April to Bring First Ever Lit Fest

— from Jule Treneer for Orcas Island Lit Fest —

It is with great pleasure that we present to you the Orcas Island Lit Fest, which will take place this April 13-15, in association with the Orcas Center.

Our inaugural lineup features a host of acclaimed and award-winning authors, who will join us for a weekend packed with literary events (to learn more about our lineup go to www.oilf.org.)

This spring, the events we have in store include:

• Readings by Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning authors
• Moderated panel discussions featuring writers, thought leaders, and publishing professionals
• Workshops where aspiring writers can hone their craft
• Free Children’s events at the Orcas Public Library
• A Friday night Lit Crawl and Open Mic night at locations around Eastsound
• A Saturday night marquee event at the Orcas Center
• The “Battle of the Genres” after party at the Odd Fellows Hall
• Book signings throughout the weekend at our lively and interactive book fair in the Madrona Room.

It promises to be an engaging and enjoyable weekend for writers and book lovers of all ages. Our volunteer board has been working diligently to put together and organize the festival, and we are particularly proud of the slate of artists that have already accepted our invitation. But like all undertakings of this size, it’s going to take more than a small, dedicated group of individuals to pull it all together.

Come us join us. We need your help.

How you can take part in the Lit Fest? Let us count the ways…

1. Host an artist —
As a non-profit arts festival of limited means, we try to stretch our budget as far as we can. One way the community could help us to stretch it little further (and allow us to invite even more talented artists to share their work with you) is by providing lodging for a writer. If you have a guest house, Airbnb rental or spare guest room that you won’t be using this April, consider offering it to one of our lovely and appreciative artists. In addition to our nationally recognized headliners, OILF will also be welcoming regional writers and publishing industry professionals to the festival, some of whom will be traveling on their own dime, and could use a place to stay. By donating lodging to the Lit Fest, you’ll be helping to expand our festival’s footprint to include more beloved writers from around the Northwest. And you can earn two free day passes in the process.

2. Crowdfund a writer —
Are you a member of a book group or club that loves books about a particular subject? OILF offers local book groups and clubs the opportunity to crowdfund a writer in a genre or subject of their choice. Participating groups will receive recognition in our program and during the introduction of the funded artist. Groups that cover the entire travel and lodging expense of an artist will receive VIP passes to our Saturday night “Battle of the Genres” after party, and get to mingle with their sponsored artist.

3. Become a Sponsor —
Let our festival goers know that you’re a business that appreciates the culture of books as much as they do. A festival like ours cannot exist without the help of generous donors and sponsors. Check out our website. There are many levels of sponsorship to choose from. For more information, go to www.oilf.org.

4. Volunteer —
A festival like ours just isn’t possible without the help of volunteers. OILF is looking for folks to help with setup, registrations, checking badges and answering questions during the Festival. Helpers at the festival get to attend our book fair and panel discussions for free!

5. Be a Friday Night Venue —
Are you an Eastsound business that would like to host a reading and be a stop on our Friday night Lit Crawl? The Lit Crawl is a great opportunity for Eastsound businesses to participate in the festival and generate business at the same time. If you’re interested, or just curious about what the Lit Crawl entails, contact us at info@oilf.org.

6. Create Your Own Event —
Are you a tourist-based business on the island that would like to develop a parallel event and partner it with the Lit Fest? There are countless possibilities for culinary, artisanal and farm based events and guided tours with a literary theme. We can even help pair you with a writer to complete your concept. Drop us a line!

7. Apply to be a Presenting Artist —
The mission of the Lit Fest is to bring people who love to read books together with folks who love to write them. We place a special emphasis on providing an opportunity for local and regional writers to promote their work. If you’re local writer or poet with work to share, we encourage you to fill out the Request for Proposals form on our website (www.oilf.org).

8. Make an In-Kind Donation —
In addition to direct sponsorship, there are many ways to help the festival by making an in-kind donation, for which you will receive our eternal appreciation and ample credit. These include, but are not limited to food and service donations, gala door prizes and VIP and presenter gift baskets. Need further inspiration? Check out the wishlist on our website.

If you’ve read this far into this article, chances are you are as excited about the Lit Fest as we are. But have you joined our newsletter? Sign up, and you can be the first book lover on your block to find out when our ticket window opens.

Got questions? Email us at info@oilf.org or find us on Facebook.