Twin Cities Book Festival

It took a while, but the Twin Cities finally got a literary festival of the caliber of Chicago’s great Printer’s Row Book Fair. Every year, the folks behind this true labor of love seem to push the thing further in the right direction. This is no mere gathering of highbrows and academics; sure, there is still the (always expanding) literary magazine fair, used book sale, and appearances by challenging characters along the lines of Eliot Weinberger–but beyond all that, the festival has become more egalitarian and entertaining each year (this is its fifth). The lineup includes appearances by, among others, Rick Moody, Ana Castillo, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Pete Hautman, and Alison McGhee. The legendary comic pioneer Harvey Pekar will also be on hand to chat with Mary Lucia, which alone should be worth a whole lot more than nothing, which is all this shindig will cost you. 1501 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-825-1528; www.raintaxi.com/bookfest