Insights from Authors’ Tent at Lakeshore Art Fest

Authors Tent at the Lakeshore Art Festival insights from author Jean Darla Davis

By Emma Palova

I spoke with Holland author Jean Darla Davis after two great days at the Lakeshore Art Festival on Saturday afternoon. Davis organized the Authors Tent located at Clay and 2nd Ave in downtown Muskegon to give more exposure to Michigan authors.

Hundreds of people stopped by the two tents with multiple authors and genres. Just like in a library or at a bookstore, the books with their authors represented different categories from mystery to crime, and everything in between.

The icing on the cake was that the authors were present for book signings and to chat about writing and publishing with readers and public in general.

Each author had their own story about their journey to publishing; from former cop Bob Muladore of Charlotte to hiker/author Joan H. Young from Scottville along with 18 others.

For some participating authors the next stop will be in Ludington at the Books Alive event in downtown on July 19 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. There are still some open spaces. So you can sign up on Eventbrite to diversify the event or contact Joan H. Young.

Interview with Jean Darla Davis

Was this a chamber event and did it have sponsors?

Yes, the LAF is put on by the Muskegon Chamber of Commerce. Here is the link to their sponsor page: https://lakeshoreartfestival.org/support/sponsors/

How was this year’s festival? Which day was better?

This year’s festival was the biggest yet, with more vendors. Thanks to how the holiday fell this year, it seemed like both days had equal traffic.

Why do you think the attendance was lower than last year?

It felt like less people this year, very likely due to the heat. But attendance was still quite good.

What seemed to be the the shopping trends and genres?

I didn’t get much of a chance to wander the festival as a whole so I can’t really answer that. There are always a wide variety of fine art and craft vendors, so something for everyone.

Were the authors from all over Michigan?

19 of our authors were from all over Michigan, both the Upper and Lower Peninsula. One lives on the Indiana border and is considered an honorary Michigan Author.

Your plans for next year?

We’re considering adding a third tent to accommodate more authors, but that decision is ultimately in the hands of the Muskegon Chamber Festival committee. Otherwise, we’ll be using the same layout we settled on this year as that worked quite well.

What will you remember the most from this year’s festival?

The heat. And off course spending two days with so many fun and talented authors.

Feature photo by author Joan H. Young.

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