Like Jack, Ceil has volunteered at every book fest since 2009. She has an orange cap, too.
“We first started hearing about the festival in 2008, when they were getting ready for the first one in 2009,” Matson said. “From what we were hearing, it sounded like it would be a very big deal in our pretty small town. When they put out a call for volunteers in the newspaper, we thought it would be a fun thing to be part of.”
It was a novel experiment, launching a huge national event without a single paid staff member.
It was a spectacular success.
More than 50,000 people attended the first festival in March of 2009, and it has been growing ever since. By 2019, it was one of the five largest literary events in the United States. It featured 330 presenting authors. Enjoying perfect weather two weeks after a rare local snowstorm, more than 135,000 people flocked to the university over the two-day weekend.
The festival was canceled at the last minute two years ago because of the emerging pandemic. With COVID-19 still part of everyday life, last year’s event was virtual … with authors presentations streamed online.
Tucson’s book festival has come roaring back to life this weekend. Strolling the campus last week to browse the UA Bookstore and see some of the newly erected exhibitor areas, Ceil and Jack laughed about some of their experiences there.
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