Stories from across the world came together at the Local Author Festival hosted by Hayward Public Library on Oct. 4. Authors, attendees and organizers alike worked together to create an environment that stimulated literary and personal growth.
Organizer Kat Tong talked about how the festival initially started as an idea in January and developed as the Hayward Library team began reaching out to Bay Area authors. “Many authors released books around the same time, so we were able to reach out to them with our application,” said Tong. The team values diversity in the authors they promote, which was evident in the booths presented.
Dr. Maria Ochoa, a retired professor in the departments of sociology and interdisciplinary sciences at San Jose State University, was selling four books, including her newest photo history books about Russell City. Through her writing, Dr. Ochoa aims to be the best writer she can be, while also teaching history in a nuanced way that highlights overlooked groups. “I see [writing] as an opportunity to grow as a person and to share it,” she said. “Maybe someone will be inspired.”
Photos by Avni Mishra
Photos by Avni Mishra
Photos by Avni Mishra
Another author present at the festival was Mary O’Connor. Her first full-length book, From Junkie to Judge, is a memoir about her struggle with addiction. “My goal is always to help people know there is a way forward,” said O’Connor. Aside from opinion pieces, O’Connor has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times and more. O’Connor’s book appealed to the vast variety of age groups present at the festival, since her book deals with themes of resilience and growth, which are common to all readers.
Many authors also attended the festival to network with others. Children’s book author Ruchi Shah has been going to local events like storytime readings at Banter Bookshop in Fremont. She saw the Local Author Festival as the perfect opportunity to meet with other writers and readers. Through networking, Shah hoped her book about climate literacy could eventually be integrated into local school curricula and libraries.
“It’s not every day you find an event like this in your backyard,” said author Lisa Moore Ramée. She mentioned that Hayward, being an especially diverse city, gives her the perfect space to promote her books, which feature main characters of color.
While authors were eager to promote their books, attendees were excited to read them. Karen Sutton left the event with a full tote bag of books to read. Sutton appreciated the amount of diversity amongst the authors and specifically the female representation. “I wish there were more books like this when I was younger,” she said. As a “bookaholic,” Sutton seeks out these events, and she felt the Hayward Local Author Festival truly served its purpose in shedding light on new authors and stories.
Throughout the festival, diversity was a common thread, allowing others to network amongst themselves and connect with a variety of readers. The Hayward Public Library hopes to continue this festival and publicize it further for upcoming years to get more unique stories for readers to explore.
