ANN ARBOR – The Kerrytown Bookfest begins on Sept. 9 and will feature many authors, panels and activities for all to enjoy. We thought it might be fun to narrow the list of authors down, ever so slightly, and focus on those who reside in Ann Arbor and the metro Detroit area. In the spirit of having fun with the list itself, we've decided to split it in two, focusing on five authors this week and another set of five next week to help prepare you for all your book-loving needs.
Without further delay: Here. We. Go!
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Ruth Behar, author of "Lucky Broken Girl"
Behar is an acclaimed author of fiction and nonfiction and received the 2018 Pura Belpré Author Award for "Lucky Broken Girl," her first book for young readers. She was born in Havana, Cuba, grew up in New York City, and has also lived in Spain and Mexico. An anthropology professor at the University of Michigan, she is the author of "The Vulnerable Observer: Anthropology That Breaks Your Heart," "An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba," and "Traveling Heavy: A Memoir in between Journeys" and other books about her travels, as well as a bilingual book of poetry, "Everything I Kept/Todo lo que guardé." Her honors include a MacArthur Fellows "Genius" Award, a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Distinguished Alumna Award from Wesleyan University. She lives in Ann Arbor and travels frequently to Miami and Havana.
Michael Byers, author of "The Coast of Good Intentions"
Byers teaches radio drama and comedy (as well as creative writing) at the University of Michigan. His first book of fiction, "The Coast of Good Intentions," was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award, won the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and garnered a Whiting Writer's Award. His first novel, "Long for This World" won the annual fiction prize from Friends of American Writers. Byers' short fiction has appeared several times in Best American Short Stories and Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards. His novella "The Broken Man" was a finalist for the World Fantasy Awards in 2010, and his nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Best American Travel Writing and elsewhere.
Anna Clark, author of "The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy"
Clark is a journalist in Detroit. Her writing has appeared in ELLE Magazine, The New York Times, the Columbia Journalism Review, Next City and other publications. Clark edited "A Detroit Anthology," a Michigan Notable Book. She has been a Fulbright fellow in Kenya and a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. Her book, "The Poisoned City: Flint’s Water and the American Urban Tragedy," was recently published by Metropolitan Books.
Harry Dolan, author of "The Man In The Crooked Hat"
Dolan is the author of the mystery/suspense novels "Bad Things Happen" (2009), "Very Bad Men" (2011) and "The Last Dead Girl" (2014). He graduated from Colgate University, where he majored in philosophy and studied fiction-writing with the novelist Frederick Busch. A native of Rome, New York, he now lives in Ann Arbor.
Anne Drozd, co-organizer of the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival
Drozd is a public librarian by day and a cartoonist by night. She is an avid space exploration enthusiast and a card-holding member of the Planetary Society. Her favorite NASA mission is Apollo 12. Drozd helps to introduce people to comics through her work at the Ann Arbor District Library and as co-organizer of the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival.
The Kerrytown Bookfest takes place on September 9. To learn more about the festival, including its upcoming events, visit ktbookfest.org.
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