First ‘litfest’ lights up Lansing bookstores, libraries this weekend

The pandemic may not have been good for much, as the New Yorker magazine recently noted, but it was for bookstores — as this weekend’s first-ever Lansing Lit Festival demonstrates by the number of relatively new stores that are hosting it.

The festival will feature more than a dozen authors, poets and comic book artists at nine independent bookstores, area libraries and performance areas. The three-day event, which kicks off Friday (Sept. 20), includes 22 individual readings, workshops and performances.

Bookstores and other venues are Hooked; Schuler Books; Deadtime Stories, Curious Book Shop; Robin Books; A Novel Concept; Everybody Reads; Wayfaring Booksellers; Socialight Society; Williamston Theatre; Lansing Community College Dart Auditorium; East Lansing and Delta Township libraries; and Reach Studio Art Center.

Events are free, thanks in part to a $10,000 grant from the Ingham County Hotel/Motel Tax Funds for Arts and Tourism,

The author events are as varied as the bookstores. They include a candlelight reading at Deadtime Stories; four noted writers talking baseball at Everybody Reads; four authors talking about “Kissing Evangelical Purity Culture Goodbye” at A Novel Concept; author Brenda Novak talking about her book, “The Banned Book Club,” at Schuler Books; Michigan State University political scientist Matt Grossman releasing “Polarized by Degrees” at Hooked about class distinctions; along with fantasy, romance writers and graphic novelist Jeff Wilson (“We Live Here”) also at Hooked.

“The litfest is an important collaborative effort among the bookstore community,” said organizer Elise Jajuga, co-owner of A Novel Concept. It “represents partnerships that are unusual for cities of a similar size.”

Jajuga said that fighting a national trend of bookstore closures, several Lansing-area bookstores opened during the pandemic.

Scott Harris, owner of Everybody Reads, agreed. “The effort is a wonderful example of the bookstores working in tandem against the ‘big box’ bookstores and online sales.”

The recent New Yorker article, “Are Bookstores Just a Waste of Space,” by Louis Menand, pointed out that despite Amazon sales of more than half of all print and e-books in the country, bookstores still provide a valuable service giving readers an opportunity “fondle the product.” It is estimated that more than 3 million books are published each year.

The four baseball writers appearing at EveryBody Reads are award-winning baseball historian Peter Morris, author of several books on historic baseball; Jess Goldberg Strassler, the voice of the Lugnuts and author “The Baseball Thesaurus,” Tom Stanton, the Detroit author of “The Final Season,” about the old Tiger Stadium, and Gary Gillette, who has authored several books and spearheaded the effort to save Hamtramck Stadium of the Negro Leagues.

Dart Auditorium will host the slam poet “The Bee.” Williamston Theatre will feature a reading from the play “Bad Books,” and MSU Theatre will host a preview of its upcoming production on “Inherit the Wind” and a discussion on the history of banned plays.

For kids, A Novel Concept will host children’s author Angie Zeigerbacher and Schuler Books will feature Tim Kleyn, author of the popular book “Grilled Cheese? Yes Please!” At Everybody Reads, two comic book authors will help children create their own superheros. Socialight Society and Reach Studio Art Center offer the exhibition “Art in Sequence: Artwork Inspired by Comics.”

Nicole Lintemuth, the owner of Bettie’s Pages bookstore in Lowell, will visit Wayfaring Booksellers in REO Town Marketplace to discuss her new book on book banning.

Lintemuth, whose visit coincides with Banned Book Week 2024, is an outspoken opponent of book censorship by any means. Her book, “This Book Is Dangerous: For Those Who Refuse to Be Told What They Can — or Can’t — Read,” is part journal, part hands-on guide for citizens to fight book banning.

“There’s been a huge incidence of book banning in the last four years, and I wanted to put together a guide to fight back against it,” Lintemuth said in an interview. Her book offers scripts for supporters to talk with local officials about book banning and suggestions on how supporters “can join the army fighting against book banning.”

Lintemuth’s bookstore is named after Bettie Page, the 1950s “queen” of pinup girls. It promotes itself as “the coolest, queerest and best little bookstore in Lowell.” Page, like the Lowell bookstore, tested America’s stodgy demeanor often with unusual poses like the classic photo of her standing among a dazzle of zebras in a leopard print swimsuit.

Lintemuth said that in Lowell “hardly a week goes by that someone isn’t at a public meeting talking about banning books.”

At her bookstore, she carries titles on banned-book lists like “Gender Queer” and “Little Boy Blue,” along with general interest books.

“Fantasy and Romance are among my best sellers,” she said.

Originally, from the UP, Lintemuth said there weren’t many opportunities to visit bookstores, but when she moved to the Lower Peninsula she frequented bookstores.

 “I got into the bookstores business because I hated my job,” she said, opening Bettie’s Pages in 2020.

She does all the things to promote the store that you would expect, like hosting book clubs, book swaps and craft nights. But she also sponsors a monthly drag show.

“I have a fantastic group of supporters, and I do well on social media,” she said.

On 7 p.m. Saturday, Hooked will host an author and reader soiree where the two groups can mingle and talk about books.

The litfest will close Sunday with a tasting and an informal workshop on creating your own charcuterie boards with cookbook author Laura Klynstra, author of “Gather and Graze.”

Hooked co-owner Grossman, another key litfest organizer, said, “All the bookstores are excited about the litfest and are in it for the long term. It represents Lansing and covers everything from edgy to traditional.”

Grossman said the event was inspired by the Lansing Film Festival and patterned after other Michigan book festivals in Detroit and Harbor Springs.

Robin Books will host a reading called Healing Justice Storytime and also feature numerous authors from Lansing Community College reading from their works.

Curious Book Shop, which became a “drive-in” bookstore last week when a pickup careened into it, will host a two-day scavenger hunt featuring literary prizes for winners. A “book crawl” will encourage readers to visit every bookstore with a chance to win a book tote.

In downtown Lansing food trucks will be available from the Hispanic Heritage Festival, which is being held concurrently.