Features include free book festival, local premiere of Ken Burns' Vietnam War, and Love Loss and What I Wore

Tickets are now on sale for the Arts and Humanities Alive (AHA!) Festival presented by Cleveland State University. The three-day fest will be held June 7, 8, and 9 and features a free, all-day book fair, the local premiere of Ken Burns' new PBS documentary The Vietnam War, talks by multiple best-selling authors, a free dance work shop with Dancing with the Stars’ Karina Smirnoff, and performances of the hit stage productions Love, Loss and What I Wore and The Frog Bride. To see the complete schedule of events, purchase tickets or register for the fest’s free events, visit www.ahacsu.com.

Presented in partnership with Playhouse Square, AHA! Fest’s inaugural theme is Storytelling: What Our Stories Tell us About Ourselves and is made possible thanks to a generous gift from Myra and Darwin Smith. Former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, John Frohnmayer, will be the resident curator for the Festival, acting as host and discussion leader, and Tom and Joanie Adler will serve as honorary co-chairs.

A day long outdoor Book Fair, along Euclid Avenue, from 14th -17th streets, kicks off the Festival on June 7 and will include a children's area with storytelling and performances, adult authors and publishers, interactive exhibits, local libraries and bookstores, along with food trucks and entertainers, with free parking provided.

Community members are invited to Dance with a Star, Karina Smirnoff, on the stage of the State Theater at Playhouse Square in a free dance workshop and East Cleveland native and Hollywood star Yvette Nicole Brown returns to her hometown for an inspiring keynote address at the Arts Education Day Luncheon. Award-winning authors Delia Ephron, Jonathan Safran Foer, Isabel Wilkerson and Jon Meacham will each present talks about their respective best-selling books and Dr. Lucianne Walkowicz from the Adler Planetarium in Chicago takes us on an out-of-this-world adventure through the stars during a TEDx Salon.

The children's theater production of The Frog Bride, performed by Drama Desk nominee David Gonzalez, and the justly famous Love, Loss and What I Wore by Nora and Delia Ephron and performed by Mama?? Theatre Company comprise the Festival's theater offerings.

###