Baltimore Book

The 17th Baltimore Book Festival is expanding into a fifth city block as a result of a new partnership with Center Stage that could become an annual tradition. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced Tuesday morning that the book fest, which will run Sept. 28-30, will expand down Monument Street between St. Paul and Calvert streets - toward Center Stage . "When my family arrived in Baltimore a year ago, one of our first days out was to walk up the hill to the Book Festival," Kwame Kwei-Armah, Center Stage 's artistic director, said at a news conference.

This year's Baltimore Book Festival goes Hollywood, at least a little, as familiar faces from both the small and large screens come to town. In addition to "America's Next Top Model" judge Nigel Barker, the following celebs-turned-authors will probably attract their share of gawkers. Jesse Ventura: The former professional wrestler turned politician will be on hand at 5:30 p.m. Saturday to promote his new book "American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies That the Government Tells Us. " The book purports to be an investigation into the parts of our history that the government does not want the public to know.

The city-owned Hilton Baltimore Convention Center Hotel performed better in its second full year of operation than in its first, but officials warned that the slow economic recovery means several more years could pass before it turns a profit. In terms of cash flow, the 757-room hotel on Pratt Street ended 2010 "slightly above break-even," with $9.7 million on hand at the end of the year, compared with $8.4 million at the beginning, according to a financial statement provided this month to the city's Board of Estimates.

Introducing the Baltimore Sun Book Club The Sun is launching a reader book club with Emily Giffin's "Where We Belong" (St. Martin's Press, $27.99). Participation is easy: 1. Read the book 2. Go to the Baltimore Sun's Read Street Facebook page and start chatting with us as we ask questions about the book. We'll be chatting right up until Sept. 29. 3. Come hear Giffin when she discusses her new novel 12 p.m., Sept. 29 at the Baltimore Book Festival. The Sun is sponsoring her festival appearance at the Bank of America Literary Salon ( map )

IT WAS GOOD to see Brooklyn Park well represented at the Baltimore Book Festival last weekend. The Ebony Eyes Book Club set a friendly mood at the Sibanye Stage, welcoming visitors and introducing both established and up-and-coming African-American authors to readers.I saw neighbors and Brooklyn Park High School alumni inspecting displays and taking in the magnificence of the Peabody Library. Seems there is an appreciation of the literary arts in Brooklyn Park after all.Perhaps with all of the retail redevelopment in the community, a bookstore will take up residence to help nourish this quest for reading.

Want to rub shoulders with authors from this weekend's Baltimore Book Festival ? Hotel Monaco Baltimore, 2 N. Charles St., is hosting a Mix and Mingle event, Friday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the living room area of the boutique hotel. Authors include: Jennifer Armentrout (Romance), Catherine Asaro (Science Fiction), Megan Hart (Erotic Fiction), Cheryl Klam (Young Adult Romance), Sophie Perinot (Historical Fiction), Jeri Smith (Romance) and Hope Tarr (Romance).

Baltimore concluded its 15th annual book festival Sunday by acknowledging a newer form of literary interaction: book blogs. "Anything and everything to do with technology is definitely a hot topic," said Tracy Baskerville, spokeswoman for the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts, which produces the festival. "You'll be seeing even more next year. " Baskerville predicted panels devoted to e-books and more about the social media literary forums that enable book lovers to interact with authors.

The sound of hundreds of people laughing uproariously at the Baltimore Book Festival on Saturday afternoon was elicited not by a stand-up comic but by an author whose most popular work has been frequently challenged and banned in recent years. Sherman Alexie discussed that book, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," with a standing-room-only audience during the weekend-long literary celebration. The music- and food-infused event, in its 16th year, featured dozens of tents of authors and book sellers.