Southern Festival of Books
When my wife Yvonne and I were in Spain last year, we learned about the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James, one of the great pilgrimages of Christianity. I’ve never been on such a pilgrimage, but two weeks ago I made a trip to downtown Nashville that is as close as I’m likely to get: my annual visit to the Southern Festival of Books.
My first visit was in 1989, just two months after Yvonne and I had moved to Nashville, when the first Southern Festival was held. Except for one time when I was out of town, I’ve been back every year since.
This time, the traditional location at Legislative Plaza was under construction, so the festival was moved a few blocks north to the parklike Bicentennial Mall, where booths and food trucks were spread out under the trees, and sessions could be held at the Tennessee State Museum and the Tennessee State Library & Archives, handsome new structures that flank the mall.
|