A Calm Atmosphere in Copley: the Boston Book Festival

Maya Reddy ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Boston’s yearly Book Festival has come to an end once more. Besides hosting a number of impressive keynote speakers and events, this festival also offered up a comfortable set-up in Copley Square to peruse at one’s convenience. It was a writer’s paradise. A number of literary magazine’s set up tents, offering information on getting work published and entering writing contests. Publishing companies advertised their books along with their authors who were more than willing to talk with Festival-goers about their work. The books featured, offered a wide variety of genre’s, ranging from children’s books to thriller novels.

ArtsEmerson, Emerson’s Professional Studies Program, and Emerson’s Graduate Writing Program represented Emerson with their own tables each. Besides ArtsEmerson, ArtsBoston also had their own tent offering up information about all the big shows in Boston, along with deals for cheaper tickets. Boston’s International Antiquarian Book Fair had deals of their own, in which upon signing up for their mailing list, they would give away two free complimentary tickets.

One of the highlights of the Book Festival was the Folio Society stand, a publishing company that illustrates hardback editions of classic books. With their gorgeous editions of novels from the Great Gatsby to Stuart Little, Folio Society’s stand at the Book Festival drew many eyes.

Beyond the Publishing sections of the festival, were a host of fun and free activities for children. Young and older children alike delighted in the nonprofit organization 826 Boston’s, Bigfoot themed section. 826 Boston created several fun activities to take part in; an area for young children to color was set up, and two typewriters were provided for the older children to follow a “Top Secret Mission”. Though the largest stand, there were a couple other interactive tents for children – young ones especially.

A live band from the Berklee stage was always playing music throughout the grounds, and large tents offered up a large space to eat and enjoy the music, food, and books. Though, not one of the more intense aspects of the festival, the actual general grounds was a comfortable atmosphere allowing for people to engage in their common love for books and writing.