A Gathering of Local Writers: Readings of Original Works from Drury University, has been moved from 2-3 p.m. to 9-10 a.m. The location is unchanged. The event will be held in the Great Southern Bank Suite at Hammons Field.

Literary Festival Chairman William Brandon Bowman will serve as Master of Ceremonies. The opening ceremony is free and open to the public, and the program will run as follows:

Invocation
Reverend Kenneth L. Chumbley, rector, Christ Episcopal Church

Welcome to Hammons Field and The Creamery Arts Center
Kirk Elmquist and Leah Hamilton Jenkins

Remarks
Local and state dignitaries, including Jim Anderson, president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce; David L. Coonrod, Greene County presiding commissioner; Dan Chiles, Springfield mayor pro tem; Greg Burris, Springfield city manager; Norma Champion, District 30 state senator; andCharlie Denison, District 135 state representative.

Missouri Literary Festival Trumpet Fanfare
composed by Dr. John Prescott and performed by Maestro Ron Spigelman and three trumpeters from the Springfield Symphony

Collective Ribbon Cutting

Declaration of Opening by William Brandon Bowman

Tickets to the Missouri Literary Festival are $5 for ages 11 and up, and children 10 and under get in free. A single ticket is good for the duration of the festival, which is held Oct. 2, 3 and 4, and the ticket must be presented at the gate each day. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Borders Books, the Library Center, the Library Station, The Creamery Arts Center and Hammons Field in Springfield.

9 a.m. Bucky Bowman (opener)
9:15 Greg Burris
9:30 Annie Busch
9:45 Harold Bengsch
10-11:15 BILLY COLLINS READING
11:15 Randy Russell
11:30 Jeff Jenkins
11:45 Gary Whitaker
Noon Leah Hamilton Jenkins
12:15 Moira Bailey
12:30 Lincoln Knauer
12:45 Kevin Henderson
1 Dr. Norm Ridder
1:15 Jean Sellars
1:30 Rep. Roy Blunt
1:45 Roseann Bentley
2 Louise Whall
2:15 Kirk Elmquist
2:30 Brett Miller
2:45 Pat Walker
3 David Harrison
3:15 Jan Horton
3:30 Charles Taylor
3:45 TBA
4 Randy Humphrey
4:15 Jeanne Duffey
4:30 Sally Baird
4:45 Regina Greer Cooper

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
Noon Dave Snider
12:15 Nancy Brown Dornan
12:30 Bucky Bowman
12:45 Michele Skalicky
1 Lorraine Sandstrom
1:15 David Carson
1:30 Ron Spigelman
1:45 TBA
2 John Sellars
2:15 Ken Knauer
2:30 Jane Sellars
2:45 Marilyn Quigley
3 Jenny Edwards
3:15 Jason Brown
3:30 Randy Stewart
3:45 Marci Bowling
4:00 Volunteers TBA
4:15 Volunteers TBA
4:30 Volunteers TBA
4:45 Volunteers TBA

U.S. Representative Roy Blunt, Springfield City Manager Greg Burris, Springfield R-12 Schools Superintendent Dr. Norman Ridder and Springfield Symphony Music Director Ron Spigelman are among the volunteers who will take part in a marathon public reading of the classic American novel To Kill a Mockingbird at this weekend’s inaugural Missouri Literary Festival, representatives with the Festival announced today.

“We’re delighted that our congressman, our City Manager, the head of our school system and Springfield’s favorite Music Man will be joining us in this celebration of reading,” said event coordinator Kelly Knauer, an editor with TIME Books. “This public reading of Harper Lee’s beloved novel is mainly for fun: it’s outdoors, out loud, and out of the box. But there’s a serious message involved: reading is essential to our success as individuals and as a society.”

Volunteers will take turns reading the novel for 15 minutes each on the concourse of Hammons Field, the Festival venue. Knauer said the marathon, dubbed “To Read a Mockingbird,” will be “a moveable feast … attendees will drop in, sit a spell, and read along with copies of the text we’ll provide, before they move on to other Festival activities.”

Other volunteer readers include Greene County Commissioners Roseann Bentley and Harold Bengsch; Springfield Greene-County Library Director Regina Greer Cooper; Greene County Circuit Judge Jason Brown; KSMU radio announcers Michelle Skalicky and Randy Stewart; KY-3 meteorologist Dave Snider; Skinny Improv director Jeff Jenkins; and educators from Drury University, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical College, Evangel University and Southwest Baptist University. The complete schedule of readers is available at the Festival Web site, www.missouriliteraryfestival.org

“We’ll be ‘reading the Bird’ from 9 to 5 on Saturday and from 12 to 5 on Sunday,” Knauer said. “We’ve kept a few reading slots open on Sunday to include volunteers from the public. But we’ll keep quiet on Saturday morning from 10 to 11:15, when two-time U.S. poet laureate Billy Collins will give a public reading at Hammons Field. When Billy Collins talks, even Atticus Finch listens.”

