<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: -1; ">This year's New Orleans BookFair-- Saturday, November 7th-- has a big-time headlining speaker: <b>John Berendt</b>, author of <u>Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil</u> (Pulitzer finalist, record-setting best-seller), <u>The City of Falling Angels</u>, and numerous shorter works.</span></div> <br>Besides graciously appearing at the Eighth Annual BookFair, Berendt has been spending a lot of time in New Orleans this past year. "I love the city very much," Berendt said recently, reached by phone. "I feel there might be a book for me here, and I'll know it when I find it. Not," he hastens to add, "a 'Katrina' book. There are so many stories here. People outside New Orleans don't understand how fascinating and vibrant this place is, far beyond any other American city of the same size."<br> <br>Berendt will be speaking at 2 p.m. inside Snug Harbor, one of the BookFair venues. His subject will be censorship. Berendt's own work was banned earlier this year by a high school in North Dakota, declared "pornographic," and Berendt will be discussing this event, the outcry that followed, and related issues. It's a natural fit, since there's no fiercer ally of free speech than the free-wheeling, freak-friendly New Orleans BookFair. <br> <br>On Friday, November 6, from 6 to 9 p.m., the BookFair will kick things off with its yearly pre-party, a lineup of lively local litterateurs including featured readers Ethan Brown, author of <u>Shake the Devil Off</u>, and Louis Maistros, author of <u>The Sound of Building Coffins</u>. This mouth-watering BookFair appetizer will take place in the Bywater's beloved Sound Cafe, located at the corner of Spain & Chartres St. As if the prose performance wasn't enticing enough, there will also be free hors d'oeuvre from the New Orleans Cake Cafe & Bakery and complimentary wine provided by Beth's Books. Yes, free food and drink. See the attached flyer!<br> <br>The BookFair itself, a showcase of independent publishing and the book's wildest possibilities, takes place Saturday, November 7th, from 10am to 6pm in the 500-600 blocks of Frenchmen St. and will include a range of authors, publishers, books for sale, readings, performances, kids' activities, adults' activities, bizarre book-themed conceptual works courtesy of BABYLON LEXICON, and much more! Check out ace books writer Susan Larson's piece on us in the Times-Picayune: <a href="http://www.nola.com/books/index.ssf/2009/11/nola_bookfair_showcases_indie.html">http://www.nola.com/books/index.ssf/2009/11/nola_bookfair_showcases_indie.html</a><br> <br>Thanks to everyone, and especially big, affectionate, puppy-who-misses-you type love for this year's awesome BOOKFAIR SPONSORS:<br><br>FAB - FAUBOURG MARIGNY ART & BOOKS <br>GARRETT COUNTY PRESS<br>D.B.A.<br>IRON RAIL BOOKSTORE & LIBRARY <br> GET LOST TRAVEL BOOKS<br>YUKI<br>SATURN SCREEN PRINTING<br>CAFE NEGRIL<br>HANDSOME WILLY'S<br>THE BLUE NILE <br>THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION<br>THE APPLE BARREL<br>NEW ORLEANS CAKE CAFE AND BAKERY<br>FITZGERALD LETTERPRESS<br> LA MAISON DE LA MUSIQUE<br><br>See y'all at the BookFair!!!<br><img src="cid:823C265D-AF29-4360-A759-7E4D901316DA@an8.dfw28.da.uu.net"></blockquote></div><br></body></html>