CHICAGO — Thousands of books are waiting to be read at the Printer’s Row Lit Fest taking place this weekend.
The 39th annual event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday in Printer’s Row in the Loop.
Saturday offered a crisp taste of fall as readers celebrated and authors took center stage.
“The inspiration 40 years ago was to was to bring people to this part of town,” organizer Bette Cerf Hill said. “It evolved to have a weekend that everything was brought out in the sunshine.”
The two-day event takes place over five city blocks and there are thousands of book and more than 100 booths for literature lovers to get lost in
“There’s no banning of any book here,” Hill said.
The free event runs along South Dearborn, from Ida B. Wells to Polk, and attendees will find booksellers, indie presses, local publishing houses and independent authors, like teen author Sanaa Chege, who wrote the book “Diver Like Me.“
“What inspired me was when I started diving, I noticed there weren’t many people who looked like me,” Chege said. “So my mom was looking for books to inspire me so I would keep, but she couldn’t find any. So she told me that I should write one. So I eventually came along and wrote one.”
Several nonprofits are present at the event as well, like the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research, which hopes to spread awareness of the disease through book sales.
“People have been so warm and welcoming,” the nonprofit’s development manager said.
Attendees said the event offers them the chance to unplug
“As readers, we’re known as introverts but it’s nice to be in a social place with lots of other readers,” atendee Jessica Oaks said.
It also offers many the chance to fall in love with everything the South Loop has to offer.
“It’s a great way to just disconnect, you know, turn your phone off find a good book and make your way through it, find a good story,” attendee Patrick Brown said.
Visit the Printer’s Row Lit Fest website for more information on the annual event.