Book Fairs and Festivals

Reading is often thought of as a solitary activity.  But get a bunch of readers together, add in a few authors, book stores, publishers, maybe music, some food and just like that you have a festival.

My first introduction to book festivals was the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, held every year in spring. It is two days of not just books but all things literary (and some that are not). There are bookish clothes, live poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, music, interviews with authors and more. But you don’t have to come all the way to Los Angeles to celebrate books. There are book festivals all over the country. Here is a list to help you find one near you.

Monthly

North Hollywood, CA: Book’d in Burbank
Dates: Monthly
Website: http://www.bookdevent.com/

February 2016

Amelia Island, FL: Amelia Island Book Festival
Dates: February 18-20, 2016
Website: http://www.ameliaislandbookfestival.org/

Columbia, SC: Deckle Edge Literary Festival
Dates: February 19-21, 2016
Website: http://www.DeckleEdgeSC.org

March 2016

Tucson, AZ: Tucson Festival of Books
Dates: March 12-13
Website: http://www.tucsonfestivalofbooks.org/

Charlottesville, VA: Virginia Festival of the Book
Dates: March 16-20
Website: http://www.vabook.org/index.html/

Los Angeles, CA: AWP Conference & Bookfair
Dates: March 30-April 2
Website: https://www.awpwriter.org/awp_conference/overview

New Orleans, LA: Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
Dates: March 30-April 3
Website: http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/

April 2016

Palm Beach, FL: Palm Beach Book Festival
Dates: April 1-2
Website: http://www.palmbeachbookfestival.com/

Los Angeles, CA: L.A. Times Festival of Books
Dates: April 9-10
Website: http://events.latimes.com/festivalofbooks/

Las Vegas, NV: Romantic Times Booklovers Convention
Dates: April 12-17
Website: https://www.rtconvention.com/

Little Rock, AK: Arkansas Literary Festival
Dates: April 14-17
Website: http://www.arkansasliteraryfestival.org/

Bowling Green, KY: Southern Kentucky Book Fest
Dates: April 22-23
Website: http://sokybookfest.org/

Montgomery, AL: Alabama Book Festival
Date: April 23
Website: http://www.alabamabookfestival.org/welcome.html

Newburyport, MA: Newburyport Literary Festival
Dates: April 29-30
Website: http://newburyportliteraryfestival.org/

Chelsea, MI: Midwest Literary Walk
Date: April 30
Website: http://midwestliterarywalk.org/

May 2016

Hudson, NY: Hudson Children’s Book Festival
Date: May 7
Website: http://www.hudsonchildrensbookfestival.com/

Chicago, IL: Book Con
Date: May 11-13
Website: http://www.thebookcon.com  (will be in NY 2017)

Chicago, IL: BEA (Book Expo America) 
Date: May 11-13
Website: http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/ (will be in NY 2017)

Landover, MD: The Prince George’s Book Festival
Date: May 14
Website: www.springbookfestival.simplesite.com

Gaithersburg, MD: Gaithersburg Book Festival
Date: May 21
http://gaithersburgbookfestival.org/

Oakland, CA:  Oakland Book Festival
Date: May 22
Website: http://www.oaklandbookfestival.org/

June 2016

Berkeley, CA: Bay Area Book Festival
Dates: June 4-5
Website: http://www.baybookfest.org/

Chicago, IL: Printers Row Lit Fest
Dates: TBD
Website: http://printersrowlitfest.org/

Nantucket, MA: Nantucket Book Festival
Dates: June 17-19
Website: https://nantucketbookfestival.org/

Ann Arbor, MI: Ann Arbor Book Festival
Dates: June 16-18
Website: http://aabookfestival.org/

September 2016

Decatur, GA: Decatur Book Festival
Dates: TBD
Website: https://www.decaturbookfestival.com

Memphis, TN:  Mid-South Book Festival
Date: September 7-11
Website: http://www.midsouthbookfest.org/about-the-festival

Brooklyn, NY:  Brooklyn Book Festival
Date:  September 17-18
Website: http://www.brooklynbookfestival.com/

Washington, D.C.:  Library of Congress National Book Festival
Date: September 24
Website: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

October 2016

Baltimore, MD: African American Author’s Festival and Multi-Cultural Book Fair
Date: October 15
Website: http://aaaexpo.ning.com/

Charlotte, NC: Carolina Book Fest
Date: October 15
Website: http://carolinabookfest.com/

Cincinnati, OH: Books by the Banks
Date: October 15
Website: http://booksbythebanks.org/

November 2016

Austin, TX: Texas Book Festival
Date: November 5-6
Website: http://www.texasbookfestival.org/

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Mocha Girl Tiffani

Blogger at Passport Books

I grew up in northern California. Since then I have lived in Boston, New York, London, and Los Angeles. Wherever I go, I am sure to bring a book for with a book I can travel anywhere in time and space. As an avid reader with eclectic tastes, I'll give just about any genre a try. Whether it is a mystery, fantasy, science fiction, romance, literary fiction, or nonfiction - bring it on. My favorite read is anything with a good story, well drawn characters, a compelling plot, or well crafted sentences – bonus if a book contains all of the above. I joined Mocha Girls I wanted to meet other African-American woman who enjoyed books and reading as much as I do. In Mocha Girl I found an amazing group of women who understand the power of a great story.

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