The 2010 P&P Poster
Pages & Places grew out of two overlapping phenomena. On the one hand, there’s the obvious, ongoing revitalization of the city of Scranton, manifest in new construction and the rehabilitation of some of the city’s landmark architecture, in the influx of new downtown residences, and the reinvigoration of long-time and former residents who have committed to opening businesses downtown. On the other is the realization that thriving American cities—and there are relatively few in the early 21st century—require a vivid and interactive arts and culture scene. The Pages & Places Book Festival is our contribution to these exciting and necessary trends.
Pages & Places derives its name from the twofold emphasis on the panelists we feature (the “Pages”) and the downtown venues where we host the panel presentations (the “Places”). The primary mission of the Pages & Places Book Festivalis to promote books, reading, writing, and literacy. We do this through a unique combination of literature and architecture that distinguishes Pages & Places from any other book festival in the country
2009 was the festival’s inaugural year and was designed to introduce the region to movements and trends in some of the more lively and compelling genres, from the noir novel to contemporary literary fiction to young adult novels—and some of the discussion about the role of Scranton, especially in the 2008 presidential election, that had recently animated the national scene.
The 2010 festival was organized around compelling questions on the nature of identity, effectively contributing to the definition of “Who We Are.” Our panelists addressed this theme in a variety of conversations and contexts including the dearth of access to world literature, civic and political responses to human death and catastrophe, how trends in neuroscience impact our understanding of art, law, and the humanities, how robust argumentation and debate has shaped civic life, and the significance of gendered viewpoints in documenting our lives.
The festival grew dramatically in just one year having expanded not only our range of panelists, topics and out-of-town visitors but also the Pages & Places Book Expo on Courthouse Square. The Expo features publishers large and small from across the United States selling select titles, writing and publishing forums, live author readings, historic tours, and 2010 introduced our first Kids Fest full of family friendly activities and readings.
This year’s festival acknowledges a handful of significant milestones. In recognition of the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, The Lackawanna County Library System’s American Masters Lecture Series kicks off the festival on the evening of Friday September 30th with an address by Richard Clarke, chief counter-terrorism officer for Presidents Clinton and Bush and holder of the officer on the day of the attacks.
2011 is also, of course, the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and Pages & Places examines the turning point in American history with a panel on the Civil War, Slavery, and Justice that features the authors of two of the year’s most prominent books on the subject, Lawrence Goldstone and 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner Eric Foner.
And it was fifty years ago, in 1961, that Scranton-born urbanist Jane Jacobs published her seminal work, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, and Pages & Places hosts a panel dedicated to examining the impact of her work, specifically on Cities like Scranton.
The 2011 Pages & Places also includes an exciting new addition a Civil War-era street fair, organized the Lackawanna County Library System, that will provide festivalgoers with interactive opportunities learn the roles Scranton and its people played in the war.
Which leads us to our own milestone. In three short years, Pages & Places has become a Scranton tradition, providing a physical and intellectual arena where we can engage in creative conversations while showcasing our city to writers, poets, journalists, publishers and festivalgoers from across the United States and beyond. And we’re just getting started.