As I look forward to flipping the page on my calendar, I’m excited to think about the next chapter of the year… September/October brings a couple of very interesting literary events to the Petoskey Area.

  1. The 19th Annual C.S. Lewis Festival celebrating the life of the writer and theologian will take place in various locations throughout the Petoskey Area, September 10-12. Known by many for the beloved Chronicles of Narnia (and many other titles), Lewis’ stories are considered inspirational on several levels. Author, speaker and journalist William Clancy will be involved through all three days of the event.
  2. Secondly, there’s Harbor Springs Festival of the Book. Anyone who has ever been to this tiny town on Little Traverse Bay already knows that the community itself looks like it was plucked from the pages of a storybook. But on the weekend of September 24–25, beauty takes a back seat to the 20+ authors presenting during the festival. The bulk of the events are free (registration required) and both fiction and non-fiction writers will be represented. There’s even a documentary being shown at the Harbor Springs Lyric Theatre that is based on the book A Most Beautiful Thing, by Arshay Cooper. Can’t get enough of a good thing? Between the Covers will be open and ready to take care of your book-buying needs (and if you’re like me, these are needs, not just wants!).
  3. October will find the Michigan Hemingway Society reeling in their members and non-members, too, to talk about their favorite Nobel Prize-winning author. Hemingway’s book The Torrents of Spring was based on this area and he was known to have written in various Petoskey Area locations, including the Bay View Association, where the Hemingway Society’s conference will be held at the Terrace Inn & 1911 Restaurant. The conference is open to the general public and the theme of this year’s annual event is “Hemingway and the Indians” of the northern Michigan area.

If books are your bag and you want to come check out any of the events, don’t just read about them – book a room and make plans now.

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About the author

Diane Dakins is passionate about all of the communities that comprise the Petoskey Area of Michigan: Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Bay Harbor and Boyne City. As assistant director of the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau, she has “been there – seen that” when it comes to virtually every area attraction. She strives to create informative content that gives potential visitors the scoop on planning a northern Michigan vacation.