2009 Charlotte Literary Festival

Labor Day Weekend
September 5 & 6, 2009
Event Schedule

Most of the festival will take place at 36th & N. Davidson Street behind RealEyes Bookstore Outdoor events include:
-Vendors including amazing visual artists…
-Carnival games & rides…
-Live music including Jazz by “Queens Collective,” Bluegrass, spoken word & more…
-Authors lane – (A showcase for upcoming authors)
-Your kid’s favorite cartoon characters…Little Bill and Dora the Explorer…
-Your favorite festival foods…We will have a grill cooking up some of your favorite holiday bar-b-que, funnel cakes, and many more choices…
-Dance exhibitions by Millennium Dance Studio & N.C. Dance Theatre, storytelling, live performances and more…

Saturday, September 5, 2009
Events & Activities at Johnston YMCA
Outside Activities
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Yoga on the Lawn (Free)

12.00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Field Day Events (Free)

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Martial Arts (Free)

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Arts Programming (Free)

10:00 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Health screenings (high blood pressure/diabetes)
Health Fair
Financial Advisors

Inside Events
Alternative Health Workshop ($10.00)
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Sick and Tired of Being Sick? Alternatives to Your Current Health Care

Panel Summary: Are you tired of simply taking your pills with no end in sight? Would you rather be proactive in your health care rather than reactive? If so, it is time to take personal responsibility for your own health. Join our medical doctor and holistic health professionals to get insight into what new strategies you can safely employ to stay healthy or to feel well again.
Presenters:
Tami Ambury (Balance(d)Health/RealEyes Bookstore Health Column Contributor)
Gagan Hunter (Holistic Practitioner/Radio personality)
Dr. Nelsa Andersson Ciapponi (Optimal Wellness Clinic)
Lisa Merrick (Natural Healing Waters)
Political Panel ($10.00)
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Vote Local (Please!!!): Why Local Politics Really Matter
Panel Summary: After the intense activity of the recent Federal election, are you tired of politics? Too tired to get excited about the upcoming municipal elections? You shouldn’t be! Why? Because some of the most important political decisions affecting our daily lives take place on the local level. Come out to meet local candidates for mayor as well as past and present political leaders from Charlotte. These politicians will answer your questions and ours on today’s leading social and financial issues.
Panelists:
Anthony Foxx (D)
John Lassiter (R)
Martin Davis (R)
Jack Shelton Stratton III (R)
Joel Ford (Democratic Party Chairman)

Health Panel (Free)
2:00 p.m.– 3:30 p.m.
Health Literacy: Identifying Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies for America’s Major Diseases

Panel Summary: Do you know how to identify symptoms of diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancer, sickle cell anemia or HIV/AIDs? Our panel of representatives from agencies dedicated to reducing these diseases in America is on hand to provide you with free and important information on how to identify your risk factors and provide you with some strategies for preventing these diseases.

Panelists:
Heart and Stroke Foundation (Verna McCray and Jennifer Gusmer)
Free Diabetes Clinic (Rob Jones)
Sickle Cell Anemia (Pat Lambright)
HIV/AIDs awareness (DeVondia Roseborough), and a representative from either American
Cancer Society or Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Financial Panel ($10.00)
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
The New Financial World: How Do Families Succeed?
Panel Summary: In these challenging economic times, many of us are in need of reliable, informed, professional and free financial advice. Come join our experts from the Financial Planning Association, Alliance Credit Counseling, Charlotte Saves, and American Education Foundation who will address credit and debt issues, homeowner and home buyer options, savings, wealth building and retirement, career and college planning, etc.

Panelists:
Credit Counseling/CharlotteSaves (Mary Quinn)
Alliance American Education Foundation (Chris Kemper)
The Financial Planning Association (Chia-Li (Jolly) Chien, Lisa Gast, Todd Curry, Pete Miller).

