Vero Beak Book Festival

In the fall of 1886, the painter Vincent van Gogh wrote his brother Theo in a letter:

"In Spring, say February or even sooner, I may be going to the South of France, the land of blue tones and gay colors"

He continued in another letter after his arrival:

"My dear brother, you know I came to the South and threw myself into my work for a thousand reasons. Wishing to see a different light... Wishing also to see this stronger sun...because one feels that the colors of the prism are veiled in the mist of the North. All this is still pretty true....added to this is the natural inclination toward this South....and that occasionally I have also found friends and things here that I love."

Vincent van Gogh, Walter Inglis Anderson, Laura Riding Jackson

Souls on Fire in the South assumes that sought out, "Southerly Place", (named or otherwise), the subjects of this literary panel came to seeking that "different light", or choosing something already familiar and engrained in their vision. The panelists will discuss these eccentric figures of art and literature; the problems of biography and influences of the South on their work and lives.

The authors of this panel are leading authorities on their subjects brought together by moderator and local artist, Sean Sexton, who proclaims: "It is a fabulous thing, rare and privileged for us that one of our subjects, Laura Riding Jackson, actually chose this vicinity in which we live. You will see many connections among these artists in this illuminating discussion. I've suspected all my life there is magic here, something unusual to this place my Grandfather, Waldo Sexton, chose for our family in 1913. Throughout his life, he looked for a "Fountain of Youth" and it isn't implausible that the great Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de Leon, might have landed close by in that same pursuit."

In partnership with the Lifelong Learning Institute at Indian River Community College, Sena Jeter Naslund is Writer in Residence at the University of Louisville, Program Director of the Spalding University Brief-residency MFA in Writing, and current Kentucky Poet Laureate. Recipient of the Harper Lee Award and the Southeastern Library Association Fiction Award, she is editor of The Louisville Review and the Fleur-de-Lis Press. She is the author of the novels Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette, Ahab's Wife, Four Spirits, and Sherlock in Love and a collection of stories, The Disobedience of Water. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

More than 40 exhibitors will be in the parks surrounding the Heritage and Community Centers. Take a few moments to visit and meet the local authors in The Gathering Place in Authors’ Alley, visit the Kids' Pavilion and the kids' authors, entertainers, and exhibitors on Kids' Street. Don’t forget to take time for lunch in the food court while listening to great music. Please stop by the Book Festival’s Merchandise Booth to purchase a coffee mug, book bag, t-shirt, posters or some note cards. All author presentations are at the Festival Marketplace or are just a short walk away. All presentations are free to the public.