Bud, Blossom, Bloom: Books

 

This Saturday, May 13th, Books in Bloom is back in Downtown Columbia, from 10 - 5 in Colorburst Park/Merriweather District.

I went to the first Books in Bloom when it was in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods. That was in 2017. Here’s what it looked like then, courtesy of Books in Bloom/Howard Hughes.

DeRay McKesson moderates a panel on race. 

                      Crowd inside the Chrysalis listening to Chimanada Adichie.

What did I take a picture of? The food trucks! Go figure. I think I was enticing people to “come on down!” to the event in the Park.

“Get your food truck on at Books in Bloom by the Chrysalis!”

Truth in advertising: I haven’t been since then, although they’ve hosted some fascinating authors that I’m sorry to have missed. Even worse: I can’t go this year, either. But you should definitely consider it.

Books in Bloom - - check out the event website. The entire schedule for the day is here, along with bios of the visiting authors. The entire event is free. 

I’m particularly interested in the very first thing that’s happening on Saturday morning. It begins at 10:05 but it’s suggested that you arrive at ten if you want to get in on this one. (I suspect that has to to with seating/space.) An incentive to get there early: they’ll have free t-shirts and coffee and bites from Toastique for the first 150 people.

Eric Klinenberg, author of Palaces for the People will be joined by Howard County Library President and CEO Tonya Aikens for a discussion on the role of public spaces in our communities. Taking the stage with Eric and Tonya will be Stuart Wood from Heatherwick Studios, the firm who designed the initial concept for the proposed Lakefront Library. (Information provided from Downtown Columbia Partnership director Philip Dodge.)

The full title of the book is: Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life.  (Crown, 2018)

From the book:

Public institutions, such as libraries, schools, playgrounds, parks, athletic fields, and swimming pools, are vital parts of the social infrastructure. So too are sidewalks, courtyards, community gardens, and other spaces that invite people into the public realm. Community organizations, including churches and civic associations, act as social infrastructures when they have an established physical space where people can assemble, as do regularly scheduled markets for food, furniture, clothing, art, and other consumer goods. Commercial establishments can also be important parts of the social infrastructure.

Now this captures my imagination. It’s extremely “Village Green/Town²”.  If you go to this one, I’d love to hear all about it.

There’s a ton of other things going on at Books in Bloom. Look at the schedule so you can make a game plan. While they have designated the Azlon Stage as a Young Adult area, I don’t see any information clearly advertising “kids activities”. I will double check and get back to you here.

A festival for books? Well, why not? Columbia/HoCo has festivals for wine, beer, the arts, sheep and wool, LGBTQ+ Pride, as well as many cultural celebrations throughout the year. Surely books have enough aficionados here to draw enthusiastic crowds. As Books in Bloom returns for a seventh year, I’d say books definitely have a stronghold here.

Honestly, I can’t think of a better time in our community and in our country to be celebrating books. Engaging with books and the ideas and new worlds they offer gives us the precious opportunity to be learning all of our lives.