We need the San Joaquin Valley Bookfest more than ever | Opinion
What makes you want to read a story? Or, more precisely, what makes you want to leave the sphere of your own reality to experience the world from another perspective? Does this happen because of excellent teachers? A great library system? Parents who place a book in your hands? As we approach the San Joaquin Valley Bookfest on May 2 at Fresno City College, I’ve been thinking about these questions.
During a recent planning meeting for the festival, I shared how it’s unlikely I would have imagined this event if my parents hadn’t dropped me off at our town library on a regular basis. As a child, I exhibited a curiosity that was amplified by the sight of books.
I wasn’t into anthropomorphic characters like many children, but as soon as I got my hands on a chapter book, I was hooked. I loved stories that outlined the drama of a particular neighborhood or playground. There might have been a vineyard growing outside my bedroom window, but by turning a page, I could stand on a sidewalk in middle America and gawk at Ramona’s tribulations or listen in on Betsy and Billy’s chatter.
Books were the rockets that propelled me from Selma, California to places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art because of characters like Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.
This year, we have a strong program planned: Manual Munoz, our keynote speaker and a Dinuba native, will anchor our schedule with other award-winners and nominees, including Margarita Engle, Joan Schoettler and Angelica Shirley Carpenter. Beloved newscaster Jim De La Vega will talk about his new novel.
We will also have a group of authors sharing how they found success in the self-publishing world.
Through their event sponsorship, Fresno City College has helped us keep our costs low. Ampersand Ice Cream has been a great supporter, as has MGF Designer, who created our website.
A book festival can’t get a better set of champions than the fine folks at San Joaquin Valley Town Hall, the Friends of the Fresno County Public Library and the Friends of the Leo Politi Library — all new sponsors this year.
From the beginning, enthusiastic planners have volunteered their time to bring the best of us together. The Book Nook of Visalia will be our new bookseller. A division of the Family HealthCare Network, they support early childhood literacy and the power of books to improve the health of our communities in a challenging place like the Central Valley.
The bookish girl from the vineyard grew into a nurse who understands the social determinants of health. For both adults and children, enjoying stories and feeling connected is a healing prescription. We need festivals like this.
Danielle R. Shapazian, a registered nurse and writer who lives in Fresno, is the founder and director of the San Joaquin Valley Bookfest.