Twin Cities Books Festival

At the annual Twin Cities Book Festival, sensitive, ungainly bibliophiles are at last the popular kids, because everyone's a sensitive, ungainly bibliophile. Of course, some sensitive, ungainly bibliophiles are more popular than others, so your reality shouldn't be too upended. This year's one-day fest, sponsored as always by indie book review Rain Taxi, will feature booth upon booth of lit journals, publishers, writer-entrepreneurs, and local arts organizations. Plus there'll be a handful of small-marquee names on hand for readings, including Diane Williams, before whom every practitioner of avant-garde short-shorts (the literary form, not the garment) stands in awe; graphic novelist Andy Helfer; and Chris Abani, best known for the 2004 novel Graceland, possibly the greatest novel ever written about a Nigerian Elvis impersonator. For kids there will be a story circle ("Why not a rhombus?" cry the experimentalists), plus arts-and-crafty activities and more. See www.raintaxi.com/bookfest for further details.
Sat., Oct. 13, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 2007