Books by the Banks 2010

Hey! I covered Books by the Banks in 2009! Somehow I missed our blog's first anniversary, back in September. We'll have to commemorate it-- belatedly-- somehow!

This was Books by the Banks' 4th year, and I have loved watching it grow from the very first year. I noticed many improvements this time around, such as food! There has never been any kind of food offering at the convention center before, besides a piddly Starbucks booth downstairs, but this year they had a couple small options, such as a Skyline counter. That has to be a good sign, right?

There were also a few minor changes that I think made a huge difference, such as an announcement system that let them relay information about panels, instead of expecting people to rely on the paper programs.


There was also a lot less trouble with sound-- in years past, the paper-thin walls at Duke Energy Center led to problems being able to hear the panels. The rooms seemed to be split up differently this year, perhaps with that in mind.

The best-- and hands-down most awkward-- element of Books by the Banks is the author room. This sprawling ballroom stuffed with low tables can be a madhouse at times, and approaching an unknown author can be uncomfortable at first-- but I ended up spending about an hour discussing authors' books, opinions of the event... hell, stories about their children. If you're willing to walk up to a stranger and just start a conversation, you'll discover some incredible people in the Books by the Banks author room.

I walked away with way too many books, including a few supa-early Christmas presents. (That's how I roll.) I also had this year's poster signed by a very friendly John Maggard.

The turnout seemed great, despite competing with Celtic Fest and a Reds playoff game. The panels were hoppin' and the author room was humming with people. Can't wait until 2011!

Books by the Banks website: http://booksbythebanks.org/

Books by the Banks

Books by the Banks, Cincinnati's own "book festival," is in its third year and I haven't missed one yet. The festival has grown at an impressive rate and I was proud to walk Dan through the event for his first time.

If you haven't been, there are three core goings-on at Books by the Banks:

1.) The panels. The convention does a great job of partnering with CET to put together author panels about anything and everything. In the past I've learned about local baseball history, how to create a graphic novel, different kinds of cookbooks, etc. You can see this year's full list of panel options right here.

2.) The "Author Pavilion." When not participating in panel discussions, the author sit in a large convention room to talk about their books, sign autographs, etc (and the books are all on sale in the same room, thanks to Joseph-Beth Booksellers). Everyone I've talked to has been friendly and conversational. Today, Dan and I chatted it up with Melissa Kramer, who wrote The Inclines of Cincinnati. We also stopped by to see illustrators C.F. Payne and Ryan Ostrander to have our posters signed.

3.) The kids' area. Target has teamed up with Books by the Banks to put together a craft area where kids can create things while their parents are at panels. In the past I've seen storytellers and musicians in this area, so know that this is a kid-friendly event.

For next year I would give you the following tip: visit the site beforehand. Know which author panels you want to see, and learn who is going to be there so you don't wander around aimlessly. (A bit of that is nice, of course... but when you want to walk up and talk to someone, it can be a little daunting.)

As I mentioned, this event has undergone huge amounts of growth. I could tell that there were more authors in the pavilion, more people milling around the convention center, a more organized way of driving people to the panels, and many more conversations happening than even last year.

The event is completely free and a great opportunity to speak one-on-one with local authors-- another powerful display of Cincinnati's artistic community. I can imagine this becoming an event that people from other cities are willing to travel to, as we attract more well-known authors and the event continues to expand.

Books by the Banks website: http://booksbythebanks.org/