The 2023 Savannah Children’s Book Drive & Local Author Fair will be held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 7, in Johnson Square. For regular Savannah event attendees, the name may not sound familiar. The fair is brand new this year.
About a year ago, fair cofounder and children's book author Jeffrey Pax (The Rules/Las Reglas) vented his frustrations to fellow local children's author, Thomas Mitchem (Karrington the Kangaroo Visits a Farm). After both men had experienced a series of rejections from local book stores and even the City of Savannah office of Parks and Leisure Services, Mitchem spoke aloud an "off-the-cuff thought" about starting their own event. "Then we decided to grab the reins and take that thought for a ride," he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic indefinitely postponed many local book fair opportunities. He cited the lack of the annual Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home (FOCH) parade and local authors event, which typically happens in March. The Savannah Children’s Book Festival, another local community favorite, last occurred in 2017 before being cancelled by Live Oak Public Libraries. Local authors had little to no options to promote their books and connect with readers. So, the two authors moved forward with building their vision and securing the necessary permit.
Credit: amazon.com
Credit: amazon.com
An overwhelming response by local authors
The genesis of the fair would set the tone for the grassroots way that additional authors would come to discover it. "I had volunteered at the Richmond Hill library," said Mitchem. "Kimberley Banks [one of the event's authors] worked there, too." Banks is a self-described southern gothic writer whose novel, A Curse of Silver and Blood, is book one of her Elijah Ward fantasy series. She had connected Mitchem and Pax, who were working respectively on their first children's books. "That was around December 2021," Mitchem said. Fifteen months later, although the two men had never met in person, they began planning the fair.
Word-of-mouth and shared passion for literature would fuel more connections to local authors for Pax and Mitchem. Pax, a member of a local writers’ group, asked every author he knew if they were interested in being a part of the fair. He then asked if they knew other authors who might be interested. “We never had to put like a flyer on a telephone pole or anything,” said Pax. “It was all everybody knew somebody.”
He and Mitchem hoped for enough authors for the event to not be “laughable.” They hoped for 20 but would settle for 10 to 15. “We have 30 authors who stated they would participate,” said Mitchem. “That tells us that we are responding to a need that is out there.”
Credit: pagepublishing.com
Credit: pagepublishing.com
Local authors lead the lineup
The authors write contemporary and historical fiction set in Savannah. A few writers pen paranormal fiction. “They have stories about zombies, or witchcraft and monsters, set in Savannah,” said Pax. One author wrote a Southern Style cookbook updated for the modern kitchen. Another has a poetry and photography book that is Savannah-centric. Some of the authors simply live in Savannah.
The cost to rent Johnson Square and pay for mandatory city security is just over $500. Each of the authors was willing to pay something toward the total cost, and the more who agreed to attend, the lower the point of entry for authors who might not fall into the category of mainstream. Of Savannah’s other, more-established book event, Pax said, “I appreciate the grandeur of what it is. I'm just not allowed in [as an author]. I'm not a big enough deal.”
Local authors who are considered enough of a big deal do show up at the Savannah Book Festival, such as Harrison Scott Key (How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told) or Patricia Lockwood (No One is Talking About This). But for authors who might be starting out or opting to self-publish, a small local fair could connect them with readers who might otherwise not find them. "There are authors right here, and a lot of whom are writing about this community that we live in," said Pax. "All the authors in Barnes & Noble, at some point, they were...totally unheard of. At some point, they were just that person with a table in the park with one book for sale."
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
In addition to Pax, Mitchem and Banks, some of the other local authors who will be selling this books are:
- Rebecca Ayers author of a poetry and short story collection called, Lost in the Mist
- Sandra Dutton author of Mary Mae and the Gospel Truth as well as five other children's books
- Leigh Ebberwein author of The Saints of Savannah, a series of six books set in the Hostess City
- Askia Jackson author of A New Start
- Carmen Loup author of the Audacity novel and comic book series
- Helen P. Bradley author of the novel Breach of Trust
- Beverly Willett author of Disassembly Required: A Memoir of Midlife Resurrection
Book donations welcome!
As Pax and Mitchem grew their network of literati, they met Dream Smith. She is the founder of Book Nation of Dreamers, a local nonprofit that provides "resources that are critical for literacy success." The organization focuses predominantly on children's literacy, but also covers adult literacy. Book donations for all ages are encouraged at Saturday's event. All donated books will be given to the Media Center in the Susie King Taylor House.
Leigh Ebberwein, being a historical fiction writer, thought that was most appropriate. “Taylor was a pioneer in promoting education and literacy, teaching hundreds of others to read during the Civil War. It’s important to continue her legacy.”
For their part Mitchem and Pax feel the event has already been a success given all the people it has brought together. They see a lot of potential for the Savannah Children's Book Drive & Local Author Fair to be more than a one-off event.
Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at jschwartzburt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Local book drive and author fair launches this Saturday in Johnson Square
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