2018 Southern Voices authors conference sells out two venues first time ever

February 6, 2018 10:39 PM

Paula McLain photo courtesy of Nina Subin; Stephanie Powell Watts photo courtesy of Bob Watts; other photos courtesy of the authors or Hoover Public Library

For the first time ever, the Saturday authors conference at the Southern Voices Festival at the Hoover Public Library has sold out two venues.

The festival for many years sold out the 250-seat Hoover Library Theatre, which prompted organizers six years ago to add a second venue — the Hoover Library Plaza, which seats about 100 people. Each author speaks at both venues at different times.

The Plaza never sold out until this year, said Amanda Borden, director of the Hoover Public Library. Festival organizers aren’t sure what led to a sellout this year, but Borden guessed it’s the quality of the author lineup.

“The slate of authors is really good, really strong,” she said. Plus, it could be that more people simply are finding out about the festival, she said.

This year’s authors conference, set for Feb. 24, includes seven fiction writers — Paula McLain, Andrew Gross, Taylor Brown, Lisa Ko, Daren Wang, Stephanie Powell Watts and Lisa Wingate — and one nonfiction writer, Kelly Grey Carlisle. Read more about each of the authors here.

Even though the authors conference is sold out, occasionally people return tickets due to an emergency. The library maintains a waiting list.

Also, there were 29 tickets left for The Roosevelts musical act on Wednesday, Feb. 21, and two single seats left for The Roosevelts’ performance on Thursday, Feb. 22. Those tickets are $25, plus a $2.50 processing fee per person.

Tickets can be obtained online at hooverlibrary.org/sv or by calling the box office at 444-7888 or visiting the box office at 200 Municipal Drive in Hoover between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Southern Voices Festival also includes a free artist reception featuring the photography of The Do Good Fund, a public charity based in Columbus, Georgia, that since 2012 has been building a museum-quality collection of photographs taken in the American South since World War II. That reception, which includes hors d’oeuvres, is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., with a lecture by photographer Baldwin Lee at 6 p.m.