20th Annual Carl Sandburg Festival to Take Place April 21-25

GALESBURG — The 20th annual Carl Sandburg Festival will take place April 21-25 to honor Galesburg-born, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Abraham Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg by celebrating with the community through educational and recreational activities.

This year’s festival will feature five days of literary, history and children’s events that take place at the Carl Sandburg Historic Site and Visitors Center; Carl Sandburg College; Galesburg Public Library; Galesburg Civic Art Center; and Knox College.

This year, a special dedication ceremony will take place at the Carl Sandburg Historic Site, as it will be designated a Literary Landmark. Other events and activities include author talks; book signings; poetry readings and contests; a writer’s workshop; and a photography contest.

This year’s featured guests include:

·  Pulitzer Prize winner and 19th U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey

·  Bestselling author Jennifer Niven, daughter of the late Sandburg biographer Penelope Niven and author of “All the Bright Places”

·  Internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor Lonnie Eugene Stewart, creator of the nearly 10-foot-tall sculpture of Sandburg to be placed in Galesburg’s Central Park

·  Illinois State Library Director Anne Craig

·  Marc K. Smith, founder of the poetry slam movement

For a complete list of events and more information about the Carl Sandburg Festival, visit www.sandburg.edu/festival.