The 2011 Iowa City Book Festival (ICBF), presented by the University of Iowa Libraries, will celebrate reading, writing, and books Friday–Sunday, July 15–17, with best-selling authors, hands-on book arts, kids’ activities, music, and more. The ICBF will begin Friday, July 15, with a fund-raising dinner in the Main Library. Saturday, July 16, is festival day in Gibson Square with booksellers, music, children’s activities, food vendors, book arts demonstrations, and readings and panel discussions. Sunday, July 17, will be “A Day in the City of Literature.” Local businesses of all kinds throughout Iowa City will participate by hosting readings and special activities all day. Novelists Elizabeth Berg, Jane Hamilton, and Stephanie Kallos and science-fiction writer Joe Haldeman are among a rich lineup of writers who will take part in the ICBF for its third year. read more...