Weekend Plans: The Imaginarium of B.F. Spells and The Chestnut Hill Book Festival

For those of you not headed to the wonderful book festival at the nation's capital, here are some fun Philly events to consider.

First, on September 21, there's The Imaginarium of Dr. B.F. Spells: An Extraordinary Experience in Exposition, happening at the Ethical Society of Philadelphia, Rittenhouse Square and produced by Spells Writing Lab. Details are here. Diane Rodriguez Wallach and Magic and Mad Libs and More, including Dr. Radway. (We like our doctors in Philadelphia.)

Second, check out the Chestnut Hill Book Festival and Speaker Series, happening September 22 (above). Don Lee, Daniel Torday, James Hoch, Lori Tharps, Philadelphia Stories, myself, and others will be in the house. We look forward to seeing you, and details are here.

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See Buzz Bissinger Talk about Fatherhood and the Art of the Rave, and support the Spells Writing Lab in the process

Readers of this blog know just how much I adored Buzz Bissinger's forthcoming memoir Father's Day.  I wrote about it here not once, but twice.  I read passages out loud to my students.  I told a seatmate on a train.  I just kinda—well, did my thing.

There goes Miss Crazy Effusive again.

Philadelphia-area readers and thinkers and hearts (that's all of us, right?) now have a chance not just to meet Buzz and hear him talk about the making of the memoir, the glories and heartbreak of fatherhood, and the art of the rave (don't you want to hear Buzz talk about the art of the rave?), but to support a really important cause—the Spells Writing Lab, a literacy-focused organization that offers after-school tutoring, weekend writing workshops, in-school assistance with student publications, and professional development opportunities for teachers.  If that's not enough to persuade you, consider the composition of its advisory board, which is rocked by Stephen Fried, Elizabeth Gilbert, Carol Saline, Lisa Scottoline, Lori Tharps, and Caroline Tiger, among others.

The event is taking place at the Loews Hotel on 1200 Market Street, Philadelphia, on May 10, 2012. It begins at 6:15, and Anyone Who is Anyone will be there.  (I hope to make it, too.)  More information can be found right here.

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