The fourth annual Chestnut Hill Book Festival may be a sligh tly smaller-scale event when it returns on Sunday\, Sept. 30\,\, but it wi ll not be lacking in focus or in impressive headliners\, including former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.
\nRendell\, always popular in Phil adelphia if not all of Pennsylvania\, will read from and discuss his lates t book\, “A Nation of Wusses:How America’\;s Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great” at the SugarLoaf campus of Chestnut Hill College\, Germant own Avenue and Bells Mill Road. His appearance will begin at 3:45 p.m.
\nRounding out the festival are appearances by other local authors\, w orkshops and even sketch comedy.
\nThe first Philadelphia Stories wo rkshop will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Bombay Room at the Chestnut Hill Ho tel\, 8229 Germantown Ave. The workshop will focus on performance practice s for writers who want to read to an audience. The workshop will be led by Philadelphia Stories Editorial Director Carla Spataro\, and participants are urged to bring a sample selection of their work to practice delivery.< br />\nPhiladelphia Stories will also hold another workshop at the same lo cation at 2:15 on writing techniques. Writer Susan Barr Toman will facilit ate the workshop.
\n“Another key event is a panel discussion includi ng four well known local mystery writers. Cordelia Frances Biddle\, Hugh G ilmore\, Solomon Jones and Jon McGoran (AKA D.H. Dublin) will discuss the secrets and strategies of mystery writing. That panel will be held at 1 p. m. at Roller’\;s Flying Fish\, 8142 Germantown Ave.
\nOther aut hors appearing at the Book Festival include Dan Biddle and Murray Dubin\, authors of “Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America”\; Salome Thomas-El\, author of “The Immortality of Inf luence”\; Leslie Daniel\, author of “Cleaning Nabokov’s House\,”and Miles D. Orvell\, author of “The Death and Life of Main Street: Small Towns in American Memory\, Space\, and Community.”
\nIn addition to authors\, the Chestnut Hill Improv comedy group will perform at 5 p.m. at the Bomba y Room. At 2 p.m.\, Ted Fink’\;s songwriter slam will take place at B uckley Park\, Germantown Avenue and Hartwell Lane.
\n“Slam\, Bam\, T hank You Ma’am\,” the poetry slam event of Painted Bride Quarterly\, begin s at 7 p.m. at Musehouse\, 7924 Germantown Ave.
\nFor more informati on on festival events\, authors and schedules\, go to chestnuthillbookfest ival.com.
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20120930 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20121001 LOCATION: SUMMARY:Book Festival returns to Chestnut Hill URL:http://chestnuthilllocal.com/blog/ai1ec_event/book-festival-returns-to- chestnut-hill/?instance_id= END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR