People who are still waiting to be paid for their work in putting on Northwest Bookfest five months ago were surprised to learn last week that the Northwest Bookfest board of directors plans to hire an executive director to begin organizing the next festival.

This move calls into question the financial priorities of a board that still owes thousands of dollars to last year's vendors, contractors, and book artists. By not settling its debts, the board (which keeps insisting Bookfest 2003 will be "exciting" and "important") is alienating many of the key players who made last year's event such a success. (Few would go on record, and everyone who agreed to be quoted asked to remain anonymous.)

One volunteer and part-time contractor who's been involved with the festival for more than five years, and whose unpaid 2002 invoices total over $1,000, just got a letter from Jon M. Schorr, vice president of the board of directors, urging "forbearance and understanding" because Bookfest "has no sources of revenue other than those related to the festival, [so] our ability to pay you is dependent on our ability to mount a successful 2003 festival." (In actual fact, the board actively raises money throughout the year.)

The recipient of the perfunctory letter (it was addressed "Dear Creditor") observed, "It is usually around this time of year that [volunteer] committees begin work on the fall festival, yet nothing has been initiated for this coming year. The board's lack of communication with its volunteers and its delay in settling its debts is starting to have a negative effect on its relationship with the very community that makes Bookfest possible.

"While I support the idea and purpose of Bookfest," she continued, "I don't support the manner in which the board has represented Bookfest since its dissolution of the core staff." (The three full-time staff members who put on last year's festival were laid off in December.) "I wish the best for the festival, but am sad to say that I won't be investing my time or services in this coming year's event."

One local book artist, whose work sold in the 2002 juried exhibition, said, "They sold a $1,200 book for me, and handled the transaction, but have not yet paid me. I received a letter from Bookfest in December saying I would be paid in late January. Sometime in early February I began to wonder what was going on and started calling. And then I heard through another book artist about the financial situation Bookfest is in."

What is the financial situation, exactly? Last week I e-mailed 13 questions to President of the Board Marianne Lewis, including: "If you don't have money to pay 2002 vendors, where is the money to pay an executive director coming from?" Lewis sent back a breezy, upbeat e-mail that assured me of things like, "We celebrate the written word and promote literacy." I replied by asking her to answer my questions. At press time, she hadn't responded.

frizzelle@thestranger.com