Virtual F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival 2020

See Full Description for Specific Sessions

Take in a Master Class by social justice author Barbara Kingsolver, a keynote by noted poet and writer Clint Smith, workshops, contest awards, and a lecture by local historian Eileen McGuckian.

This event is virtually hosted by Montgomery County Public Libraries, a partner of the 24th Annual F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival.  This year's festival will be held virtually, with additional events on September 17, September 24, and October 2. The theme of the 2020 Festival is “Literature and Social Justice,” and this year's awardee is Barbara Kingsolver.  For more information about the 2020 festival, go to https://fscottfestival.org/

Please read below for information on the October 3rd event, and further below for links to the other Festival Events.

The October 3rd main program will be streamed live on MCPL’s Facebook (no need for an account). You can join any of the free* events on October 3rd by tuning into the Facebook Live feed below at any time during the event.  We hope you'll join us!  (* The workshops listed require advanced registration, a modest fee, and separate access via the free Zoom App, please see https://fscottfestival.org/ for information).
 

https://www.facebook.com/MontgomeryCountyPublicLibraries 

The program for October 3 includes:

9:00-10:30 a.m.  Morning Workshops (for information on workshops, see:  https://www.fscottfestival.org/festival  )

Tara Campbell: "It's All About Us: Diversity in Speculative Fiction" (Fiction)

Margaret Talbot: "Making Memoir Matter" (Non-Fiction)

Mary Kay Zuravleff: "How Far Can One Word Take You?" (Fiction)

MCPS Fitzgerald Scholars Workshop (by invitation only):  Making Meaning: Your Words Matter

​

10:50 - 11:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Roberta S. Mandrekas, President, F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, Inc.

​11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m

Master Class

Barbara Kingsolver

​1:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Keynote Talk

Clint Smith

​1:30 - 3:00 p.m.

Awards Ceremony

​Recognition of Montgomery County High School Fitzgerald Scholars

Davina T. Smith

Introduction of Barbara Kingsolver

Clint Smith

Presentation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Outstanding Achievement in American Literature

Roberta S. Mandrekas

Acceptance and Reading

Barbara Kingsolver

​3:15 - 4:15 p.m.

Illustrated Talk: "F. Scott Fitzgerald's Rockville: Rockville in the 1920s"

Eileen McGuckian

3:30 - 5:00 p.m.  Afternoon Workshops (for information on workshops, see:  https://www.fscottfestival.org/festival  )

Caroline Bock: "Exploring Home" (Fiction)

Tope Folarin: "Creating a Template for Success: On the Importance of Structuring Narratives" (Fiction)

E. Ethelbert Miller: "Writing the Memoir During a Period of Climate Change and Personal Transformation" (Non-Fiction)

​MCPS Fitzgerald Scholars (by invitation only) Student Master Class with Barbara Kingsolver

MCPS Teacher Workshop (by invitation only) ​ Creating More Inclusive Reading Experiences: Moving Toward Antiracism in the Classroom

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

About the Festival and It’s Other Events

The F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival was established in 1996 to celebrate the centenary of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birth, in Rockville, Maryland, the city where Fitzgerald, his wife, and his daughter are buried. The Festival seeks to honor the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and those of prominent American literary artists and to support, encourage, and assist aspiring and emerging writers and students interested in the literary arts. Originally a one-day event, the Festival now includes programs on three days. The F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival is co-sponsored by the City of Rockville and the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, Inc.

​The centerpiece of the Literary Festival is the presentation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Achievement in American Literature to a prominent American writer, who is present to give a reading and a master class. Over the years, many of the most distinguished American literary figures of the last half century have been honored. The 2020 recipient is Barbara Kingsolver. The 2020 Festival will be held virtually, with events on September 17 & 24, October 2, and October 3.

​MCPL will sponsor a book discussion on Barbara Kingsolver’s book Unsheltered, on September 17, 2020 at 6:30 pm.  See this link for details:  https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/4516536 

The 2020 Festival also sponsors two short story contests: a Student Contest open to Montgomery County high school students and an Adult Contest open to residents of Maryland, DC, and Virginia. The winners and two runners-up in each contest will be announced and awarded cash prizes at a virtual ceremony on the evening of September 24, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 124th birthday. That evening’s activities will also feature a conversation on “Gatsby Set Loose in the Public Domain: What’s Next?” with Kirk Curnutt, Executive Director of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society,  James L. W. West III., General Editor Emeritus of The Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Jackson R. Bryer, President of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society.  See this link for details:  https://mcpl.libnet.info/event/4577953 

 On the evening of October 2 at 8 p.m., the Festival will co-sponsor with Politics & Prose Bookstore a reading by Barbara Kingsolver from her new book, How to Fly (in Ten Thousand Easy Lessons). The activities on October 3 include morning and afternoon writing workshops designed for both emerging and established fiction and non-fiction writers; a Master Class with Barbara Kingsolver; a talk on “F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Rockville” by historian Eileen McGuckian; and an Awards Ceremony featuring a reading by Barbara Kingsolver.  See this link for details:  https://www.fscottfestival.org/festival    (see also:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pp-live-barbara-kingsolver-how-to-fly-tickets-113024577554  ).

​>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Looking for books by and about F. Scott Fitzgerald? Take a look at these resources using your library card. Don't have a card right now? No worries, try our newly improved Digital Library card https://mcpl.link/DigitalCard and you'll be ready to go in minutes.

on Hoopla, go to https://www.hoopladigital.com/search?page=1&q=f+scott+fitzgerald&scope=everything&type=direct

on Overdrive, go to https://mcplmd.overdrive.com/search?query=f+scott+fitzgerald

By joining this Virtual MCPL program, you agree to abide by our rules of conduct. Library staff has the authority to remove you from this program if we deem your behavior to be inappropriate, to ensure the safety of staff and customers.

Learn about MCPL's Zoom Security Settings

Upcoming Events