Melanie S. Hatter

On Saturday, with Sid Gold, poet and my booth partner from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House (WWPH).

Had another fun weekend at the Baltimore Book Festival with the Washington Writers’ Publishing House and the Baltimore Review. The two non-profit organizations shared a booth this year to help reduce costs. Pity there’s not a non-profit price to rent a booth at this event.

Met some great folks, and one interesting note was that all the sales of my book were to men! And here I thought I had written a book that would appeal more to women. I have been surprised at the number of men who have said they really enjoyed it. So, there you go! Never limit your market. You never know who will be attracted to you work.

And the best line of the weekend was from this wonderful older gentleman who said, “Your smile could give someone a sun burn!” I loved that!

Keep scrolling down for some great pictures from the weekend.

On Sunday. Congratulations to David Ebenbach, this year’s WWPH Fiction Prize Winner with his short story collection “Into the Wilderness.”

Our booth mates: Barbara Diehl and Kathleen Hellen of the Baltimore Review. Congrats also to Kathleen, who is this year’s WWPH Poetry Prize Winner with her book, “Umberto’s Night.”

Barbara, Kathleen and Elizabeth Bruce of WWPH. Thanks, ladies, for a fun day!

I’m excited, and maybe a little nervous, about my appearance this coming Saturday, May 19, at the third annual Gaithersburg Book Festival. It’s the first time I will be a featured author at a book festival. Looking at the list of presenters, there are not many authors of color, so I’m very pleased to be included. I’m especially excited to be part of an event where Donna Britt will also be presenting — for those not familiar, Donna is a former Washington Post columnist and recently published her memoir, “Brothers (and Me).” She’s also a wonderful yoga instructor!

I’m scheduled to appear at 10:20 a.m. on the F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion, and I only have 20 minutes to speak. I’ll give an introduction, read an excerpt, and take questions — so please come with questions! You can find directions to the festival on the website, here. You can also find a printable map of the festival grounds and a schedule of events under the “About” tab on the event’s website. The festival kicks off at 10 a.m. and ends at 6 p.m. Parking is limited, so if you come early, you not only get a place to park, but you get to see me!! After my presentation, I’ll hang out at the Washington Writers’ Publishing House booth (not sure yet where it’s located), so stop by and say hello.

Many thanks again go to the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, and specifically Ariel Martino, for organizing my recent visit to IDEA Public Charter School. I caught the end of Mrs. Reynolds’ 9th grade class and they asked some great questions about why I wrote the book and what it was about.

I was there to speak to her senior English class, though, and the students there also had some great questions. One in particular was, “Why did you make both Kira and her mother single and struggling to have good relationships with men.” I loved that the student had engaged with the characters enough to wonder about their lives. Kira, of course, is struggling to figure out who she is and if she had been in a steady, stable relationship, the dynamic with Alex may not have worked as it did. But I wrote from what I know and what I’ve seen. As unfortunate as it is, there are many women, of all races, who struggle to maintain relationships with men. There are, of course, many women in stable, loving relationships, and maybe one day I’ll write about that. Sadly, women who are single and still looking (even in their 50s and 60s) is a reality I’m more familiar with.

Sid Gold tries to stay warm at the Washington Writers' Publishing House booth.

It poured ALL DAY at the Kensington Day of the Book Festival. I got soaked, but I hung out with poet Sid Gold at the Washington Writers’ Publishing House booth until around 2:30 p.m. when we packed up to go. I was surprised at the number of people who came out to support the festival considering the rain… and the cold! Boy, if I’d known it wasn’t going to go above 50 degrees, I definitely would have worn something warmer. Many thanks to my dear friend and fellow writer Dottye Williams for letting me borrow her scarf!

It's hard to see the stream rushing down the gutter and my jeans soaked almost to my knees!

Hope to see you at the Kensington International Day of the Book Festival on Sunday, April 22. It starts at 11 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. I’ll be there at the Washington Writers’ Publishing House booth. There will be live music and all kinds of fun. Come by if you’re in the area.