This afternoon street festival celebrates the International Day of the Book with live music, author readings, open mic, activities for children and adults, storytellers, ...and books, books, books! Local authors, bookartists, publishers, booksellers, and literary groups line Howard Ave in Historic Old Town Kensington to show, sell, and discuss their works. All activities are free, rain or shine. Come celebrate with us!
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Our Sponsors
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Kensington Service Center
3794 Howard Ave
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Attend Landis' Seminar on Renovation Ideas at FNDTN Gallery, 3762 Howard Ave, at 3pm during the festival! Presented by Paul Gaiser. More information.
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On the Purple Couch will be doing painting demo's with Chalk Paint Decorative Paint by Annie Sloan at their table. Come and learn how you can transform your old pieces and give them a new life.
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Want to be a Sponsor?
Find out how here!
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We would like to thank
Grove Printing
for generously donating their services to print fliers and bookmarks for this year's festival.
www.groveprinting.com
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Kensington Business Friends
Sunflowers Consignments
10307 Kensington Pkwy
Paul Sexton from Edward Jones
10401 Connecticut Ave Suite 105
Red Persimmon Imports
3800 Howard Ave (upstairs)
Kensington Pizza & Kabob House
3701 Univeristy Blvd
On the Purple Couch, LLC
4228 Howard Ave.
Gala Artisan Jewelry and Gifts
10417 Armory Ave
Sage Consignment & Sage Style
3730 & 3734 Howard Ave
Stop by their shop for a game of Redskins/Corn hole with vintage books as prizes!
Integrative Therapies
Jill Nelson
10410 Kensington Pkwy
Adah Rose Gallery
3766 Howard Ave
Country Cupboard Tea Room
3750 Howard Ave
Java Nation
10516 Connecticut Ave
The Sweat Shop
Fitness Club
10410 Montgomery Ave
Nina's Antiques
10419 Fawcett St
The Kensington Caboose
Children's Consignment Boutique
10508 Connecticut Ave
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Kids!
Visit these tables for special readings and activities!
Scavenger Hunt!
Pick up bags and info at the Welcome Table.
Author Lulu Delacre will be signing books at the Noyes Library Foundation Table from 12-2.
Marjuan Canady, author of Callaloo: A Jazz Folktale will be reading at her table at 12:30 & 2:30.
Stop by The Writer's Center table for a little writing project/contest for kids!
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Free Book Evaluations!
Bring your rare and unusual books to get a free evaluation by professional book appraiser Dale Sorenson PhD.
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Play Chess!
Chess enthusiast and master player Alexander Conant will play up to 6 people at once! All ages and levels welcome!
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Featuring Live Music by: THE NIGHTHAWKS & ATOMIC SWING CLUB!
2:00-4:00
12:00-2:00
In front of Prevention of Blindness Shop 3716 Howard Ave
Root Rock and Blues. Come enjoy the ride!
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A perky mix of swing, rockabilly, big band, lounge, and jazz with a rockin' edge!!
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Drawing on Ireland’s rich tradition of story-telling...
A Program of Irish Literature and Music
Sponsored by The Limerick Pub
With Special Guests:
Alice McDermott
Terence Winch
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John Aloysius Farrell
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And featuring a performance by
With Music by
Michael Winch, Patrick Armstrong, Jesse Winch, & Kieran Whelan
More information
Time: 11:15 - 12:45, Location: Howard Ave at Armory Ave.
Mothership: Tales from Afrofuturism and Beyond
A wildly varied collection designed to showcase multiculturism, diversity, and characters of color in genre fiction which sets a bold new course and creates an experience that's both eye-opening and unpredictable.
Four of the authors will be joining us to read and discuss this ground-breaking anthology!
Bill Campbell (co-editor), Carmen Maria Machado,
C. Renee Stephens and Ran Walker
More information
Time: 1:00 - 1:45, Location: Howard Ave at Armory Ave.
A presentation on "Steampunk Literature and its Roots" with special guests Michael Dirda and Colleen Cahill
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Readings by Steampunk Author Heather Hutsell
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With Special Guest Costume Contest Judge Mark P. Donnelly
Multi-award winning author, historian, screenwriter, television producer, renowned duelist, swashbuckler, and constant gentleman.
More Information
Time: 2:00 - 4:00, Location: Howard Ave at Armory Ave.
Poetry Readings and Open Mic BYOV - Bring Your Own Verse!
Poetry Open Mic at the poetry tent (see schedule for times) hosted by Oaklight Publishing. Matthew Vossler, author of Poet Rising, will lead with some of his poems and will give away signed copies of his book.
Feel free to bring one to four of your own poems to read, or share a favorite poem by one of the masters of yesteryear.
Featured Readings by
Federal Poets
Kensington Row Series
Poets of Elicott Street
Poetry Saloon
Children's Stage
[More information and times here]
Featuring Washington DC's #1 children's entertainer
Sponsored by Gary and Diana Ditto
Along with Award-winning children’s singer/songwriter Susan McNelis, AKA Oh Susannah!
Sponsored by Delegate Al Carr
Also featuring:
The Twinbrook Tellers and Young Poets
And
Fun with Nature & an Exotic Animal!
Featuring Julia Heckathorn and one of her rare animals
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Gala CREST Craft Fair
In conjunction with Kensington Day of the Book Festival, Gala Artisan Jewelry & Gifts is proud to present it's second annual Gala CREST Craft Show, from 10am-4pm. Gala will host wonderful local crafters from the Capital Region Etsy Street Team.
Where? In the parking lot at 10417 Armory Ave
(in front of Gala and JennyCakes)
Musical performances by:
Doris Justis, Side by Side (Doris and Sean McGhee) and Scott Morgan (1:00-4:00), and Silver Creek (12:00-12:45)
www.GalaArtisans.com
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Click the logo to visit the food providers websites
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Plus,
Their food cart will be located at the intersection of Armory Ave and Howard Ave
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE BOOK
Welcome to Old Town Kensington's Celebration of the International Day of the Book.
April twenty-third (the festival is on the nearest Sunday) is a symbolic day in world literature. Declared as International Day of the Book by UNESCO in 1995, this celebration of books and literature draws its inspiration from a Catalan tradition, the Festival of the Rose.
Legend has it that Saint George, Patron Saint of Catalonia (Spain) and international knight-errant, slew a dragon about to devour a beautiful Catalan princess. From the dragon's blood sprouted a rosebush, from which the hero plucked the prettiest rose for the princess. Hence the traditional Rose Festival celebrated in Barcelona since the Middle Ages to honor chivalry and love. In 1923, this lover's "festa" became even more poetic when it merged with "el dia del llibre", or The Day of the Book, to mark the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, the two giants of literary history, on April 23, 1616.
On this day in Barcelona, bookstalls and street festivities run the length of the picturesque La Rambla, the old city's main boulevard and, according to the Spanish author Garcia Lorca, "the only street in the world which I wish would never end".
The Pauli Bellet Foundation Catalan Library, the Town of Kensington, and all our sponsors, invite you to celebrate this wonderful day on Howard Ave, our "La Rambla".
Links for further reading about The International Day of the Book:
World Book and Copyright Day at UNESCO
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