The sun is finally shining, the lakefront beaches are filling up, and here at Agate, we’re gathering books together to take down to the South Loop. Yes, it’s time for the 30th annual Printers Row Lit Fest, put on every year by our friends at the Chicago Tribune. Agate will be in tent “AA” again, on Dearborn St. near the intersection with Polk, and right across from Sandmeyer’s Bookstore at 714 S Dearborn St. Come by to check out our new books for Spring 2014, peruse through our backlist titles (all on sale!), and say hi.
A number of Agate authors will be at the Fest as well, demonstrating recipes or giving talks. They will be signing copies of their books in the Agate tent a half hour after their program concludes. Here’s an annotated schedule:
Saturday
10 AM, Good Eating Stage – Paula Haney, author of The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie, will be demonstrating her famed Hoosier Mama Sugar Cream Pie and Rhubarb Pie, along with basics of making pie dough.
10 AM, TribNation Stage – Stephan Benzkofer and Mark Jacob, co-authors of 10 Things You Might Not Know About Nearly Everything will amaze you with a fascinating assortment of odd factoids and tidbits, including many about Chicago history and culture.
12 PM, Jones College Prep/Classroom #5034 — Robin Daughtridge, Chicago Tribune associate managing editor of photography and video and author of Capone: A Photographic Portrait of America’s Most Notorious Gangster, in conversation with author Jonathan Eig. Images will be shown.
12:30 PM, TribNation Stage – Join Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Mary Schmich in conversation with fellow Tribune columnist Eric Zorn, discussing her recently published column collection, Even the Terrible Things Seem Beautiful to Me Now.
Sunday
11 AM, Good Eating Stage – We’re publishing The Green City Market Cookbook in July, but in the meantime, you can join Beth Eccles of Green Acres Farm, Rita Gutekanst of Limelight Catering, and Green City Market board member Elizabeth Richter, all of whom are either vendors or serve on the Market’s board. They will be appearing in conversation with Tribune Food Editor Joe Gray.
11 AM, RedEye Stage – Agate’s own Doug Seibold will discuss the statue of the publishing industry after digital disruption and the future of the industry, along with other local booksellers and indie publishers.
2 PM, Center Stage – Bill Hageman, one of the editors of the fun and informative book Life Skills, which provides detailed illustrated instructions for tasks from the most random to most practical, will be appearing on a panel with Colson Whitehead and Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Mark Bazer, founder of The Interview Show at the Hideout and co-host of WTTW’s My Chicago, will be moderating.
2:30 PM, Good Eating Stage – James P. DeWan takes both experienced and novice chefs back to basics in his book Prep School, demonstrating some kitchen techniques that every cook should know.
3:30 PM, Good Eating Stage – Take a trip to the dazzling Provence region of France (home to Cannes, Marseilles, and famous rosé wine), with Viktorija Todorovska and François Millo, authors of Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living.
3:30 PM, Jones College Prep/Classroom #5034 – CNBC senior producer Lori Ann LaRocco (author of Opportunity Knocking) and global PR firm GolinHarris CEO Fred Cook (author of Improvise) discuss the secrets of the C-Suite with moderator and Chicago Tribune business columnist Melissa Harris.