Hot & Heavy: IWPA Team Works the Crowd
at the 2005 Printers Row Book Fair
by Jan Lisa Huttner, IWPA PRBF Chair

The weather was hot but the traffic was heavy at this year's Printers Row Book Fair on June 11th and 12th. Because the Board upgraded our status from "organization" to "business," this year's table was in a prime location on Polk Street, very close to compadres like Northwestern University Press and Women & Children First bookstore. We also benefited from the huge canopy printed with our full name, which made us very easy to find.

By 6 PM, closing time on Sunday, 77 people had dropped their contact information into our box. Later, incoming Membership Vice President Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas drew the name of our 2005 free membership winner: Janet Wondra of Roosevelt University. Yes, Janet, an assistant professor in the English Department, is also RU's Film Studies Coordinator; no, I had nothing to do with her selection. Of course I'm delighted by the synergy, and I can't wait to meet her face-to-face at a future meeting.

Marcy Darin, Marion Gold, Gen LaGreca, Barbara Land, Rachel Madorsky, Cynthia Ogorek, Jacquee Thomas, and Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas each took a two-hour shift during which they displayed, sold, and signed copies of their books. Lana Brown, Cindy Cruz, Marcy Darin, Elizabeth Dickey, Sheila Elliott, Marion Gold, Cecilia Green, Suzanne Hanney, Linda Heacox, Gen LaGreca, Darlene Morris, and Pat Szpekowski assisted me with meeting, greeting, and crowd control.

Lana, Marion, and I were minding our own business early Sunday afternoon when we spotted a special visitor: PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer. I called out to him, and hearing his name, he turned our way, spotted our canopy, and came right over to shake hands. He was extremely gracious; he took pieces of all of our literature, chatted for a few minutes about the importance of the First Amendment, and then went off to do his session. Credit for this coup goes to Lana who waited on a long line at Starbucks in order to bring me a cappuccino before beginning her shift. By the time Mr. Lehrer appeared, I was flying high, and when I called out to him, I'm sure my voice was loud enough to raise the dead.

As the IWPA member living closest to the event, I was responsible for overall coordination. Everyone was prompt and shift changes went without a hitch, making my job a very easy one. So save these dates, June 10 and11, 2006, and I'll look forward to seeing even more of you at next year's PRBF!

Jan Lisa Huttner, IWPA's annual PRBF Coordinator, can be reached at 312.663.5832.

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