Originally published in the Chattanooga Times Free Press
Chattanooga is a hub for artists and aways has been. On September 25, ArtsBuild will celebrate 55 years of building our city through the Arts. There will also be a celebration of 10 years of the Ruth Holmberg Arts Leadership Awards with this year’s awardees: Cam Busch, Rita Lorraine Hubbard, Alan and Norma Mills, and Anna Baker Vancura. Several Holmberg relatives recently visited Chattanooga’s Mizpah synagogue which Ruth and her Ochs family helped create, as they’d done with The Chattanooga Times. Meeting them was a reminder that the past and present are interwoven through our city’s creative souls and their supporters. Whether it’s architecture, visual arts, dance, or music, we have a rich legacy of artists shaping our community. That legacy includes generations of writers, as demonstrated by the local Authors Fair hosted by the downtown public library this past weekend.
Experiencing the impact of these writers began even before entering the library. A microphone was set up on the outside pavilion so that authors like Eric Smith could use their skills to address topics like the war in Ukraine, being Black in the South, and conservation of nature. Yes, poetry can heal! I’m reminded that my Dad kept himself sane during his time as a military intelligence office in World War II by reading poetry.
Inside, the library’s first floor displayed almost 30 authors, men and women, young and old. Sitting at various tables, they represented an incredible diversity of genres. That included murder mystery writer George Hudson, science fiction writer Devon Erikson, poet Ray Zimmerman, children’s book writer Tom Bissonette and memoir writer Brent Weston who infused his book with art that he’d painted. It’s fascinating to see so many artists at the Authors Fair have won awards and that some of their work has been picked up by film and TV producers.
I wasn’t surprised that there kids crafts were available since the library has always found ways to engage a young audience. Intrigued, I tried my hand at making a personalized bookmark. What fun! Then I gave up my seat to an adorable young girl watching me intently so that she could make one, too.
And I wasn’t surprised to hear about the plus-and-minus experiences of computer self-publishing by some writers. Original manuscripts were unfortunately reconfigured with Ocular Character Recognition (OCR) software within Adobe Acrobat. Other writers benefited from Artificial Intelligence (AI) that helped them create graphics to accompany their stories. Self-publishing gives us considerable control over the outcome of our writing, but increasingly it’s an art form in itself. No wonder book publishers were present including Tenpenny Books.
Several organizations were represented that have supported local authors for years. The Writers Guild and the Rhyme N Chatt Interactive Poetry Organization are nonprofits founded about 25 years ago. And SoLit, previously Southern Lit Alliance, was founded in 1952. These historic institutions and new ones like Reve Coffee and Books, reflect SoLit’s mission: “to deliver literary arts experiences that engage young people and adults in a life-long love of reading, writing, and community conversation…”
Why did the library do all this? “The library hosts the Authors Fair because we want to give local authors a place to share their work with the public and a space for them to network with each other. The Chattanooga Public Library may offer a lot more than books these days, but stories are what bring together everything we do. We also want those who have always thought about writing a book to see that their neighbors are doing just that, so they can too.”
So it’s time to write that book and tell your story!
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