election year. Panelists will help us explore four categories of issues—Race and Politics, Religion and Politics, Income Inequality, and Gender and Politics—that will, undoubtedly, be on the minds of voters as the election year approaches.
Panelists/Presenters include: Eugene Redmond, Carol Swartout Klein, Jane Ellen Ibur, DuEwa Frazier, Aaron Williams, members of the Latino Writers Collective, Christi Griffin, John Wright, Terry Mulligan, M.K. Stallings, Michael McClymond, Ronit Stahl, Bill Tammeus, Caroline Fredrickson, Margaret O’Gorman, and Lisa Miller (among others)
Festival Program (program subject to change):
All events are handicapped accessible.
Friday, Oct. 2, 2015
7:00 p.m. Opening Reception/Awards ceremony
(presentation of the Tradition of Literary Excellence Award).
Location: City Hall of University City (5th Floor), 6801 Delmar Blvd.
Tickets: $25/person, available at Brown Paper Tickets and at the
door
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015
I. Race and Politics
This issue area will include discussion of recent events, such as those in Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charleston, and will consider their political implications.
10:00 -11:00 a.m. Overview Address
11:15-12:45 Breakout Panel Discussions
1) Children and the Art of Building Community - considering
constructive ways to mediate conflict through artistic expression
2) Boundaries and Borders - discussion of immigration issues,
cultural assimilation vs. cultural separatism
3) Examining the New Jim Crow - consideration of the political
implications of the high rate of incarceration in the U.S., particularly of minority males
Lunch/ Book Signings/Vendor Visits
II. Religion and Politics
This area will cover a range of issues from the rise of the religious right and its influence in the political arena to Islamaphobia and calls for the protection of religious freedom.
2:00-3:00 p.m. Overview Address
3:15-4:45 Breakout Panel Discussions
1) Navigating Religious Differences - members of the interfaith
community will consider the ramifications of religious pluralism
and how religious heritage informs politics
2) Religious Imagination in Science Fiction & Fantasy Fiction -
panelists will help uncover the theological themes and idealized
visions of society that often embody this genre’s characters and
infuse its content
Book Signings/Vendor Visits
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015
III. Income Inequality
This category covers contemporary issues such as wage disparity (evident in the Occupy and Fight for Fifteen movements) and pay equity for women.
10:30-11:30 a.m. Overview Address
11:45-1:00 Breakout Panel Discussions
1) Workers’ Rights - panelists will provide a look at the history of
workers struggles, especially as captured in literature, and consider
the relationship of previous struggles to current workers’ rights
movements
2) Pay Equity for Women - panelists will discuss the pursuit of and
progress toward equal pay for women
Lunch/Book Signings/Vendor Visits
IV. Gender and Politics
This category will cover such issues as LGBTQ rights and women as political candidates.
2:30-3:30 p.m. Overview Address
3:45-5:00 Breakout Panel Discussions
1) LGBTQ Rights - panelists will discuss current developments such as marriage equality and the participation of openly gay political candidates with a view toward the significance of these changes for the nation’s political life
2) Women in the Political Arena - panelists will focus on the rise of women in the American political arena, discussing leadership styles, media coverage, gender stereotyping, and the “women’s vote,” with particular attention to the fact that there are two women presidential candidates in the 2016 race
Book Signings/Vendor Visits
7:00 p.m. Closing Party/Open Mic
Eclipse Restaurant and Bar (Moonrise Hotel, 6177 Delmar Blvd.)
Questions: 314-973-6875
