Hemingway encouraged us all to write drunk and edit sober. But he didn’t really say how you should attend Metro Library’s OKC LitFest. Personally, I’d bring a spill-proof mug of coffee, but I write smut, not literature, so what do I know?
OKC LitFest is this Saturday at the Downtown Library, and is free to attend. The schedule is packed with cool sessions, so whether you’re a poet, comic book writer, novelist, children’s book author, or editor, you can find a talk that will interest you.
And frankly, Oklahoma’s literary world could use the win.
Last week, the Journal Record ran a story about how local indie bookstores are suffering as the cost of everything goes up and people have less money to spend on books. Since local bookstores are more likely to stock local authors than the big chain retailers, that also impacts our local writers.
That makes Second Story Books’ presence at LitFest worthwhile. They’ll be on site selling books by presenting authors, so you can support a local bookstore and local writers all in one day.
LitFest also gives you full access to that literary community for free.
There are two pretty well-attended writing conferences in the Oklahoma City metro every year. Oklahoma Writers’ Federation is the first weekend in May and costs $375. WriterCon is next month and costs $499. Speakers and organizers of both those events are speaking for free at LitFest.
And that’s part of what makes events like LitFest worth showing up for. I know it’s easy to feel like “your people” aren’t here, or like you need to leave Oklahoma to find people doing interesting things. But there are so many opportunities, many of them free, to meet the kinds of people who are interested in cool stuff.
So, whether you want to support local bookstores and writers, meet some of those people, hear someone talk about something they care about, or just take advantage of some free air conditioning, I’m wholeheartedly recommending LitFest.
Just don't attend any of the sessions presented by one of my nemeses. That's all I ask.
