Got some bookish ideas? Take them to the Flint Literary Festival

FLINT, MI–Word nerds get ready: the Flint Literary Festival is returning for its second year, and organizers are looking for ideas from the community.  

Scheduled for Oct. 26-27 at the Flint Public Library, the event will feature a variety events, including panel discussions about different topics. Event organizers are looking for help organizing some of those discussions. 

The applicant will be responsible for coordinating the panel participants while the festival committee will handle the site logistics. Panels will be scheduled for one-hour blocks.

Panel topics may be of local or universal literary interest. Submissions should include a synopsis, the number and names of the panelists (if known at this point), and the moderator’s name. Submissions should also include a brief explanation of why the topic is a good fit for the Flint Literary Festival.

Ideas can be submitted online at www.flintliteraryfestival.org/contact by Aug. 13. The applicant should also include a short bio and credentials. All topics will be reviewed by the planning committee. Panels will be announced by Sept. 1. 

In addition to panel discussions, the Flint Literary Festival will feature notable authors, a reading room, a book fair, and an open mic night at a local establishment. 

Now in its second year, the event — free and open to the public — is a partnership between Gothic Funk Press, the Flint Public Library, East Village Magazine, and the University of Michigan-Flint English Department. It was created with the goal of lifting together the literary communities of Flint.

“In keeping with our founding mission, the Flint Literary Festival 2018 will promote literature in all its forms, from poetry to fiction to creative nonfiction,” said Connor Coyne, festival co-founder and director of Gothic Funk Press.

Last year’s event featured Newberry Medal and Coretta Scott King award-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis, award-winning novelist Christine Maul Rice, and Hub City writer-in-residence Kelsey Ronan. Each writer has deep ties to Flint and read selections of their work followed by short discussions about the literary craft. An After-Hours Open Mic Night was held at the historic Golden Leaf Club in Flint.

For more information about the Flint Literary Festival, please visit www.flintliteraryfestival.org or send an email to flintliteraryfestival@gmail.com.