{"id":234824,"date":"2018-08-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-08-17T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/get-lit-at-twainfest\/"},"modified":"2018-08-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-08-17T07:00:00","slug":"get-lit-at-twainfest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/get-lit-at-twainfest\/","title":{"rendered":"Enci\u00e9ndete en TwainFest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Kit-Bacon GressittFree family event celebrates great American literature<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does the mere thought of the \u201cWestern literary canon\u201d send you screaming for an \u201cArchie\u201d comic book? Or do you hear a hint of Walt Whitman on public radio and settle in with your brandy snifter? Something in between?<\/p>\n

Whatever your taste in literature, the TwainFest has something for you \u2014 and the children. Produced by San Diego\u2019s Write Out Loud, a live literary performance group, TwainFest will offer a smorgasbord of experiences intended to introduce all ages to the joys of 19th-century literary classics and their authors.<\/p>\n

The free festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 18, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.<\/p>\n

\"Get<\/a>
(l to r) A Kamishibai storyteller and an actor portraying author Mark Twain (Courtesy TwainFest)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now in its ninth year, TwainFest is named for Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens, a U.S. literary hero with an acerbic wit often used to skewer the famous and foolish of his era.<\/p>\n

In addition to Twain, festival-goers can enjoy cleverly fun experiences with an array of works and their authors, including, Louisa May Alcott, author of \u201cLittle Woman\u201d; Edgar Allan Poe, master of the macabre short story; beloved poet Emily Dickinson; renowned African-American poet, novelist and playwright Paul Laurence Dunbar; \u201cAlice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland\u201d author Lewis Carroll; and the children\u2019s poet famously illustrated by Maxfield Parrish, Eugene Field.<\/p>\n

The festival grew from a Write Out Loud concert program of Twain works, according to the organization\u2019s artistic director, Veronica Murphy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realized Twain had a big draw,\u201d Murphy said. \u201cWe thought: Twain was from the 1800s, and we had the Old Town state park, and they were happy to help us make [the festival] happen. Chuck Ross, of Old Town\u2019s Fiesta de Reyes, has been one of our financial sponsors from the start. We also get money from the county, the city, several small foundations, and we have partners who provide in-kind things for us. And the library helps us market it. One of the great things about its being free is it\u2019s accessible to anybody. We want anyone \u2014 anyone \u2014 who is interested to be able to come, so it is completely free.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Actor Monique Gaffney tells a story\u00a0(Courtesy TwainFest)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Festival events for readers of all ages \u2014 and those still working on the alphabet \u2014 include:<\/p>\n