Last Saturday, April, Kennedy, and I went to Denton for Pub Fest. We arrived at Dan's Silverleaf (nice venue, by the way) an hour late. We would've been there sooner, but a parade cut off our route. So instead, we parked the car and watched the parade briefly. We then asked for directions at some fancy fragrance soap and lotion type store. Apparently, the scent "grass" comes from combining "dirt" and "lettuce." Learn something new. At Pub Fest, we set up outside. Perfect warm weather. Rob King organized the event, and it's a cool idea, gathering together independent and small press writers working in a variety of media -- poetry, novels, short stories, comics, etc. -- and hosting the whole thing at a club with live bands performing later in the day. In hindsight, it would've been ideal for my friend A.C. Hall (sorry bud, next year?). Not so much with comics, but in the larger literary field, independent writers don't get much respect -- labeled as "vanity press" and such. Must be terribly discouraging to someone trying to find their voice outside of corporate publishing. If there's a way to encourage independent writers, it's probably with something like this.
It could've been a much bigger event with more guests, a calendar listing in the Observer, FW Weekly, Pegasus News, and KERA's community page, a website, and maybe some larger bands. Charge cover, etc. Maybe some other twist? I'm not on the inside planning, but I know they want to do this again next year. It was a decent start with a friendly vibe, but Pub Fest should grow from here.
My friend Tony showed, and it was good to talk with him. Met a guy named Marcus Blake. His book Sex Game is apparently being protested by the Parents for Christ organization, the Christian Coalition, American Family Association, Focus on the Family, and ironically, the Free Market Association. I had him autograph one of the fliers urging his book to be banned. It's pretty hip to be that disliked. I don't think any of my books would ever receive that kind of heat. Maybe I could submit my work to Parents for Christ for ban consideration? Also, met a guy publishing a quarterly journal, Farrago's Wainscot. "Articles on anything from wormholes to haberdashery!" Kennedy was in a good mood throughout, giving hi-fives to people, and reading her own books. We decided to leave early before that mood changed, and not surprisingly she fell asleep on the drive home.