The Missouri Literary Festival, a Celebration of Arts, Literature and Literacy, is a nonprofit event focused on raising funds to benefit Springfield Regional Arts Council, Ozarks Literacy Council, Family Literacy Centers of Springfield, the R-12 Title I Schools and the Writers Hall of Fame scholarship program.

Famed inspirational writers and speakers Jennifer Rothschild and Richard Paul Evans will bring their messages of hope to the Missouri Literary Festival, held Oct. 2-4 at Hammons Field and The Creamery Arts Center.

Evans, the best-selling author of “The Christmas Box,” will debut his new book, “The Christmas List,” at the festival. A limited release of 100 copies will be sold at the Springfield Regional Arts Council booth on the Hammons Field Grand Concourse ahead of the book’s official Oct. 6 release. Evans’ appearance is scheduled for 4-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at Hammons Field’s Indoor Training Facility.

Rothschild, a writer, speaker, recording artist and founder/publisher of WomensMinistry.NET, is the author of six books, her latest being “Self Talk, Soul Talk: What to Say When You Talk to Yourself.” Rothschild will appear 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Hammons Field Indoor Training Facility.

Admission to the festival is $5 for ages 11 and up, and free for children 10 and under. A single festival ticket provides access for all three days of the event. Tickets are now on sale at Borders Books, The Creamery Arts Center, Hammons Field, the Library Center and the Library Station.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

JENNIFER ROTHSCHILD is a writer, speaker, songwriter and recording artist. At the age of 15, Jennifer was diagnosed with a rare degenerative eye disease that would eventually steal her sight. Her dreams of becoming a commercial artist and cartoonist faded. Words and music have replaced her canvas and palette for more than 25 years. Founder and publisher of the popular online magazine, WomensMinistry.NET, Jennifer has been featured on Dr. Phil, ABC’s Good Morning America, the Billy Graham Television Special and other national TV and radio programs. Known for her substance and a down-to-earth style, Jennifer weaves together colorful illustrations, universal principles and music to help audiences find contentment, walk with endurance and celebrate the ordinary. Jennifer’s newest book is “Self Talk, Soul Talk: What to Say When You Talk to Yourself” (September 2007). She is the author of six books with combined sales of a half million units, including the best-selling “Lesson I Learned in the Dark.” In addition to her writing and speaking, Jennifer is an accomplished songwriter and recording artist, with six albums to her credit, including “Walking by Faith: The Music Captured Live.” She resides in Springfield with her husband of 21 years, Dr. Philip Rothschild, and their sons Clayton and Connor.

RICHARD PAUL EVANS wrote his No. 1 best-seller, “The Christmas Box,” as an expression of love for his daughters. In 1993, Evans reproduced 20 copies of the final story and gave them to his closest relatives and friends as Christmas presents. In the month following, those 20 copies were passed around more than 160 times, and word of mouth drove bookstores to call his home with orders for it. “The Christmas Box” made history when it became simultaneously the No. 1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than 8 million copies of “The Christmas Box” have been printed. Evans has since written 12 consecutive New York Times bestsellers. As an acclaimed speaker, Evans has shared the podium with such notable personalities as President George W. Bush, President George and Barbara Bush, former British Prime Minister John Majors, Ron Howard, Elizabeth Dole, Deepak Chopra, Steve Allen, and Bob Hope. Evans has been featured on the Today show and Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Time, Newsweek, People, The New York Times, Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, TV Guide, Reader’s Digest, and Family Circle. Evans lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Keri, and their five children.

The Missouri Literary Festival, a Celebration of Arts, Literature and Literacy, is a nonprofit event focused on raising funds to benefit Springfield Regional Arts Council, Ozarks Literacy Council, Family Literacy Centers of Springfield, the R-12 Title I Schools and the Writers Hall of Fame scholarship program.

