LIT UP

Indie book fair unites Front Range literary scene

BY BART SCHANEMAN

Independent authors on small presses often lack marketing dollars to promote their books, and many aren’t natural promoters. To help these local writers and presses find readers and get the word out, Denver author Hillary Leftwich has organized an all-day literary reading and book fair right here on the Front Range.

More than 30 indie authors and at least eight small presses from Colorado will be reading and tabling books during the Sept. 30 event at bookstoreevent space Counterpath in Denver. Featuring a keynote presentation from Aurora Poet Laureate Ahja Fox and local presses like Fonograf, Dzanc and Trident, the Indie Author and Press Book Fair is free, all ages, and open to the public.

According to Leftwich, the book fair was born out of a desire to bring the literary community together.

“It’s not an innovative idea by any means,” she says. “We’ve had book fairs and zine markets before. But I really want to support the local authors who are not on big presses or don’t have agents.”

Leftwich recognizes that getting a book noticed in today’s attention economy is no easy task. Writers are a noto-