20th Edition of BookMania! A Spectacular Success

STUART, Fla. - March 19, 2014 - PRLog -- 20^th Edition of BookMania! A Spectacular Success

The 20^th edition of BookMania! opened with a Preview Sponsor reception at the Elliott Museum on Friday, March 7. Sponsors had the opportunity to meet and talk with the 14 authors who appeared at the annual book festival sponsored by the Library Foundation of Martin County.  Rick Kogan of the Chicago Tribune was a special guest of Cork and Kathy Walgreen.  Kogan hadn’t seen the Walgreens for 30 years since he authored a book about the family business and history. Other well-known authors included  Dani Shapiro, author of the bestseller Still Writing: The Pleasures and Perils of a Creative Life ,Tom Clavin, author of The DiMaggios, andJane Green, Tempting Fate. No doubt everyone will be remembering they met Claire Bidwell  Smith when her book, Rules of Inheritance, about coming of age while losing both of her parents, is made into a movie starring Oscar-winning Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role.

BookMania! is a day long event that features nationally prominent writers, debut and local authors  participating in panel discussions, book signings and talks. Generous supporters to the Library Foundation of Martin County keep BookMania! free and open to the public. This year over 1,000  people attended at the Martin County High School and the event raised $67,700.

Other authors included Carol Andersen, Jane Green, Marjan Kamali, Said Sayrafiezadeh, Judith Barnes, Ph.D., Sonia Taitz, Laura Atchison, Mary E. Dawson, Karen Thompson Walker and Michelle Madow.

Presenting sponsors were Shirley W. and Margaret W. Bradley. Publisher level sponsors were  Mr.  & Mrs. Robert Crandall, Robert & Noreen Fisher and Mr.  & Mrs. Vincent Smyth.

Editor in Chief sponsors were Ruth and Bill Hardin, Kramer, Sopko and Levenstein, PA.. The Robert P. and Patricia J. Bauman Family and Northern Trust.  Agent level sponsors were Rita Armstrong, Priscilla Baldwin and John Moffitt, Prestley and Helen Blake, Ethel F. Christin, Leo and Dolores Clancy, Mary Laub Cowan, Don and Gail Curtis, Grace and Nick DiTerlizzi, Stephen and Aida Fry, The Barry and Merle Ginsbury Charitable Fund, CeeJay and Jack Heckenbrg, Drs. Cheryl and Steve Jordan, Andrey and Lon Kight, Joan McGowan, Robert and Suzanne Pearson, Ray and Ellyn Stevenson and the Vent Family.

Writer level sponsors were Nancy and Will Brown, Frank M. Byers, Jr., Elaine and Howard Cook, Elizabeth Herold, Wayne  & Paula Hundt, Bin and Jazz James, Diane and Tim Kimes, Betty and Fred Kopf, Phyllis Kordick, John and Dianne Krahnert, Robert and Sheila Leach, Laura Lind, Lolita J. Lindstrom, Vianne Nichols, Jeanne and Daniel O’Neill, Patty and Douglass Stewart, Ted and Pat Tiemeyer, Clayton and Anna Timmons, US Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management, Mrs. and Mrs. James Webert and Robert and Carol Weissman. Friends included Dan and Maureen Deighan, Samia and Russell Ferraro, Georgianna Khatib, Jane and David Shoaf and Nancy and Yung Wong.  Friends included         Dan and Maureen Deighan, Samia and Russell Ferraro, Georgianna Khatib, Jane and David Shoaf and Nancy and Yung Wong.

Many thanks to the media sponsors Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and tcpalm.com, Cambron, Reynolds and Associates and WQCS 88.9 FM. Other corporate partners were Barnes and Noble, Indian River Travel, Dennis L. Johnson, Ph.D. Neydharting Moor, Hutchinson Island Marriott and Martin County High School.