Book and author festival will include workshops, readings

Nipomo cartoonist Leigh Rubin will kick off this year’s Central Coast Book and Author Festival with a talk about his twisted mind.

Rubin, creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon strip “Rubes,” will speak about his creative process Sept. 18 at the San Luis Obispo City-County Library. His talk is titled “A Twisted Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste.”

“He’s such a kick,” festival chair Maryellen Simkins said of Rubin, whose strip appears daily in The Tribune.

Approximately 60 authors, illustrators, publishers and organizations will participate in this year’s festival, sponsored by the Foundation for San Luis Obispo County Public Libraries.

Most of the action occurs Sept. 19, starting with a character breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at the library.

Children and adults can enjoy quiche, pastries and fresh fruit while interacting with Dr. Magic and costumed actors from the San Luis Obispo Little Theatre. Then, they’ll walk to Mission Plaza.

“We’d love to have everyone come in costume as their favorite literary characters,” Simkins said, adding that Snow White and Alice in Wonderland will be in attendance.

Other highlights include book signings, workshops, panel discussions and public readings, plus a San Luis Obispo Art Museum show titled “The Art of the Book.”

Carol Christen, author of “What Color Is Your Parachute? For Teens,” will talk about why the high school years matter, while Doug Danielson will discuss short story writing.

Other participants include artist Ken Christensen, historian Guy Crabb, anthology editor Victoria Zackheim and novelists Mara Purl and Gordon Snider.

-- Sarah Linn

This story was originally published September 13, 2010 at 10:11 AM with the headline "Book and author festival will include workshops, readings."