For the past five years a committee of local volunteers from the Chestnut Hill Business Association and the Chestnut Hill Community Association has created and  hosted a Chestnut Hill Book Festival and Speaker Series and we are ready to present our Sixth Annual Book Festival on Sunday June 8, 2014.

This year the event will be held at the Chestnut Hill Hotel 8229 Germantown Avenue 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

We have committed to focus mostly on local Philadelphia area authors and with these talented and generous writers have presented an interesting and exciting variety of genres and topics, workshops and panels through our past five festival and speaker events. We have created an extensive list of wonderful authors and are adding to it all the time.  It’s been both rewarding and fun for all of us involved.

On June 8 we have a two part schedule: on series of adult authors and a Kidz Zone.

The adult authors include Nathaniel Popkin: an author, reviewer and essayist of topics from architecture, politics and history; Yaba Blay: Drexel University professor, producer, publisher, author of the newly published {1}ne Drop, and writer of countless articles;

Suzanne del Gizzo: Chestnut Hill College professor, author, and board member of The Ernest Hemingway Foundation and Society and editor of The Hemingway Review.

Together Kevin Grauke and Katie Hagele will speak on the topic Creating the Writing Life. Kevin who is the 2013 winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Steven Turner Award for Best First Book of Fiction for his short story collection, Shadows of Men is a Lasalle professor, and Katie Haegle is the author of White Elephants and Slip of the Tongue. Both have composed their writing life with essays, literary reviews, and articles in newspapers and magazines.

Our Kidz Zone will include children’s authors, activities, music and healthy treats for all.

Over the past year our speaker series has included Clark DeLeon, George Ciccariello-Maher, and our own presentation of Love for Sale.

Our planning committee consists of Hugh Gilmore, local author and columnist for the Chestnut Hill Local; Kathy Bonanno, president of Musehouse: a Center for the Literary Arts; Greg Welsh, owner of the Chestnut Grill; Kate O’Neill, events planner for the Chestnut Hill Business Association; and Marie Lachat, CHBF chair.

Our Advisory Committee includes Stewart Graham, Chief of Staff for Councilman David Oh; Jane Piotrowski (from a distance), graphic artist; Art Howe, publisher; Mary Lynsky, Jenks Elementary Pricipal; Jon McGoran, author; David Bonanno, poet and editor; Joanne Dhody, President of Friends of the Chestnut Hill Library; Paul Davies, writer and reporter.

Throughout the year thanks to the generosity of Ron and Abby Pete we have held events in the Bombay Room of the Chestnut Hill Hotel. A schedule will be posted at www.chestnuthillbookfestival.com and on www.facebook.com/chfest