Speaking Engagements/Book signings at Neighborhood Theatre and RealEyes Bookstore:
Michael Beckwith & Rickie Beckwith ($25.00)
2:00 p.m. at Neighborhood Theatre
Michael Beckwith is a motivational and spiritual teacher that has featured many times on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the documentary “The Secret”. Rickie Beckwith, in her 10th studio album, leads the way to “Supreme Inspiration” with a collection of funky, break-bending gyrations that feature guest artists Keb Mo, Maurice White, Dudley Perkins, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Michael Jackson, and Michael Bernard Beckwith.
Appearances and Book signings at RealEyes Bookstore:
3:00 p.m. -Appearance and Book signing feat. nationally known author and journalist Katie McCabe.
5:00 p.m.- Book signing feat. New York Times best-selling author Wahida Clark.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Events at Center of the Earth Gallery
Go Green Workshop
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Making Our Homes Greener and More Efficient for a Better Tomorrow

Workshop Summary: Matt Coapman of Green Home LLC will speak about the importance of energy efficiency in our homes and how it directly impacts our local environment. He details how homeowners can take simple but highly effective steps to make their homes healthier, more comfortable, and energy efficient. Karen Langbehn of UNCC will speak to environmental sustainability issues in the Charlotte/North Carolina regions.

Presenters:
Matt Coapman (Green Home LLC)
Karen Langbehn (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)

Social Media Panel Discussion ($10.00)
12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Social Media Networking 101: How to Brand and Market Yourself Using Social Media
Panel Summary: Social Media Networking is not a trend and is here to stay. This panel discussion is designed to assist people in learning how to market and brand themselves using social media (with particular emphasis on Twitter and Facebook).
Panelists:
Samantha Badger is an Associate Producer at FOX Charlotte and is serving as FOX News Rising’s Twitter Girl with her on air segment “Sam on Cam” where she teaches people about Twitter. Samantha graduated from North Carolina at Charlotte in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in communications, with a concentration in public relations.

Laurie Smithwick is founder and Creative Director of the award-winning graphic and web design firm, LEAP Design {link: http://www.leapdesign.com}. She trained at Parsons School of Design and worked in NYC for 6 years before relocating to North Carolina. In 2007 she and two online friends launched Kirtsy.com {link: http://www.kirtsy.com}, a user-generated content aggregator for online news (also known, colloquially, as “”Digg for Chicks””). Today, Kirtsy is a thriving community and a profitable company. This summer Kirtsy launched a hugely successful, nationwide ““Hands-On” campaign to educate women about social media, and in November, the Kirtsy book will be published: “Kirtsy Takes a Bow: A Celebration of Women’s Online Favorites.”
Crystal Dempsey is an accomplished writer/editor and Social Media Advocate. Recently deemed by Charlotte Magazine’s “Best Person to Follow on Twitter,” (@crystaldempsey) Crystal is the owner of From the Hip Communications, which specializes in program development and new media marketing strategies for non-profits and small businesses. She is also a contributing editor to the CLT Blog and a member of the management team for Amelie’s French Bakery and Café. (www.crystaldempsey.com).
Lyell Petersen is 93octane, an entrepreneur, e-business consultant and leisure travel industry professional. He is also a staunch proponent of the need to develop and manage personal online brands and an avid social media experimenter. 93octane shows up everyday to test the strategies, tools, communities, cultures and ‘rules’ of social media; he’s a reminder that real people and personalities are behind ‘social media.’” – From Taylor Davidson’s “Entrepreneurial Portrait” Series (http://www.taylordavidson.com)
Speaking Engagements/Book signings at Neighborhood Theatre
Christopher Gardner ($25.00)
7:00 p.m. at the Neighborhood Theatre
Christopher Gardner is a self-made millionaire, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and philanthropist who, during the early 1980s, struggled with homelessness while raising his toddler son, Christopher, Jr. Gardner’s book of memoirs, “The Pursuit of Happiness”., was published in May 2006. Will Smith played Chris Gardner in the blockbuster movie “Pursuit of Happyness”.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.