This year, Fall for the Book—an independent non-profit literary arts organization based at George Mason University—celebrates their 25th anniversary, marking twenty-five years of connecting readers and authors across genres, encouraging cultural and emotional growth through literature, and providing readers of all ages the opportunity to delve into their own writing. Fall for the Book is largely known for their iconic book festival taking place in October, but this year the organization revealed a new project: a year-round programming initiative offering events for every season. As a part of this new format, Fall for the Book has launched their Mini Fest, a one-day festival packed with events from a variety of incredible authors. The schedule for the February 15th event includes:
10:30 a.m. | K-pop’s Got Soul
Fenwick Reading Room, 2nd Floor, Fenwick Library
K-pop and R&B collide in Crystal S. Anderson’s Soul in Seoul: African American Popular Music and K-pop. Anderson shows how Korean pop groups incorporate elements of African American music culture in their songs, arguing that K-pop is actually a part of a global R&B tradition. Arts writer Pat Padua says that “Soul in Seoul is a labor of love, and K-pop junkies will eat it up.” Sponsored by African & African American Studies.
12 p.m. | Resistance, Justice, and Freedom
Fenwick Reading Room, 2nd Floor, Fenwick Library
Evocative and haunting, Ava Homa’s novel Daughters of Smoke and Fire explores identity, family, and oppression in the everyday lives of the Kurds. Leila, a young woman living in Iran, endures grave danger as she searches for her missing political activist brother. Roxane Gay calls it “A story of slowly-building self-liberation and resilience…Our conversations around this book are going to be meaningful, engaging and urgently necessary.” Sponsored by Women & Gender Studies.
1:30 p.m. | The Cheuse Center Presents Bisi Adjapon
Fenwick Reading Room, 2nd Floor, Fenwick Library
Bisi Adjapon’s Daughter in Exile is a poignant novel about family, immigration, and adversity. Lola, a young Senegalese woman, gets engaged to an American Marine without her family’s approval, and must move to the US, pregnant and alone. “Insightful and riveting,” author Maaza Mengiste says, “Daughter in Exile is a deft exploration of motherhood and love, told through the eyes of a young woman determined to create her world on her terms.” Adjapon will be in conversation with Helon Habila, most recently the author of the novel Travelers. Adjapon and Habila will also be joined by artist Bennie Herron, who will be displaying his original artwork from the Mason Exhibition Origin Stories. Sponsored by the Cheuse Center for International Writers.
3 p.m. | Next Stop, Delhi: The Moving City
Fenwick Reading Room, 2nd Floor, Fenwick Library
Take a ride with anthropologist Rashmi Sadana as she discusses urbanization, inequality, and the lives of ordinary people in The Moving City: Scenes from the Delhi Metro and the Social Life of Infrastructure. In her book, Sadana provides first hand accounts from Delhi residents, and discusses how the Metro is deeply impacting the city, both geographically and socially. Asian Anthropology calls it a “delightful and interesting twist on ethnographic writing.” Sponsored by the Department of Sociology & Anthropology.
Fall for the Book’s Mini Fest premiers at an exciting time for many readers. Following the pandemic, the Mini Fest reflects the new expansion of the organization’s events, providing supporters a way to connect across all seasons. “The festival just returned to in-person programming in 2022, so over the last few years, we’ve already been re-imagining how we do literary events,” said Fall for the Book director Kara Oakleaf. “Fall for the Book’s 25th anniversary felt like the perfect time to bring more of what we do to our community of readers, and stay connected to that community year-round.” Suzy Rigdon, Fall for the Book’s festival manager, reaffirms these hopes: that the Mini Fest is only the beginning of what Fall for the Book hopes to accomplish in the years following their 25th anniversary. "We wanted Fall for the Book to reflect the fact that we read every season of the year,” said Suzy. “We’re expanding both our in-person events as well as our online programming, including live and on-demand content, so everyone can participate in a way that fits their busy lives."
Fall for the Book’s Mini Fest will take place February 15th, 2023, in the Fenwick Reading Room. For more information on the event, please visit https://fallforthebook.org/mini-fest/
February 13, 2023