Ellen Alexander
Pat Barnts
Mark L. Burgio
Karen Casselberry
Kay Chaudhri
Pat Childers
Judy A. Dees
Nancy Brown Dornan
Hugh A. Flowers
Sondra Gray
Wayne Groner
Gene Guthrie
Glynn Henry
Wayne Holmes
Alexandra James
Connie Hjelmeng Johnson
Reid Laurence
Dorsey Levell
Ellen Gray Massey
Adam Nelson
Lorraine Olsen
Todd Parnell
Robert Reed
Lee Ann Russell
Janet Scott
John Sisemore
Taylor Sly
Sandra CH Smith
Virginia Snyder
Reta Stewart-Allen
Maryellen and Henry Stratmann
Tom Swift
Laura Valenti
Ermal Walden Williamson
(aka John Wayne)
Nick Weyland
Barbara Whisler
Sandra White
Jim Wilcox

Tickets to the Missouri Literary Festival are $5 for ages 11 and up, and children 10 and under get in free. A single ticket is good for the duration of the festival, which is held Oct. 2, 3 and 4, and the ticket must be presented at the gate each day. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the following Springfield locations: Borders Books, the Library Center, the Library Station, The Creamery Arts Center and Hammons Field.

The Missouri Literary Festival, a Celebration of Arts, Literature and Literacy, is a nonprofit event focused on raising funds to benefit Springfield Regional Arts Council, Ozarks Literacy Council, Family Literacy Centers of Springfield, the R-12 Title I Schools and the Writers Hall of Fame scholarship program.

Regular Festival Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

10 a.m.
The festival kicks off with the official Opening Ceremony, featuring state and local dignitaries, music and more. After the Opening Ceremony, enjoy live performances at the gate, visit the booths on the Grand Concourse and purchase books by our festival authors and poets.

11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Renowned business writers Norm Brodsky, Bo Burlingham and Jack Stack present Business by the Book, a luncheon program in which our business gurus discuss strategies to save your business, your family and your financial future in these trying economic times. Tickets for this program are $35 and may be purchased at www.missouriliteraryfestival.org, www.sbj.net. A small number of tickets may be available at the gate. Tickets to Business by the Book will also get ticketholders into the festival throughout the weekend.

1:30-3 p.m.
The Art of Green, a panel discussion moderated by Jeff Barber and sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council, delves into sustainable design and construction. Panelists are Rick Harrison, author of “Prefurbia – Reinventing the Suburbs: From Disdainable to Sustainable,” Bruce Adibyazdi, Robert B. Murray III, Andrew Wells and George Van Hoesen.

2-4 p.m.
Get Your Read On! kicks off festival events for kids, tweens and teens with authors Louise Jackson and J.B. Cheaney. Get ready to read, write and be creative. Enjoy word activities, create a bookmark, hear a story and enjoy refreshments provided by SportService.

3-4 p.m.
Write Like You Mean Business with Jennifer Ailor, sponsored by the Association of Women in Communication

4-5 p.m.
World champion spoken word poet Joaquin Zihuatanejo conducts a Slam Poetry Workshop at the Drury Diversity Center

Lit Fest After Hours

6-9 p.m.
The public opening of The Poetics of Construction, a sustainable-design charette conceived by architect Jeff Barber in conjunction with The Art of Green, takes place during First Friday Art Walk at The Creamery

6-10 p.m.
Enjoy Missouri Literary Festival on the Square during First Friday Art Walk at Park Central Branch Library. Hear finalists in the Missouri Literary Festival Award for Short Fiction Contest reading their works, Poetry Out Loud performers and local slam poetry.

10 p.m.-Midnight
An Evening of Slam Poetry at the Drury Diversity Center, featuring world champion spoken word poet Joaquin Zihuatanejo and a Slam Invitational competition.

Saturday, Oct. 3

Regular Festival Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Get Your Read On! Enjoy creative activities, stories and more for children, tweens and teens all day at Hammons Field.

To Read a Mockingbird. Enjoy our marathon public reading of Harper Lee’s classic “To Kill A Mockingbird” at the Readers Corner on the Hammons Field Grand Concourse.

9-10 a.m.
Poet Marcus Cafagna, author of “The Broken World” and “Roman Fever”
Nature Photographer John Hess, author of “The Galápagos: Exploring Darwin’s Tapestry”
Juvenile fiction writer J.B. Cheaney, author of “The Middle of Somewhere”

10-11 a.m.
Two-Time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, author of “Ballistics”

10 a.m.-2 p.m.
J. Terry Johnson, author of “Cardinal Fever,” at the Hammons Field Team Store

11 a.m – Noon
A Gathering of Local Writers features readings of original works by Missouri State University writers
Mystery writer William Bernhardt, New York Times bestselling author of “Capitol Conspiracy” and “Criminal Intent”
Instructional writer Judy Brunner, author of “Response to Intervention Tiers One and Two: Helping All Students Understand and Remember What They Read”
Children’s writer Louise Jackson, author of “Exiled! From Tragedy to Triumph on the Missouri Frontier”

11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Special Event: Brunch with Laura Shapiro Enjoy culinary insights from food writer Laura Shapiro, author of “Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century” and the biography “Julia Child,” at The Creamery Arts Center while savoring a delicious brunch by Gallery Bistro Chef Peter Tinson. Tickets are $25. Tickets to Brunch with Laura Shapiro will also get ticketholders into the festival throughout the weekend.

