‘Books Come Alive’ in New Boston Book Festival Series
Computer photo via Shutterstock
Before the Boston Book Festival takes over Copley Square in October, the organizers have teamed up with crowdfunding platform Wizeo and online book magazine Bookslut to bring a new interactive series to literary enthusiasts.
“Books Come Alive” will connect readers with authors through online live-chats moderated by Bookslut on Wizeo. The authors may broadcast from their homes, hotel rooms, or wherever; audiences can submit questions in real-time. Ask them about their books; ask them about their lives; ask them how to get published; or even ask them what they had for lunch—hey, it could be relevant…
Six “Books Come Alive” events are already scheduled in the months leading up to the Boston Book Festival, with possibly more to be added later. The first live-chat will be with Damien Echols and Lorri Davis, whose new book Yours for Eternity: A Love Story on Death Row came out in June.
“We’re delighted to partner with Wizeo on the ‘Books Come Alive series,'” says BBF executive director Deborah Porter in a press release. “It’s a great way to embrace technology and connect readers with their favorite authors.”
“As a Boston-based organization, we at Wizeo are proud and excited to be able to contribute to the cultural life of the city,” says CEO Guy Bauman in the release.
Readers can sign up for chats at wizeo.me, and during the chats—if audiences are so compelled—they can donate money to the Boston Book Festival, which takes place October 25, 2014.
Here’s the lineup—so far—for “Books Come Alive”:
Wednesday, July 23, 6:30 p.m.
Damien Echols and Lorri Davis
Yours for Eternity: A Love Story on Death Row
(Penguin Group, June 2014)
Wednesday, August 6, 12 p.m.
Andrew McAfee
The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies
(Norton, January 2014)
Monday, August 11, 7 p.m.
Stacey D’Erasmo
Wonderland
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 2014)
Thursday, August 28, 6 p.m.
Jenna Blum
Grand Central: Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion
(Berkley Trade, July 2014)
Tuesday, September 2, 8 p.m.
Ladette Randolph
Haven’s Wake
(University of Nebraska Press, March 2013)
Wednesday, September 3, 8 p.m.
Alden Jones
The Blind Masseuse: A Traveler’s Memoir from Costa Rica to Cambodia
(University of Wisconsin Press, November 2013)
