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Talking author events with Free Library's Andy Kahan

The author events series at the Free Library of Philadelphia can boast impressive numbers - more than 130 events a year, nearly half a million podcasts downloaded, and more than 30,000 book-lovers in attendance. Andy Kahan, 51, director of the series, reflects on the series and its future.

Andy Kahan , has been Director of Author Events at the Free Library of Philadelphia for 15 years. (CHANDA JONES / Staff Photographer)
Andy Kahan , has been Director of Author Events at the Free Library of Philadelphia for 15 years. (CHANDA JONES / Staff Photographer)Read more

The author events series at the Free Library of Philadelphia can boast impressive numbers - more than 130 events a year, nearly half a million podcasts downloaded, and more than 30,000 book-lovers in attendance. Andy Kahan, 51, director of the series, reflects on the series and its future.

Q: What have been the highlights of the series?

A: My highlights might not be your highlights (or anyone else's), but some that come to mind include having Richard Clarke the day after he testified to the 9/11 Commission; the couple of events we had with the ever-passionate and intense Jeanette Winterson; any time we host Toni Morrison, David Mitchell, or A.S. Byatt; Rachel Maddow's appearance a couple of years ago; and Hillary Clinton's recent book signing.

Q: Have there been any appearances you'd just as soon forget?

A: Hillary Clinton's recent book signing. It was a great day, incredibly exciting, with a thousand attendees, great press, and high energy, but the planning and logistics wrung my office and the institution inside out. And to top it off, the day ended with a sold-out appearance with John Waters. Of course, I'd do it again tomorrow, though preferably the day after.

Q:. Which authors have impressed you the most?

A: Karen Russell is marvelous. I love her inventive mind and zany humor. Jeanette Winterson. Christopher Hitchens' drinking and reasoning abilities were both astonishing. Michael Beschloss' capacity to speak in perfectly formed paragraphs for an hour without a single "um." Salman Rushdie and Martin Amis riffing on Nabokov; Derek Walcott's marmoreal I will suffer no fools; the humble presence of Tim O'Brien; Julie Otsuka's amazing poly-vocal writing performance in The Buddha in the Attic. I could go on . . . .

Q: Have there been any major disappointments, authors you wanted to bring here but couldn't get?

A: Oh, disappointment is a large part of the job. In every season I invite at least twice as many people as appear. This season we missed out on Lena Dunham, Roxanne Gay, Marlon James, John Cleese, Amy Poehler, Robin Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, and David Pogue, to name just a few that are still top of my mind.

Q: How do you choose the authors you want to invite and how difficult is it to get them to come to Philadelphia?

A: I generally choose authors based on their importance in their field, their notoriety, their ability to draw an audience, and the quality of their writing. We've been fortunate to have a good number of top-notch writers agree to come every year. Much of their assent is due to the fact that we're strategically located between New York City and Washington, D.C., and easily accessible by train. We're also the fifth- (I think) largest media market. Having said that, I'm consistently surprised to see that Philadelphia isn't on the tour lists and 90 percent of the authors wouldn't come to town unless I convinced their publisher to send them.

    Q: Are authors paid for appearing at the Free Library?

A: Most of the time we're able to host writers on tour. I often negotiate little side deals to cover hotel, travel, or a small honorarium when necessary.

Q: How do you decide which events will be free and which will require a ticket?

A: Because it costs substantial time, money, promotional and institutional muscle to put on this series, we defray costs by charging for authors where we need to recoup costs and for the bigger names that people expect to pay for here and at other venues. During the course of the year we typically have two to three times as many free events as paid events. It's important to me to maintain that balance.

Q: How big are your audiences?

A: Our audiences run from 60 to 1,200. It all depends on the author and the book. We always aim to fill our 400-seat hall, but there are many writers worth hosting who won't fill the venue.

Q: Have audiences changed in the 20 years since the series began?

A: The audience has definitely become more diverse in terms of age, interest, ethnicity, and economic status. I think that has as much to do with the free author events as it does with the diversity of types of writers and programs from science to poetry to dance and fantasy.

Q: What does the future hold for the series?

A: The future is on steroids. The audience for the series continues to grow; our podcasts are reaching a worldwide audience; we're expanding into video; we have a solid endowment that guarantees the existence of the series into the unforeseeable come-what-may; and I don't think anyone got the memo to stop publishing the more than 2 million actual and virtual books written annually. We plan to continue host our .0075 percent of authors in perpetuity.