From April 24 to April 30, 80 writers will converge in Durham for the 2006 North Carolina Festival of the Book. There will be novelists and oral historians, biographers and essayists, poets and songwriters. Literary lions will be joined by up-and-comers. There will be humor and hallelujahs, political jibes and religious asides. Despite months of planning, negotiating, calls and faxes, the event will succeed only if readers come to the party.

Breaking from the standard literary festival format of authors reading excerpts from recently published books, festival organizers chose instead to pair writers around common themes and interests. As a result, the seven-day celebration will unfold as a series of spirited personal conversations.

Launched in 1998 as the North Carolina Literary Festival, the gathering is a collaboration of the libraries at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), which hosted the first event; North Carolina State University, the host in 2004; and Duke. North Carolina Central University is a new partner this year. Most of the events will take place at Duke, with additional programs to be held at other Durham venues. All events are free and open to the public.

“The theme of the festival is ‘It’s About the Story’,” says festival director Aaron Greenwald, “but in many cases it’s really the stories behind the stories — the relationships between writers and how they inspire and learn from one another.”

Blount and UNC-CH professor and poet Seay, whose friendship goes back more than 30 years, say they haven’t yet mapped out their presentation. “What’s our topic again?” Blount asks. When told the theme is friendship, fishing and the writing life, he responds, “Well, we won’t have to do a lot of research.”

For Patchett, whose books include The Magician’s Assistant and Bel Canto, the lure that drew her to attend the festival was Allan Gurganus. “I get a lot of requests to do these things,” Patchett says by phone from her home in Nashville. “If my sister or best friend lives close by, or it’s for a good cause, that can be very winning. In this case, it was the chance to see Allan, whom I worship.”

Gurganus, who taught Patchett, says even as a student, she was dedicated to writing. “It was remarkable to me that here was this 18-year-old taking the time to write and rewrite,” he says. “Our culture is so quickly galloping away from all revision, from hindsight. It’s the whole mentality of improv theatre, become an actor without ever rehearsing.”

Non-fiction writer Guralnick, author of Dream Boogie, an acclaimed biography of Sam Cooke, will join his friend Crowther. The pair will team up on Sunday with WNCU deejay Jim Davis, who hosts a weekly radio show featuring classic R&B from the ’40s to the ’60s. Crowther is an essayist, columnist and critic whose Gather At The River: Notes From The Post-millennial South is a National Book Award finalist. They’ll take on themes ranging from movies, baseball and the joys of dog ownership to what Crowther views as the fearful, flaccid state of current journalism. In addition to the onstage pairings of writers, the festival promises just as many spontaneous reunions among far-flung groups of friends and colleagues. Oral historian Craig Marberry excitedly rattled off the names of other participants he wanted to meet. “Reynolds Price? Wow, he’s at the top of my list! I may have to play hooky from my own session.”

Gurganus compared the festival to a summer-camp reunion — not just of writers, but also of the people they write for.

“I look forward to meeting people I’ve only known on the page, but I’m really looking forward to seeing readers,” he says. “I love looking out into the audience and seeing a familiar cadre of readers.”