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Boston Book Festival – Saturday, 10/24 in Copley Square

I’ll be volunteering at the first annual Boston Book Festival being held this Saturday (10/24) in Copley Square.  The festival features 90 authors reading from their works and signing books, and 40 exhibitors. Events will be taking place at the Boston Public Library, Trinity Church, and the Old South Church. And, it’s free! The keynote speaker will be Pulitzer Prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk. However, I admit I’m most intrigued by the session called “Writer Idol,” in which an actor will read the first pages of unpublished manuscripts submitted by audience members, and a panel of judges (editors and literary agents) will offer their opinions on what works and what doesn’t. Get more info at http://www.bostonbookfest.org/.

Boston GreenFest 2009

If you’re looking for something fun (and free!) to do this weekend, go check out Boston GreenFest 2009 at City Hall Plaza, right outside the Government Center T stop. This event runs from 10 AM to 10 PM August 21st and 22nd with a kickoff concert tonight from 5 to 10. Over the next two days there will be screenings of the films “The Greening of Southie”, “Fresh”, “Out of Balance: ExxonMobil’s Impact on Climate Change”, and “Flow: The Film”. There will be speakers and workshops covering everything from green cars to eco-games to the Charles River. You can also walk around and check out the art gallery, exhibits and listen to some live music. This looks like a really fun event with something for everyone. I’m planning to attend on Saturday so maybe I’ll see you there.

Forgotten books

Forgotten Books is an on-line library of books that you can read on-line for free. They are hosted by Google. The titles are listed alphabetically. The collection has 1736 books on-line. However, almost half are unreadable due to some hosting error. But in any case this is an interesting example of what books on-line look like.

Shakespeare on the Common

As Stephanie reported last year, if you’re a Shakespeare or outdoor theater fan, you’ll want to be sure to check out this summer’s performance of The Comedy of Errors on Boston Common.  If you like you can brush up on the play ahead of time by checking out one of Snell’s copies.  The Boston Globe ran an article recently on the popularity of outdoor summer Shakespeare performances in the US. They also covered some background to the production and the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company earlier this year. The Comedy of Errors is playing now through August 16, so take a picnic and enjoy it while you can!  

Shakespeare on the Common

Every summer the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company puts on a free performance of one of Shakespeare’s plays on the Boston Common. This year’s show, As You Like It, is currently being performed at the Parkman Bandstand on the Common. As You Like It is a comedy about love, loyalty and friendship. I had not previously read or seen this particular play but I very much enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. It’s playing now through Sunday August 3rd. So, if you like Shakespeare, or are just looking for something to do that won’t cost you anything, grab some friends and a picnic and head down to the Boston Common.