Twenty years ago, we began hearing predictions that people would stop reading physical books. Following on the heels of of audio books on cassette tapes and CDs, the internet and smart phones brought about e-readers and digital publishing. In an age of easily available 24/7 connectivity, serious readers and writers worried that the handy paperback, not to mention 300-page hardcover books, would go the way of the extinct dodo bird.
As both a writer of novels and a reader of assorted genres, I couldn’t imagine a world where I wouldn’t be able to open a new book, smell the delicious scent of fresh ink on paper, feel the texture of a glossy cover, and hear the rustle of pages as I closed it, finished for the night. Although I might be able to get the same book content through electronic means, to me it would feel like sensory deprivation.
Thankfully, those early predictions have not yet come to pass, and last Sunday my hopes were buoyed further by my experience at the Kensington Day of the Book Festival. For those unfamiliar with this event (as I was before this year), a little history. A northern suburb of the Nation’s capital, Kensington is a small Maryland town in with a population of just over 2,000. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad train still rolls slowly by every so often, and families still walk along its three-block main street, browsing antique shops and dining at family-owned restaurants.
But on one day each year, as many as 10,000 people descend on this small town for the Kensington Day of the Book Festival, a phenomenal literary celebration that features authors, poets, cookbook writers, artists, musicians, and most importantly, book readers! The event is the brainchild of Elisenda Sola-Sole, the owner of the Kensington Row Bookshop. Eli hails from Barcelona, Spain where a tradition of exchanging books on the feast of Sant Jordi has roots dating back to the 1920s. Accordingly, both Sant Jordi (Saint George) and the legendary dragon he slew, are symbols of the Kensington book festival.
Although the festival officially runs from 11 am until 4 pm, by 10 o’clock the street was alive with activity. There was a loud buzz of expectancy as we set up tables and books and chatted with fellow authors. Before the festival officially kicked off, early buyers were at the tables, hoping to snatch copies of books they were afraid would sell out. By 11 am there was a crush of visitors, with readers crowding every tent and book table, kids dancing to the music of an old-fashioned band, and lines forming at each of the food trucks.
Throughout the day, despite a ferocious wind that frequently blew bookmarks and posters down the narrow street, book lovers turned out in record numbers. What thrilled me most though, was that the crowd ranged in age from babes in carriages to those who began reading when the first “perfect bound” books hit the market many decades ago.
Judging by what I saw, those who say the young no longer read, are quite wrong. Buyers in their teens, twenties and thirties appeared at many tables, searching for books ranging from self-help to science fiction, true crime and “romantasy.” Some of the best sellers were children’s picture books, designed for young parents and “future” readers.
I have been to a number of street festivals in my life, some with a focus on food, others on arts and crafts, and still others on music. But this was my first festival where books, and the readers who love them, were the main attraction.
Shortly after my novel was published, I wrote a love letter to all who read books, not just because we writers need them, but because people who read books tend to have the wisdom, vocabulary, critical reasoning skills, and empathy to make the world a better place. I was delighted to meet so many of these special people when they stopped to chat at my table and peruse my book.[1] Despite all the polls that suggest people are reading fewer books today, the Day of the Book Festival gave me great hope that we still have many book readers among us, and will have, for generations to come.[2]
Do you still buy or read physical books? What prompts you to do so, when there are many other alternatives? I would love to hear your views in the comments, below.
[1] For the full article see https://moxiegardiner.com/2023/12/31/a-letter-of-gratitude-to-those-who-read-books/
[2] For more details on the Kensington Day of the Book Festival, see https://www.dayofthebook.com/
Moxie Gardiner is a writer, gardener, and traveler who grew up on the West Side of Buffalo, NY. In a previous life she was a journalist, magazine editor, speech writer, and policy wonk. Back in the day she made three solo parachute jumps, flew in an F-15 fighter jet, and crawled through mud pits at the Jungle Operations Training Course in Panama. She now meditates, grows tomatoes, and enjoys a good online Zumba routine at home on winter evenings. Virgin Snow is her first novel.