TRAVERSE CITY -- A handful of independent bookstores and dozens of book clubs have blossomed in northern Michigan, and Doug Stanton thinks that makes this the perfect place to launch a writers' series.
The Traverse City National Writers' Series debuted this year, with Stanton introducing his latest book, "Horse Soldiers," in May, and hosting a summer event with Michigan writers Elmore and Peter Leonard.
But Stanton in 2010 vows to bring even more high-profile writers, and not just authors: Confirmed speakers include journalists, screenwriters, television producers and poets.
Featured will be longtime NBC News journalist Tom Brokaw, actor Woody Harrelson, Food Network chef and part-time Northport resident Mario Batali and "Shadow Country" author Peter Matthiessen.
"Traverse City is a book-rich and a writer-rich community," Stanton said. "There's something for everybody."
Amy Alkon, a syndicated advice columnist whose feature runs in the local weekly Northern Express, will kick off the new season in February. She lives in Los Angeles but was raised in Farmington Hills.
Alkon frequently visited the region as a child.
The event is designed to raise money for a scholarship for high school writers, Stanton said, with a five-year funding target of $50,000. Awards will be offered to students for poetry, fiction and nonfiction.
"I remember the days when people were as passionate about books and short stories and poems as they seem to be now about the 21st-century news cycle and politics," said Stanton, who wants people instead to argue about art. "Our goal is to be entertaining and engaging."
Part of what's missing from today's society is a common experience that can connect people of varying philosophies, Stanton said. The power of story, as he sees it, is that it can offer answers to pressing social ills in ways that politicians can't.
Events like this, he said, also give writers a broader platform to share their messages than a traditional bookstore signing.
The City Opera House in Traverse City will serve as the series' main venue, with the possibility of seeking a larger location if interest appears to exceed capacity.
Ticket prices have yet to be set, but Stanton said they will be "affordable" because of the event's purpose as a scholarship fundraiser.
Alkon, the program's first guest, used to visit Traverse City and the region in the summer. She hasn't been here in about 15 years and said she's eager to return.
"Our parents weren't the type to take a vacation in New York or some urban area. They were very Michigan," she said. "I have very fond memories of being up there."
Her book, "I See Rude People," aims to draw attention to the reasons people are impolite and encourage them instead to "treat strangers like neighbors."
She occasionally speaks about goals and hard work at inner-city schools in Los Angeles. Helping students is one of the reasons she agreed to appear in Traverse City.
"If you give a kid a little leg up like that and the encouragement, it can make a huge difference," Alkon said. "I love this about the series."
If you go
The Traverse City National Writers' Series will feature high-profile authors, journalists, columnists, screenwriters and television producers this year.
Syndicated advice columnist Amy Alkon, author of "I See Rude People," will appear Feb. 11 as the first guest of the 2010 season.
Other confirmed speakers include:
-Longtime NBC News journalist Tom Brokaw
-Actor Woody Harrelson, of "The Messenger"
-Mary Karr, who wrote the memoirs "The Liar's Club" and "Lit"
-Colin Beavan, who published a book, "No Impact Man," and maintains a blog of the same name
-Walter Kirn, writer of "Up in the Air" and "Lost in the Meritocracy"
-Rhoda Janzen, author of the memoir "Mennonite in a Little Black Dress"
-Food Network chef and part-time Northport resident Mario Batali
-James Bradley, author of "Flags of Our Fathers"
-Washington Post reporter David Finkel, author of "The Good Soldiers"
-Washington Post correspondent Greg Jaffe, author of "The Fourth Star"
-Bryan Gruley, The Wall Street Journal's Chicago bureau chief, who wrote "Starvation Lake"
-Television producers Betsy Beers, of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," and Janet Leahy, of ABC's "Boston Legal"
-Elwood Reid, screenwriter and producer of CBS' "Cold Case" and author of "D.B."
-Poet Thomas Lynch, of "Still Life in Milford"
-Peter Matthiessen, author of "The Snow Leopard" and "Shadow Country"
The event is in need of sponsors and endowments for a high school scholarship fund. For more information, contact Doug or Anne Stanton at 631-1551, or at annestanton@chartermi.net.
