Mideast & Midwest: Annual book festival sheds light on global conflicts
The 17th annual Chippewa Valley Book Festival will feature many familiar elements: a variety of genres and authors, writing workshops, and inclusion of all ages (see events below). In years past, there have been everything from publishing panels to poets laureate. But this year, however, light is being shed on conflict in the Middle East through storytelling and food, giving a literary insight to an international conflict.
Chris Kondrusak, a co-chairpeson of the festival, said the theme will bring a personal connection to events occurring halfway around the world, especially with two renowned authors who have seen the ins and outs of the refugee crisis and reflect the hardships and the nuances through their written work and more.
“It exposes people to things that are maybe outside their normal areas of reading. And that is also a positive, a real positive.” – Chris Kondrusak, Chippewa Valley Book Festival
On the evening of Oct. 12, Barbara Massaad, author of the cookbook Soup for Syria, will lead a cooking demonstration at Forage in Banbury Place. The planned entrees range from traditional hummus with spicy ground lamb and pine nuts, to a finale of baklava and Turkish coffee.
Cathy Sultan, a member of the festival’s fundraising committee and featured author in festivals past, has been friends with Massaad for years and couldn’t wait to get Massaad to the festival. Massaad agreed immediately.
The idea for Soup for Syria came a while ago, as wrenching news stories of the refugee crisis inspired Massaad to make a change. Already prominent in the culinary scene of Beirut, she was able to put her skills to use. Thus, Soup for Syria was created. Respected chefs contributed Syrian recipes, and Massaad’s photos decorate the pages. Profits from the book go directly to the United Nations as contributions for relief aid.
The book’s photos, depicting the inhumanity of the refugee crisis and the humans who live it, will be available in larger prints at the event.
Another highlight of the festival is author Sandy Tolan presenting his nonfiction work, Children of the Stone, which follows the life of a boy, Ramzi, who became a symbol of the revolution in Palestine. The boy grew into a man who opened a music school, providing the opportunity to learn an art amidst conflict to many students in the West Bank. Children of the Stone was a 2016 L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist and has received international recognition for its heart-touching rendition of real events.
Tolan came and spoke at the festival a few years ago, and according to Sultan, said yes to returning due to his memory of a fantastic, involved audience. His event, “Can Music Transcend War and Military Occupation?” will take place the evening of Oct. 13 in the Schofield Auditorium at UW-Eau Claire.
Sultan said she sees this as a unique opportunity for the Valley, “not to be hit over the head with hardcore politics, but rather to understand through music and through the voice of a man, how he has survived,” she said. “Not only has he helped himself, but he’s helped hundreds of children.”
Both Sultan and Kondrasuk said they have witnessed the effect of the festival throughout the literary community of the Chippewa Valley. Book clubs choose the festival’s books in anticipation of the events, and the number of attendees continues to grow.
Within area public schools, each child sees one or two of the authors speak and has the opportunity to submit written pieces of their own. There are a slew of pre-festival workshops for young writers to hone their growing writing skills.
The festival has threads throughout the local literary community. UWEC professor B.J. Hollars will read from This Is Only A Test, a book he published in 2015 recounting his close encounters with natural disasters and trying to protect his growing son from these dangers, as well the ones that can’t be seen.
Minnesota Lucie Amundson will be speaking about her book Locally Laid, a tragicomic, heartwarming memoir (which was featured on NPR) about starting an industry-changing farm on a whim. Kondrusak, who said she normally wouldn’t pick up a book about farming, saw Locally Laid as an example of the festival’s effect.
“It exposes people to things that are maybe outside their normal areas of reading,” Kondrusak said. “And that is also a positive, a real positive.”
The Chippewa Valley Book Festival is happening at various libraries and locations all around the Valley from Oct. 10-20. To find out more about the festival, go to www.cvbookfest.org.
