Ajanta Chakraborty stood behind a table Saturday at the Printer’s Row Lit Fest talking to young readers of the books she has co-authored with her husband, Vivek Kumar.
Chakraborty moved to the city in 2010 to work as a software engineer but ended up founding her own dance company. Then, six years ago, the couple turned to the written word to bring together their passions for dance, children’s stories and Hindu and Muslim culture to teach the history of the choreography.
“I saw there was a need,” the self-published author said of the 13 titles they had on display. “I felt that warmth in the people of Chicago where I was like, ‘I think there’s space here to bring this culture and really spread it to the community.”
She still considers being an author a “side hustle,” though the couple has cleared 75,000 sales globally this year.
They were among the more than 200 authors showing their works this weekend at the five-block street festival, which also features some 100 booksellers. Now in its 38th year, the festival is expected to bring more than 100,000 attendees as it continues on Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dearborn Avenue.
Nearby, the fest’s central stage featured panel discussions of storytelling for children, anarchist literature and Chicago’s ties to country music, as well as a performances from Jon Langford of the Waco Brothers.
This year’s festival also welcomed a panel discussion by Erika L. Sánchez, Ami Polonsky and Jessie Ann Foley, who have had their books banned in several states.
The three authors unanimously rejected the notion that having their books banned was any kind of badge of honor among writers, opting instead for descriptors like “terrifying.”
Illinois recently becoming the first state to ban book bans.
“We feel safe here, so we get a little bit complacent,” Polonsky said. “But it can become dangerous to become too complacent.”
Michaelle Bradford, a Bronzeville resident who has attended the fest nearly a dozen times, came out to get inspiration and advice from some of the featured authors. The magazine writer and editor said she hopes to publish a story based on her time living in Arkansas one day.
“I want to do more on the creative writing side,” Bradford said of attending a discussion by fiction authors. “That’s why I always try to come out because it’s just inspiration.”
Friends Emily Steinbach, Bella Fernandez and Vanessa Weishaar had just moved to Chicago to study art therapy at Adler University and said they came to the festival to introduce themselves to the city.
The group perused posters at the Poster Print Shop, most of which were in the art deco style, to decorate their new apartments in South Loop and Hyde Park.
“I’m from a really small town so I’m super into [Chicago’s] culture and how public everything is,” said Weishaar, who grew up in North Dakota. “I think Chicago gets a bad rap, especially from where I’m from, but genuinely I love this city and I’m excited to keep exploring.”