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Missouri Poet Laureate Walter Bargen, author of “The Feast” and “Theban Traffic”

12:30-1:30 p.m.
Missouri Poet Kevin Prufer, author of “National Anthem” and “Little Paper Sacrifice”
Mad Science activities in the Children’s Area

1-2 p.m.
A Gathering of Local Writers features readings of original works by Missouri State University authors
Novelist Katie Estill, author of “Evening Would Find Me” and “Dahlia’s Gone”
Political writer Ken Rutherford, author of “Humanitarianism Under Fire: The US and UN Intervention in Somalia”
Comic book artist and caricaturist Tielman Cheaney

1:30-2:30 p.m.
Children’s author and poet David Harrison, author of “Pirates” and “Cave Detectives”

2-3 p.m.
A Gathering of Local Writers features readings of original works by Drury University writers
Two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins addresses prepared students
Novelist Daniel Woodrell, author of “Winter’s Bone” and “Tomato Red”
Children’s writer Kate Klise, author of “Regarding the Fountain” and “Deliver Us From Normal”

3-4 p.m.
Novelist Robert Dalby, author of “A Piggly Wiggly Wedding”
Western writer Dusty Richards, author of “The Horse Creek Incident”
Photographer Julie Blackmon, author of “Domestic Vacations”
Children’s writer Judy Young, author of “The Hidden Bestiary of Marvelous, Mysterious and (maybe even) Magical Creatures”

3-5 p.m.
Write, Edit, Publish: A How-To Panel featuring Moderator Kate Klise and panelists Moira Bailey, Suzann Ledbetter Ellingsworth, Jody Feldman, Clarissa French and Kelly Knauer.

4-5 p.m.
Brad Gooch, author of “Flannery: A Life of Flannery O’Connor”
Richard Paul Evans, author of “The Christmas Box” and “The Gift”
Missouri Literary Journals and Their Missions featuring Craig Albin, Speer Morgan, Kevin Prufer, Kristine Somerville and Lanette Cadle

Lit Fest After Hours

7-10 p.m.
Special Event: Meet the Authors Gala — Mix and mingle with the festival authors in a convivial cocktail atmosphere on the Prime Plaza. Enjoy the free exchange of ideas with our literary lions, plus delicious drinks and hors d’oeuvre. Tickets are $75. Tickets to the Meet the Authors Gala will also get ticketholders into the festival throughout the weekend.

Sunday, Oct. 4

Regular Festival Hours: Noon-4:30 p.m.

Noon-4:30 p.m.
Get Your Read On! Enjoy creative activities, stories and more for children, tweens and teens all day at Hammons Field.

To Read a Mockingbird. Enjoy our marathon public reading of Harper Lee’s classic “To Kill A Mockingbird” at the Readers Corner on the Hammons Field Grand Concourse.

Noon-1 p.m.
Cait London, best-selling romance writer, author of “For Her Eyes Only”

Noon-2 p.m.
Cowboy Poetry, featuring members of the Missouri Cowboy Poets Association; Francine Roark Robison, Cowboy Poet Laureate of Oklahoma; Reverend Dr. Steven Spalding, the Cowboy Preacher; Richard Dunlap; and Jake White

1-2 p.m.
Remembering Tony LaRussa with Mike Lindskog and Rob Rains, Mike Lindskog, the Voice of the Cardinals, interviews Rob Rains, author of “Tony LaRussa: Man on a Mission”
Children’s writer Jody Feldman, author of “The Gollywhopper Games”

2-3 p.m.
Inspirational writer and speaker Jennifer Rothschild, author of “Self Talk, Soul Talk: What to Say When You Talk to Yourself”
Bring Them In: The Four Cs of Collecting Books with Dr. William H. Cooper
Writing To Get Paid versus Writing For Money, by humorist, novelist and nonfiction writer Suzann Ledbetter Ellingsworth, author of “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie”

3-4 p.m.
Arts and cultural writer Sally Tippett Rains, author of “The Making of a Classic, Margaret Mitchell and Gone With the Wind”
So, You Want to be an Author … by writer and editor Reta Stewart-Allen
Children’s writer June Rae Wood, author of “The Man Who Loved Clowns”

The Missouri Literary Festival, a Celebration of Arts, Literature and Literacy, is a nonprofit event focused on raising funds to benefit Springfield Regional Arts Council, Ozarks Literacy Council, Family Literacy Centers of Springfield, the R-12 Title I Schools and the Writers Hall of Fame scholarship program.

