Sara Reyes | Off to the Festivals

I'm not quite sure what I should use as the label for South by South West (SXSW)
or "South by." It's a film festival, a music festival and now more than ever an
"Interactive" conference / festival. It's the result of what's happening in the
"real" world. You know, the convergence of our lives and the stuff we do. Like
we listen to music which is now almost all electronically stored on files,
played in little devices that make us laugh when we think back to the days of
the Sony Walkman, or even, bless me, the LP. We get our movies and shows on our
computers and even on our phones which have become handy devices to entertain
while we're waiting or bored. We can see what's happening in our worlds, check
the weather forecast, listen to music, watch a film and read a book. It's a
wonderful gadget and almost every one has one type or another.

So this gathering in Austin, the SXSW experience is amazing. I've met all ages,
types, sizes and nationalities of people. From the geeks for tech to the nerds
for film, to the secret readers of "trash fiction" (that would be what I read I
gathered) to evangelists for change (political, cultural, or other). It's an
amazing time filled with much anticipation, energy and innovation.

Why do I go when all I do is "books?" Well, the experience over the years has
given flight to my imagination to do things at Fresh Fiction. My doing things
pays off for fellow readers and authors. It's all a big circle and it keeps
getting larger with all the "new" stuff we can do.

And yeah, I'm seeing people standing in lines reading their Kindle, their Sony,
their Nook. Oh, yes, and the old fashioned paper books. It's a people thing.
Whatever floats your boat.

If you're curious I invite you to follow our Tweets (@freshfiction) through next Saturday. We'll be 'rawking' Austin and the festival! Until next time...
Get out there and READ a book...
Sara Reyes
DFW Tea Readers Group
Join us at Readers 'n 'ritas November 12-14, 2010! with Sherrilyn Kenyon and more guests
See you on the Twitter (@FreshFiction) PS comment and you could win signed books from Dakota Cassidy, sponsor of this weekend's blog contest. Two WINNERS!!! Big thanks to Dakota, don't miss her latest book, ACCIDENTALLY DEMONIC in stores now!

Comments

13 comments posted.

Re: Sara Reyes | Off to the Festivals

It's amazing how far technology has come. When I was even in high school this would have seemed like science fiction. On the one hand I love my conveniences, laptop, Kindle, cell, etc but on the other, we are losing the face to face conversations, etc. It sometimes makes me wish for an easier time.
(Vicki Hancock 5:04pm March 13, 2010)

Books are still a big draw for me. I like the holding them physically and being able to carry them around to place bookmarks in and give them to friends.
(Alyson Widen 5:09pm March 13, 2010)

I would like to visit the SXSW festival next year. Was not aware of it till I visited San Antonio last week.
(Vikki Parman 5:37pm March 13, 2010)

Sounds fantastic. I'm still a hold-in-hand physical book fiend.
(Mary Preston 5:47pm March 13, 2010)

I will always love to hold
physical books, but I still want
to get an ereader, too. What can
I say, I love technology!
(Margay Roberge 7:34pm March 13, 2010)

I think an ereader would be good for reading in bed (Hubby dosn't like the light on) but it's just not the same - I would really miss the feel and smell of my books
(Miranda Wood 8:11pm March 13, 2010)

I guess folks consider hubby and I as backward people, for neither of us have cell phone. We still depend on the house phone and I still read honest-to-goodness paper books...no fancy devices. People at the grocery store drive me nuts hanging on their cell phones throughout the store, even when checking out. I guess they would have those cell phones embedded in their ear if they could.

The festival truly sounds like a bit of everything. That should let each find his or her own interests. Have fun!
(Gladys Paradowski 8:17pm March 13, 2010)

I haven't got an ereader though they do sound interesting but I would miss the feel of the book in your hands.
(Diane Sadler 8:30pm March 13, 2010)

"and the old fashioned paper
books" Well, I guess I'm just destined to be old fashioned
if reading a REAL book is old
fashioned. Besides the fact
that I like holding a book in
my hands, turning pages, and
reading at the pool and in the
tub, it just doesn't make
sense to me to fork out $300-
$400 for a reader to hold
ebooks that cost as much as my
old fashioned paper book, that
I'd be afraid to use it at the
pool or in the tub, that I
can't loan to a friend and god
forbid should I lose it. Then
I'm out the price of the
reader and possibly a thousand
dollars worth of books(cause I
READ lots of books). Thank
goodness if I lose my old
fashioned book, hey so what, I
can buy another without having
to sell my first grandchild.
It's not that I'm against
technology, jeez we got
computers, cell phones, large
screen TVs, I-pods(hell we
even use one on the
motorcycle) and radios in our
helmets. We got technology out
the ying-yang in our life. I
just see the outrageous cost
of whole thing and can't
believe that people have been
suckered into it. I'm not
saying I'll never have one but
besides the cost going to have
to drop drastically, there
will have to be many more technological changes to the
readers to get me to get one.
(Lisa Richards 9:24pm March 13, 2010)

Have to say Ditto to all of the above! I have a long love affair with books. That love has been passed down with the succeeding generations, thank heavens! It is such pleasure to see the little ones now struggling to learn all those wonderful words that will take them everywhere. I know too, that they will probably experience the "new technology" & share it with us "oldies". That's what life is all about. I think I'd probably enjoy the festival too. It is fun to people watch. We are so different & yet so alike!
(Jean Merriott 11:21pm March 13, 2010)

I'm still waiting for a better ereader or
the price to drop enough to make it
worth it. I'm already into ebooks, but just
on my laptop.
(Jung Ja Ahn 11:29pm March 13, 2010)

I carried paper books AND e-books on my laptop for the past few months as we traveled. I read most of the books when it wasn't my turn to drive. The e-books are still waiting!
(Karin Tillotson 8:30pm March 14, 2010)

i know i should learn to be tech savy, as my niece keeps telling me(she's 13).i however really don't want to get that savy. i like my paper books and my old cassettes and i like being considered old-fashioned i guess because these are all things that are fast becomeing something noone appreciates anymore. everyone is already moving so fast these days that i think if they then take away something as wonderful as an actual print book that you have to slow down for,turn a page for and relax/enjoy then then what kind of speed will we be requiring from ourselves next?
(Tammy Ramey 12:12pm May 9, 2011)

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