First History Book Festival a hit in Lewes
Authors and audiences agree: the inaugural Lewes History Book Festival was a great success.
With more than 20 authors presenting over the course of two days, the event offered ample opportunities for history and book lovers to find something to their liking.
One of the main goals, said festival co-chair Jen Mason, was to showcase Lewes’ small-town hospitality for the visiting authors.
“I think we hit that out of the park,” she said.
The response from authors has been great, she said, with many pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of volunteers and organizers.
Geoffrey Stone, author of “Sex and the Constitution: Sex, Religion, and Law from America’s Origins to the Twenty-First Century” said it was a privilege to present at the festival.
“It was an absolute delight,” he said. “The organizers and hosts were extraordinarily hospitable, the events were well attended and lively, the audience was bubbling over with questions. Overall, it was a terrific and memorable experience. And, to top it off, the town of Lewes is lovely."
The festival opened Oct. 6 with a sold-out presentation about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and its aftermath from author James Swanson. The event drew about 350 people to Bethel United Methodist Church. Intertwined with Swanson’s story were musical interludes from the Federal City Brass Band, using authentic Civil War-era instruments.
The festival continued Oct. 7 with simultaneous hour-long presentations throughout the day at the Lewes Public Library, Lewes History Museum, Lewes Presbyterian Church and St. Peter’s Church. Authors of historical nonfiction and fiction, including several local authors, discussed their work.
“I think one of the things people were impressed with was the range of the type of books,” Mason said.
Topics included Delaware history, 18th century pirates, sports, fashion and the Black Lives Matter movement. The last, she said, was the most attended presentation Oct. 7.
“The success of the History Book Festival was so exciting to see, and so invigorating for our community,” said Maribeth Fischer, founder and executive director of the Rehoboth Beach Writers’ Guild. “To be sure, Sussex County is increasingly becoming a go-to destination for writers.”
With a successful event now under their belts, organizers have already begun to look forward to next year’s festival, set for Sept. 28-29.
Mason said it was difficult to convince the top publishing houses to send authors to the festival for its first year, but she hopes the success and positive feedback will get a foot in the door for next year.
“For a lot of them, it was wait and see,” she said. “Now that we’ve proved that we can do it, I’m hoping next year will be even better.”
