The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, September 9, 2011 - 7A
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BOOKWORMS UNITbE
Kerrytown booked
Searching for 'home'
during the college years
Annual festival
showcases book-
making process
By LAUREN CASERTA
DailyArts Writer
Michigan makes and exports
hundreds of thousands of them
every year. Each intricate stage of
their produc-
tion is entrust- The 9th
ed to local Annual
companies
with decades KeItOWN
of prestigious Booked
history behind
their work. Sunday at
Whether 11 a.m.
they're recent Kerrytown
makes or old Farmer's Market
favorites, Free
there's sure to
be something
for every buyer's taste.
But these buyers aren't choos-
ing between pickups and sedans
- they're sizing up hardcovers
and paperbacks.
The annual Kerrytown Book-
Fest celebrates the often over-
looked yet thriving literary
community nestled within the
heart of the Great Lakes State.
The celebration is famous for its
focus on Michigan's wealth of
local talent as well as its inclu-
sion of techniques from every
stage in the book-making pro-
cess.
"It's not just about authors
and publishers," said Gene Allo-
way, BookFest Board President
and owner of local bookstore
Motte & Bailey. "We include
papermakers, book artists, bind-
ers, printers, letterpress artists,
poster makers - you name it. It's
having all of those people all in
one spot which makes us pretty
unique."
More than just a place to
buy and sell books, the festival
is entertainingly educational.
Exhibits and demonstrations
allow attendees a rare glimpse
into the conceptual and tangible
halves of the creative process
behind books and other print
items.
"We have writer talks, there
are craftspeople working, there
are activities for children, there
are authors signing their books
and there's usually a storyteller,"
Alloway said. "Used and new
booksellers and some publish-
ers do have stuff to buy, but you
could go for the whole day with-
out spending any money."
This year's festival theme,
"Michigan Voices," puts aspecial
emphasis on creative minds from
the surrounding region. Speak-
ers include Robin Agnew, owner
of Aunt Agatha's mystery book-
shop, Caldecott Award-winning
children's authors Erin and Phil-
ip Stead and NPR reporter Kate
Davidson, along with nearly 50
additional guests ranging from
authors and producers to illus-
trators and photographers.
The theme also shines a much-
deserved spotlighton localbook-
based businesses. Despite the
fact that several famous printers
and publishers live in the area,
most people are unaware of the
sheer size of Michigan's contri-
bution to the literary world.
"One of the long traditions in
our area is printing," Alloway
said. "For example, the best-
selling autobiography of Mark
Twain that came out was print-
ed by Thomson Shore in Dexter,
Michigan, and they just got an
order to print their 175,000th
copy. There's still more books
physically made between the
suburbs of Detroit and Manches-
ter than anywhere else in the
world."
The Kerrytown BookFest
has become a local tradition,
now celebrating its ninth year.
Although people of all ages are
encouraged to attend, Alloway
said that the festival planners
would enjoy seeing more Univer-
sity students in its crowds.
"One - of the issues we get
with University students is that
everything west of Division
Street seems to be terra incog-
nito," Alloway said. "As we grow
we're trying to reach out. It's
hard right now because every-
one's moving in and getting
settled."
The event's swelling atten-
dance continues to fuel public
interest in the art of the written
word. Ultimately, it's the all-in-
one package that Michigan's lit-
erary community provides that
makes its part in the industry -
and the festival - such a success.
"We're lucky to have a lot of
great authors, but we also enjoy
showing all of the steps and
the people that get a book from
author to reader," Alloway said.
"You don't have to go to New
York City to find a printer, to find
an agent, to find a publisher, to
find a bookstore. That's one of
the things that makes us great."
By LEAH BURGIN
Senior Arts Editor
Before becoming a student at
the University three years ago,
I had lived in Cincinnati for my
entire life. Even more than that,
my parents had grown up in "The
Queen City," and their parents
were also raised there. Need-
less to say, I had been deeply
gnmeshed in "Cincinnatian"
culture for 18 years - the bloody
battle between chili-serving fast
food chains Goldstar and Sky-
line, the family of bovines that
chilled on my "suburban" neigh-
borhood's farm and the glorious
oeaven-on-earth deliciousness
that is Graeter's ice cream. I had
lived and breathed Cincinnati
and, though I loved my home-
town, I was ready for a change
after high school. So I was sur-
prised when I decided to attend
the University; after all, it was
located only one midwestern
state north from Ohio. How dif-
ferent could Michigan really be?
As it turns out, Michigan
was quite different. I remem-
ber sitting up late with my new
hallmates during Welcome
Week and being utterly per-
plexed at the Michigan hand
locater everyone used to dem-
onstrate where they were from.
When people asked where my
hometown was, I would have to
explain that Cincinnati is not
Columbus nor Cleveland, and is
located at the south end of Ohio,
which I would sadly try to dem-
onstrate by making a modified
"Hang10" hand symbol to mimic
Ohio's shape.
But the hand locater wasn't
the only difference. For weeks, I
Nothing says "home" like an imposing classical facade
had no
and mi
cool h-
pus. Ic
Lakesi
that Mi
underst
goingu
or wha
Metro
never s
]
w]
idea what the "UP" was, ful five weeks in Florence, Italy,
stakenly assumed it as a I spent my first summer in Ann
angout location on cam- Arbor. I was here to experience
couldn't list the five Great the infamous summer Art Fair
in the rapid-fire manner and the unpredictable weather.
ichiganders could. I didn't I went "up north" twice with
tand the phenomenon of friends - once to Glen Lake on
up north for the summer, the pinky (where I went to my
t it meant to be from the first Cherry Republic) and once to
Detroit area. And I had Pointe aux Barques on the thumb
een so many Blackberries (where I tried Mackinac Island
Fudge ice cream for the first time)
- and interned at the Detroit
wut itvait Institute of Arts. These experi-
But wences, especially being involved
here are the at the DIA, made me feel, finally,
like a true Michigander.
CowS? Ohio will always be where
I'm from, but I can now appre-
ciate and feel part of Michigan
culture. The Great Lakes State
ings or North Face coats has some beautiful natural land-
ife. I'm sure many out-of- scapes and impressive cultural
had the same minor cul- institutions. I couldn't explain
ock and, like me, adapted the gorgeousness of northern
to the new environment. I Michigan to my sister or express
o love Ann Arbor and con- how sublime it was to wander
my home away from home. from gallery to gallery in the
forward to thisapast sum- DIA, pausing to appreciate its
Lfter spending a wonder- See HOME, Page $A
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ELLIOT ALPERN guitarist.
DailyArts Writer Everywhere you look on I'm
With You, there are missed
n it comes to the anatomy opportunities and instances of
d, the Red Hot Chili Pep- failed potential. However, the
'e cob- album could've been extremely
ogether **'* * successful under different cir-
strange cumstances - the emotion and
random Red Hot Chili talent are present, but the execu-
essen- tion is lacking. "Brendan's Death
the Song" brings authentic sorrow in
s Of I'm WithYoU the wake of the passing of long-
'k'n'roll time friend Brendan Mullen,
. arerBras. and almost deserves to sit in the
best band's trophy case with "Under
n is a bassist with a four- the Bridge" and "Californica-
ame who may or may not tion" - but not quite, since a fair-
most skilled in the busi- ly withdrawn guitar and a sedate
ey've got an instantly rec- opening could lead many a listen-
le singer with an average er to skip it over. "Dance, Dance,
ad a drummer who bears Dance" rounds out I'm With You
uncanny resemblance to appropriately - the chemistry is
rrell. But the oil that kept palpably off, and the resultcomes
nk machine rolling had off as jumbled.
been guitarist John Frus- Longtime fans of the Chili
whose recent departure Peppers may find comfort in the
e band has left an exten- evolution of the band's sound. In
d in what had come to be a a couple rare cases, such a pro-
for perfection. gression pays off. "Even You,
Brutus?" throws a smoky guitar
under singer Anthony Kiedis's
eall agitation, transforming it into
a fresh composite of funk and
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS.
chagrin. On "Goodbye Hoo-
ray," Klinghoffer rips off a few
impressive, raw licks - even if
the track itself fails to match the
excitement.
When you look at the Red Hot
Chili Peppers' extensive discog-
raphy, a pattern emerges: Their
best work arises when Kiedis,
Flea, Frusciante and drummer
Chad Smith are the band's core.
Each of the five albums recorded
by the power quartet has gone
platinum and serves as the foun-
dation for most of the band's
major hits. It should then come
as no surprise that when one of
those integral cogs is removed,
the machine doesn't function at
full capacity.
ifornicated
out.
Raise your hand if you partic-
ipated in the collective sigh that
sprang from the deliverance of
the album's first single, "The
Adventures of Rain Dance Mag-
gie." Such a release might make
for an adequate deep track on
an earlier record, but when it's
billed as a teaser for new mate-
rial, the red flags should start
to go up. Unfortunately, the
catchy-but-tame song stands as
the best on I'm With You.
Frusciante's absence is obvi-
ous on the majority of the
hour-long effort. Flea opens up
"Ethiopia" with the grooving
backbone of a bassline that fans
have come to expect. However,
new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer
doesn't pack the same punch as
his predecessor, and leaves the
track a bit too empty. "Factory
of Faith" gives the impression
that the Chili Peppers would
rather rely on their mainstays
and give Klinghoffer a support-
ing role - a strategy that can't
work for a band that relies on
the added spice from a seasoned
Did somebody say
ROAD THIPIIMM
We're headed your way! See you at
the grad fair on your campus.