Arts & Entertainment Preview

Book It

Harry Potter's magic extends far beyond the fictional halls of Hogwarts School of Wizards and Witchcraft, with J.K. Rowling's successful series of books inspiring millions of Muggles (humans without wizard abilities) to discover the joys of reading and the power of the written word. Books are back, and book lovers of all ages will have the opportunity to meet many of their favorite authors during two area reading festivals.

On March 18, the seventh

annual Lee County Reading Festival, at the Harborside Event Center and Centennial Park in downtown Fort Myers, is expected to attract more than 15,000 people. The free event is produced by the Lee County library system. This year, programs for all ages will include writing workshops, storytelling sessions, street theater performances and historical portrayals. In addition, more than 20 authors will offer presentations and book signings.

"It's unique for a library system to put on an event of this size," says Karen Sloan, Lee County library development specialist and

event organizer.

Some of the stars slated for this year are Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries; Tim Dorsey, the humorous Florida crime writer and author of eight books, including Florida Roadkill and Stingray Shuffle; and mystery

writer Carol Higgins Clark, author of eight Regan Reilly mysteries and co-author of three suspense novels with her mother, Mary Higgins Clark.

"It's always rewarding to see a big spike in the circulation of the featured authors' books after the festival," Sloan says.

Since readers need writers, the Naples Press Club's fourth annual Authors and Books Festival will kick off this year's event with a separate writer's conference Jan. 14 and 15 at International College's Naples campus.

"There's a real hunger here to learn the craft and business of writing," says event chair Phil Jason. "Every year we've seen this event grow, so we decided to separate the writer's conference from the festival so more people could attend both."

More than 20 presenters will cover a wide variety of topics, from how-to sessions for would-be writers of fiction and fantasy to tips on marketing and selling ideas to publishers. Headlining authors include Jonathon King, author of the popular Max Freeman novels, and S.V. Date, the Florida author of such Hiaasen-like hits as Black Sunshine and Deep Water. Representatives from literary agencies and publishing houses will also be available for writers to pitch their works.

"There will be a rich menu to choose from," says Jason. "The hardest part will be choosing which sessions to attend."

For more information on the Lee County Reading Festival, call (239) 479-4636. For more information on the Authors and Books Festival, call (239) 593-1488 or visit

www.authorsandbooksfestival.org.

-Lynne Howard Frazer

Making History

More than three decades after the last train chugged out of the Naples Depot, the front doors are once again open, welcoming visitors to the newest museum in Collier County. Not quite complete when the first train arrived in 1927, the building had its main entrance sealed off 20 years ago, says Ron Jamro, director of the Collier County museums. "It's great to have it open again."

Opening a museum is nothing new for Jamro, who has worked as director of county museums for 23 years. He started fresh out of graduate school, with a master's degree in history from the University of San Diego. At that time, the county's only museum was a tiny 1,500 square feet. Over the years, he oversaw the expansion of that space and opened three others: the Museum of the Everglades, the Immokalee Pioneer Museum and now the Naples Depot.

But Jamro, 55, has yet to overdose on history, often participating in re-enactment groups, playing the part of a soldier during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Seminole Wars and the Civil War. He's even inspired his 17-year-old daughter, Lauren, to sometimes join in as company flag-bearer-although "her mother doesn't like it when she plays a Northerner during the Civil War," he jokes.

"I still get great joy out of seeing people get excited about history," Jamro says. "The hardest part is getting people to believe our history is worth learning and preserving. We're a long way from done, but we've made a start."

-Lynne Howard Frazer

For more information, call (239) 774-8476 or visit www.colliermuseum.com.

Top Tickets

The opportunities to enrich our lives by listening to interesting people have expanded this season. For starters, the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts serves up nearly 150 different programs in music, dance, art, theater, literature and more with its Lifelong Learning at the Phil series. Old favorites George Zimmerman, Paul Rathburn and Elaine Newton are back with commentary on music, Shakespeare, books and movies. But you can also tune in to lectures on the performing arts by Temple University professor emeritus Joe Leonardo, indulge in a painting marathon with Graham Nickson and learn about modern dance from Lou Conte, founder of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. For dates and times call (239) 597-1900. There's more, too, in the Phil's Voices of Distinction speaker series, which brings to town jazz player-commentator Billy Taylor, Feb. 13, author-philosopher Deepak Chopra, March 13, and humorist Dave Barry, April 17.

The Naples Fort Myers Town Hall Today series presents author David McCullough, Feb. 17; former Attorney General John Ashcroft, March 17; and sometimes-controversial Georgia Sen. Zell Miller, April 7, all at the Registry Resort . BIG ARTS Forum lecture series brings historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and newsman Jim Lehrer, among others, to Sanibel; call (239) 395-0900 for dates . Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Ellen Goodman appears Feb. 15 for Planned Parenthood's annual speaker event and dinner . And no less a personage than former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev educates and illuminates March 28 at the Florida Gulf Coast University Lecture Series ... On a different note, the Fort Myers Beach Film Festival promises films and fun in the sun, April 27-30.