The 19th Annual Collingswood Book Festival

For a town like Collingswood that loves a good festival and a chance to see neighbors or bump into out–of–town friends, the coronavirus pandemic was a shock to the system. Festivals not only connect us culturally and socially,but also attract unique visitors that help boost the local economy. Since the first Collingswood Book  Festival in 2003,it has grown exponentially and has become the town’s favorite festival according to an unofficial poll taken during a November 16th virtual community forum. Out of the five festivals listed, the book festival received the highest percentage of votes, not including the 28.9% who said they weren’t able to choose because they love them all! After a year of quarantine, we are optimistic that the book festival will be live and in–person along Haddon Avenue on Saturday, October 2.

Contests:

The 2021 Retrospect Best of the Festselfie contest challenges contestants by to taking snap a selfie with a book you are taking or giving and upload it to our page with the hashtag #GetOutandRead.One winner will be chosen at random out of submissions uploaded to win a $100 prize funded by The Retrospect newspaper. Visit https://www.collingswoodbookfestival.com/news/the–retrospect–best–of–the–fest for rules.

Poets aged 7–13 are invited to submit to the Walt Howat Youth Poetry Competition, a loving tribute to the late longtime volunteer and Poetry Tent founder Walt Howat. The theme is: Memories. We have all had a lot of time to think since the pandemic began. All that thinking may have brought us straight to a memory. Memories can be happy, sad, scary, and funny. What stands out for you? Write a poem about it! Visit https://www.collingswoodbookfestival.com/news/the–walt–howat–youth–poetry–competition–memories for more.