8:39 a.m., March 18, 2009----On Saturday, March 14, the University of Delaware's Willard Hall Education Building was filled with bright-eyed, enthusiastic students from local schools spending one of their precious weekend days attending the ninth annual Festival of Words event.

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The Festival of Words promotes the values of reading and writing with contests and a variety of presenters, including this year's keynote speaker, widely known author of The Contender, Robert Lipsyte.

Peggy Dillner, director of UD's Education Resource Center, has co-chaired the event, along with Bonnie Albertson, since the festival's inception nine years ago.

This year's event saw between 250 and 300 attendees from public schools from all three of Delaware's counties, Dillner said.

“The Festival of Words is one of the only literacy events in the state specifically targeted at secondary students and the adults with whom they work,” she said.

Dillner, who specializes in young adult literature, asked Lipsyte to attend this year's festival as keynote speaker after having heard him present at several conferences in the past. She selected Lipsyte based upon his books' appeal to adolescent audiences and success with young adult literature.

“Lipsyte's other writing career, as a sports writer for The New York Times, gave him a perspective that is a bit different from other young adult authors,” she said. “He also appeals to both the male adolescent as well as the female adolescent. “

Lipsyte's address captured the attention of the youngsters in the audience as he recounted amusing anecdotes from his past. The stories of his coffee-boy days at The New York Times and an incidental encounter between the Beatles and boxer Muhammad Ali drew laughs and gasps from the crowd.

He also recounted a question a student had asked him when he attended a similar conference in Philadelphia. “A young girl asked me, 'So, what drugs do you use to write?' and I replied, 'Coffee.' She looked a little disappointed,” Lipsyte said with a smile.

After the speech, students dispersed to a variety of activities and lectures from UD faculty and guest presenters. Recreational activities for attendees included poetry readings, writing competitions and book signing by Lipsyte.

Phyllis Rado, an English teacher from A.I. du Pont Middle School, commended the Festival of Words as a learning opportunity for her students. Although attendance is completely voluntary for her students, 14 decided to devote their Saturday to the event.

“They get to write and talk about books,” Rado said. “The kids enjoy it.”

Article by Quentin Coleman
Photos by Kathy Atkinson and Duane Perry