Kudos from Star readers

Festival Staff / March 23, 2010

Some of the letters to the editor published in the Arizona Daily Star shortly after the festival.

More feedback • What authors said • Tweets and other buzz

Festival was bliss
I love waking up to a newspaper at my doorstep every morning. Breakfast without a newspaper would be unimaginable.

Your support of the Tucson Festival of Books is greatly appreciated by Tucson's bibliophiles. It was such a treat to spend two days of bookie-bliss with like-minded addicts. And the volunteers - what a fantastic cadre of hard workers.

My only complaint was that the embarrassment of riches allowed us to only partake in a fraction of the events we would have liked.

Armed with a pencil and the Arizona Daily Star's guide, I planned my assault with the precision of an invading general.

I'm already excited about next year's festival. How about making it one week long?

Festival of Books an excellent experience
After a second brilliantly successful annual Tucson Festival of Books, I nominate Bill Viner to lead Rio Nuevo, be on the Tucson City Council and be chosen as Tucson's Man of the Year.

I met a woman who happened upon the festival last year when her family gathered in Tucson. She had to miss half of it, but this year the same family planned a return visit to Tucson based on the Festival of Books. She is from Reno, her mother from Denver, her sisters from California and Texas and her brother from Winnipeg in Canada.

For the first time in a long time I am proud of something happening in Tucson. Mr. Viner, you rock!

Volunteers were key to festival's success
As both an author and attendee at the Tucson Festival of Books, I'd like to thank the organizers and sponsors for a terrific event.

But most of all, I'd like to thank the army of volunteers who were everywhere in their identifying yellow T-shirts. They were knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. There was no monetary advantage to their offer of their time - everybody got in free.

This was service at its best. A friend visiting from Denver for the event was overwhelmed at the community spirit and literary underpinnings of Tucson that make this event such a success.

Honored to be author in Festival of Books
I was one of the over 400 authors who participated in the Tucson Festival of Books. It was the second year I was privileged to take part by giving a workshop.

I congratulate the organizers, the sponsors and all the yellow-shirted volunteers for providing our community the chance to come together on a beautiful March day in a joyful, fun-filled two-day event.

When I was a child the University of Arizona was my playground and so it was again at the festival.

Thank you from the bottom of my 75-year-old heart!

Festival authors were inspiring
I am grateful I had the opportunity to hear mystery writer J.A. Jance and musician Janis Ian speak at the Tucson Festival of Books on Sunday. These women, with disparate backgrounds and experiences, reminded me, and I trust many others in the audience, that humanity has more in common than some pundits and killjoys would want us to believe.

Jance and Ian demonstrated that friendship and compassion are more potent than politics or truculent ideology. They were lucid, honest and extremely funny. Thank you, ladies, for just being.