“This is a perfect pairing,” said Literary Festival Board Chairman William Brandon Bowman. “We have the finest resources of business information in the region – Springfield Business Journal and Joplin Tri-States Business Journal – presenting some of the finest minds in American business strategy.”

Tickets for Business by the Book, held 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 2 at the Hammons Field Indoor Training Facility, are $35, including lunch, and may be purchased at www.sbj.net. Business by the Book tickets also provide general admission to the three-day Missouri Literary Festival.

ABOUT THE BUSINESS BY THE BOOK AUTHORS

NORM BRODSKY is a veteran entrepreneur who has started numerous businesses, including a three-time Inc. 500 company.  In December 1995, he began sharing his street-smart advice in a regular Inc. column co-authored with Bo Burlingham.  Last year, the column was – for the second time – a finalist for a National Magazine Award.  In October 2008, Portfolio/Penguin published “The Knack: How Street Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Anything That Comes Up,” by Brodsky and Burlingham.  Brodsky sold his company in a leveraged buyout in December 2007.

BO BURLINGHAM is the author of “Small Giants: Companies that Choose to be Great Instead of Big” and an editor-at-large for Inc. magazine. Burlingham also collaborated with Jack Stack — co-founder and CEO of Springfield Remanufacturing Co. and the pioneer of open-book management – on the “The Great Game of Business” and “A Stake in the Outcome.” 

JOHN P. (JACK) STACK is president and CEO of SRC Holdings Corporation in Springfield and author of “The Great Game of Business,” the seminal work on open-book management, and “A Stake in the Outcome.” SRC, with sales of $300 million a year and 800+ employees, started out as an International Harvester plant. In 1983, plant manager Stack and the SRC employees bought the company, using open-book management to create what Inc. magazine proclaimed “one of America’s most competitive small companies.” Inc. has also called Stack the “smartest strategist in America” and Fortune Small Business Magazine has listed him among the “top 10 minds in small business.”

The Missouri Literary Festival, a Celebration of Arts, Literature and Literacy, is a nonprofit event focused on raising funds to benefit Springfield Regional Arts Council, Ozarks Literacy Council, Family Literacy Centers of Springfield, the R-12 Title I Schools and the Writers Hall of Fame scholarship program.

The Missouri Literary Festival is proud to release its schedule of events for Saturday, Oct. 3, and Sunday, Oct. 4.

The Festival offers something for everyone – children’s authors and programs; renowned poets, novelists and biographers; how-to workshops; Western writers and Cowboy Poets; inspirational writers; business writers; photographers; sports writers; humorists and more.

Saturday, Oct. 3

Regular Festival Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Noon-4:30 p.m.
Get Your Read On! Enjoy creative activities, stories and more for children, tweens and teens all day at Hammons Field.

The Missouri Literary Festival, a Celebration of Arts, Literature and Literacy, is a nonprofit event focused on raising funds to benefit Springfield Regional Arts Council, Ozarks Literacy Council, Family Literacy Centers of Springfield, the R-12 Title I Schools and the Writers Hall of Fame scholarship program.

Tickets are $5 for ages 11 and up, and children 10 and under get in free. A single ticket is good for the duration of the festival, which is held Oct. 2, 3 and 4, and the ticket must be presented at the gate each day.

The festival features 44 guest writers in a host of programs, readings, workshops and panel discussions. Children’s activities are scheduled throughout the festival.

Three special ticketed events will be held during the festival: the Business by the Book luncheon, featuring renowned business writers Norm Brodsky, Bo Burlingham and Jack Stack; Brunch with Laura Shapiro, food writer and author of a new biography of Julia Child; and the Meet the Authors Gala, where attendees will mix and mingle with the festival authors in a convivial cocktail atmosphere.

Tickets for special events are $35 for Business by the Book, $25 for Brunch with Laura Shapiro and $75 for the Meet the Authors Gala. Special event tickets also serve as general admission tickets for the festival, and these tickets may be purchased on the Events page of this Web site.

The Missouri Literary Festival, a Celebration of Arts, Literature and Literacy, is a nonprofit event focused on raising funds to benefit arts programming and literacy organizations.

Festival fund-raising beneficiaries are Springfield Regional Arts Council, Ozarks Literacy Council, Family Literacy Centers of Springfield, the R-12 Title I Schools and the Writers Hall of Fame scholarship program.