This weekend, downtown Madison will host the Wisconsin Book Festival, a fair that has added to the already rich culture present in Madison. The festival runs from Wednesday, Oct. 7 through Sunday, Oct. 11. Beginning in 2002, the festival is put on by the Wisconsin Humanities Council, with aid from many local sponsors.

In past years the festival has attracted many famous authors of different calibers including former Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins, Tom O’Brien and Grace Paley. However, the festival does not fall short on local talent, drawing many authors from the area as well.

Alison Jones Chaim, the Wisconsin Book Festival director, is excited about the geographic differentiation the festival has brought to Madison over the years.

“The festival is one of the ways that Madison is good at showcasing its best by bringing people from a wider geographical range,” Chaim said.

The festival is one of the largest literary festivals in the state, drawing more than 15,000 people annually. Ranging from used book sales to benefit public libraries to speaking events including major and local authors, the festival promises to draw a large crowd for a variety of different reasons.

“On Thursday night, for example, we have a really cool book festival party event. It should be a very good time, off the grid a little bit, in terms of what one might expect of a regular festival event,” Chaim stated.

In recent years, the festival has developed a unique approach to the many different activities they offer. The theme of the 2009 festival is “courage,” a thread that can relate to a vast number of people facing issues. When asked why the theme for this year was chosen, Chaim said, “It’s about making it home, about where we live and how people relate to the states that we’re in. It brings us to a kind of courage in terms of standing up for one’s true beliefs in the face of what might be easier, against the rest of society or the economy, a quiet courage of conviction.”

The keynote speaker for the festival, Wendell Berry, a well-known author, farmer and poet, will be speaking at the Overture Center this coming Sunday and falls directly into the “thread of courage” present in this year’s festival.

“We brainstorm a lot in terms of what our theme is going to be each year, and when we hit that one it really hit with our key note speaker, you can find the thread of courage in so many different things, it won’t narrow down our events,” Chaim said.

The festival offers much to those who come with an inquisitive sense towards literature. Graphic novelists, poets, singer/songwriters and local writers will be present at many events, most of which are free.

“We work really hard to make our festival free so that there is no barrier to who can come and who can’t,” Chaim said.

Many of the events can be found at local venues on or around State Street and Capitol Square. In the end, the main goal of the festival is to present to its visitors not only the literature and ideas it has to offer, but also the rich culture that is Madison.

For more information regarding specific locations and a complete schedule of events, visit the Wisconsin Book Festival’s website at www.wisconsinbookfestival.org.