Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the South
Dakota Book Festival in Deadwood along with numerous other book enthusiasts. The festival is a surprisingly well-attended  event with plenty of interesting sessions and
a large number of authors and exhibitors selling their latest
publications. Ted Kooser’s presentation
was a highlight of the first night and it did not disappoint. The man has a way with words that most of us
only wish we had. It is a very good
thing that Ted is a friend of the Press.

I need to mention that Deadwood is an absolutely gorgeous
venue for the festival. Fall colors are
just starting to turn and the people are beyond friendly. It’s hard to tell if attendees are book
lovers who like to gamble on the side, or vice versa. Gambling appears to be a main economic staple
of Deadwood, and there are ample opportunities to lose a few dollars to slot
machines or blackjack tables during festival down time.

The exhibition hall, an explosion of authors, vendors, and
attendees, is a giant open room of tables and booths that share the space with
the main stage for sessions. The setup allows people to move back and forth, from
listening to C. J. Box discuss the world of writing in the Mountain Time Zone
to watching Dave Volk selling his latest children’s book. Everyone there shares a love of the written
word covering just about every genre you could imagine: novels of every kind, history (local and
beyond), politics, humor, romance, poetry (lots of poetry), and children’s
books are all represented. The guy with
the purple plush bear, selling his science fiction to anyone who will listen
(did I mention he wore a kilt the entire time?) was entertaining everyone
within earshot.

The vast majority of the attendees know the University of
Nebraska Press. A good number came up just
to say they own several of our books and appreciate all we do. Every few
minutes someone was wandering up to ask about our latest publications. Dirty
Words in Deadwood was especially highlighted: Is that Deadwood the town or Deadwood the HBO TV show? The question was asked with a smile and was then
followed by opinions regarding the language used in the show.

I was struck by that fact that everyone (and I mean
everyone) was happy. Happy to be at the
festival, happy to be surrounded by other book lovers, happy to rub shoulders
with authors who were happy to rub shoulders with their fans, happy booksellers
talking up their latest books on every topic. It seems that festivals of this
sort are a great medicine for getting rid of the blues.

I heard this was the 11th anniversary of the South Dakota
Book Festival, an event that both represents and encourages the special
connection between author and reader. Something that all of us who love books look
forward to every year.

-Tom