Arts Council to Lead BookFest in Future

The Prince George's Arts Council will take over the leadership of the all-day Capital BookFest in Largo beginning next year in an effort to expand the event's reach in the county, organizers announced Tuesday.

Turning the festival over to the Arts Council will help to ensure its quality and longevity, said poet and author Kwame Alexander, who co-founded the event and has produced it since 2005 with self-published author Karla Nelson.

"We could continue to produce a successful event, but to sustain what we hope will become a culturally-relevant institution in the community requires permanence, infrastructure and above all, resources," Alexander said in a news release.

The third annual festival is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Borders Books, 931 Capital Centre. It will feature writers in a variety of genres, including actor Victoria Rowell, best known for her longtime role as Drucilla on the CBS daytime drama "The Young and the Restless." She is scheduled to discuss and read from her memoir, "The Women Who Raised Me," from 5 to 6 p.m.

More than 100 exhibitors, including self-published authors, literacy groups and businesses that offer book-related services and products, are slated to participate.

In addition to author readings and discussions, the festival will offer cooking demonstrations, writing and publishing workshops, poetry performances and children's storytelling.

Alexander and Nelson came up with the idea as a way to highlight local authors and promote literacy throughout the county.

The Arts Council will build on that legacy, Steven Newsome, the council's executive director, said in the release. The council promotes and finances arts programs throughout the county, primarily through grants. It also nurtures public and private arts partnerships.

"The Capital BookFest provides a unique opportunity to explore, examine, and celebrate the literary arts and other art forms in a manner that is accessible and available to all residents in the county and the region," Newsome said.

More information, including a schedule of Saturday's events, is available at http://www.capitalbookfest.org.