Bookfest Keynote Speaker: Mary Doria Russell

The 2nd Annual Downtown Glen Ellyn Bookfest is pleased to announce that the Keynote Speaker for this year's festival is the New York Times Bestselling Author and Lombard native, Mary Doria Russell. Mary will deliver the Keynote Address at 2pm at the Glen Ellyn Public Library. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Registration is available on the Glen Ellyn Public Library website, or by phone at (630) 469-0879.

As many of Mary's loyal fans know, Mary grew up in Lombard, Illinois, attended Glenbard East High School, and worked at the Helen Plumb Library as a teenager. In 2009, Glenbard East High School inaugurated the Mary Doria Russell Chapter of the National English Honor Society. Mary even named a character in her book Dreamers of the Day after her favorite high school English teacher from Glenbard East, Agnes Shanklin. We first met Mary when she appeared at the Helen Plum Library in 2009, where she absolutely charmed the crowd. (More about her prior appearance on our blog post here.) We are thrilled to welcome Mary back to the area.

Mary is the author of many highly acclaimed books, including The Sparrow (1996), Children of God (1998) Thread of Grace (2005 - Pulitzer prize nominee), and Dreamers of the Day (2008). Mary's newest book is Doc (Random House, May 3, 2011), the fictional account of a year in the life of Doc Holliday.

Mary Doria Russell has a broad range of talent, from science fiction to historical fiction and now western fiction. She admits she was addicted to books as a child, including the westerns of Zane Grey. You can tell. Doc has the voice and all of the hallmarks of a good western tale. As Mary herself said: "it's about vice, bigotry, violence and living with a terminal disease. Doc will break your heart."

Doc focuses on one year in the life of John Henry Holliday, who was born a Southern gentleman in Atlanta and was on the road to becoming a tame Dallas dentist before he lost his job in the economic panic of 1873. By 1878, he was a professional gambler in the wild west town of Dodge City Kansas, living with a Hungarian prostitute and nursing a horrible cough caused by tuberculosis. It's where his unlikely friendship with Wyatt Earp begins.

Fans of Mary Doria Russell will be delighted with this book. It's a new direction for her, but it's got all of the incredible storytelling talent that we have come to love in her writing. It's funny and colorful, compassionate and heartbreaking. It's got it all. For readers who have never discovered Mary Doria Russell, you're in for a new treat.

Mary will discuss her new book, as well as the myths and truths of Doc Holliday's life. Mary is a highly entertaining public speaker - this is an event you do not want to miss. The book is available at The Bookstore starting May 3, 2011. With a purchase of the book you will receive a priority ticket to the line for the book signing, which will follow the address.

We hope you can join us in downtown Glen Ellyn for a day during which a village celebrates books! The full schedule of events is available here. In the meantime, please follow the Glen Ellyn Bookfest on Facebook and Twitter for updates and information.

Locally Born Author Mary Doria Russell Rocks the House

I love books and the people who write them. But I don't know if I've ever had as big of an author crush as this. Let me just say: Mary Doria Russell rocks.

Looks are deceiving. She came in the room and looked like a quiet, introverted author: a petite, gray-haired woman holding a cup of tea. But then she opened her mouth, and you see she's a real pistol with a wicked sense of humor, a dazzling imagination and great stage presence. She admits she's been a ham since high school.

She's the author of four bestselling books, soon to be five. She grew up in neighboring Lombard, Illinois, and was invited back to inaugurate the Mary Doria Russell Chapter of the National English Honor Society at Glenbard East High School. She also spoke and signed books at the Helen Plum Library in Lombard.

She had us at "hello." She greeted the crowd by saying: "Hi, my name is Mary and I'm a book junkie." The crowd picked up her cue and answered her back, as if we were all at an AA meeting: "Hello, Mary!" Later, we joked that our crowd's familiarity with that greeting was revealing. Mary said with a wink, "well, we all know it from TV, right?"

She chronicled her addiction to books in the language of a true junkie. Dr. Suess was her gateway drug; Nancy Drew her tobacco ("made me look older and smarter"), Zane Grey her cocaine. Teachers and librarians were her dealers. Nothing got her more excited as a young reader than a nice, long "Also by" list at the front of a book. That's how she knew she wouldn't have to worry about where to get her next fix.

Speaking of fixes, fans of Mary's fiction are due for another one in 2010 with the release of her newest book, Eight to Five, Against, a western murder mystery set in Dodge City, Kansas featuring Doc Holliday. Mary says it's about "vice, bigotry, violence and living with a terminal disease," and claims that Doc will break your heart. Can't wait to read it -- we'll let you know when it comes out, and hopefully we'll get Mary back to celebrate.

Fun and interesting scoop on her other books: Brad Pitt wants to make a movie about The Sparrow, the story about the baby on the bomb in Thread of Grace was completely true, and she got the idea for Dreamers of the Day by seeing a documentary on the History Channel. By the way, when Brad Pitt called to meet with her about making The Sparrow, she turned him down in favor of a much needed and long-planned vacation. Although they plan to reschedule, she loves to claim that she blew off Brad Pitt. You go girl.

We have a few extra signed copies of her books left to sell at The Bookstore. Call (630) 469-2891 or e-mail us at justbook475@yahoo.com if you'd like us to hold one for you. For more information on Mary Doria Russell and her books, go to her website.