This year’s 9th annual Sarasota Reading Festival will feature more than 100 author readings and seminars, children’s events and performances. Among the authors slated to appear are John Jakes, Michael Connelly and Sena Jeter Naslund.

Sarasota, FL -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/09/2006 --FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Roxanne Joffe, (941) 953-9191

The Herald-Tribune Media Group, SNN6, Comcast and CAP Creative are lead corporate sponsors of the 2006 Sarasota Reading Festival, to be held Saturday, Nov. 4 at Five Points Park in downtown Sarasota. Together, these companies have donated $300,000 in cash and in-kind services to help produce the 9th annual festival, a free daylong celebration of literacy that will feature more than 30 nationally renowned authors.

Pavilion corporate sponsors who each donated $15,000 to the Reading Festival are: The Richardson Group, Discovery and Environment Pavilion; Pineapple Square, History and Current Events Pavilion; Publix and Publix Super Market Charities, Cooking and Home Pavilion; and Dunkin’ Donuts, Young People’s Pavilion.

Publisher’s Circle sponsors, who donated $10,000 each, are Sky Sotheby’s International Realty, Sarasota News and Books, Sarasota Magazine and Target.

Author’s Circle sponsors, at $5,000 each, are the Greenfield Foundation/Goldsmith Fund; Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice; Gulf Coast Tax Solutions CPAs; The Tarr Charitable Family Foundation; The Tillie, Jennie & Harold Schwartz Foundation; the Harriet and Raymond Brush Charitable Foundation; and Opteum Financial Services.

Reader’s Circle sponsors, at $2,500 each, are Ian Black Real Estate, Morgan Stanley, the Florida Humanities Council, The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, Spotlight Graphics and Goodwill Manasota. Honorary Publishers, at $1,000 each, are Jane B. Baisley, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Cranor III, In Loving Memory of Anthony J. Dimino, Harshman & Co., Hotel Indigo, W. Nelon Kirkland Esq., the Law Offices of Liane McCurry, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Noble, RBC Centura Bank, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard C. Regan, Nancy and Peter Reinheimer, and Dr. and Mrs. Gerald F. Ross.

In addition, the Leslie Glass Foundation and Alexandra Jupin and John Bean are sponsors of A Novel Affair, the meet-the-author fund-raising reception to take place at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3 at Selby Public Library. And the Comcast Foundation gave a $20,000 grant for the free book giveaway for all youngsters attending the festival.

This year’s 9th annual Sarasota Reading Festival will feature more than 100 author readings and seminars, children’s events and performances. Among the authors slated to appear are John Jakes, Michael Connelly and Sena Jeter Naslund. The A Novel Affair author reception will be held at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3 at Selby Public Library. Tickets to A Novel Affair start at $50 and will be available in mid-September.

For more information, visit the festival’s newly expanded Web site, www.sarasotareadingfestival.com.