One of the pleasures of the Louisiana Book Festival is seeing so many families with young readers in the large audience. This year they're in for a special treat with New Orleans writer and one of this week’s guest on Bookmark from The Life, Paul Siefken, president and CEO of Fred Rogers Production - his latest book is Vernon Poche & the Ghosts of New Orleans. Readers will also hear from the prolific Marti Dumas, who has a third book in the Wild Witch series called “Fortunes and Frenemies,” featuring young Hasani Schexnayder-Jones, and the first book in a new series, “The Secret Society of Rebel Girls: Nina and the Mysterious Mailbox.”
Here’s what’s on tap in the literary life this week:
Johnette Downing reads from and signs “Petit Pierre and His Wild Adventure,” Saturday, October 26, at 10:30 a.m. at Octavia Books.
Loreal Ivory presents a story time, “Who Let the Nerves Out?” Saturday, October 26, at 11 a.m. at Garden District Book Shop.
Blue Cypress Books presents a full day of author signings Sunday, October 27, at the Po Boy Festival on Oak Street. Here’s the line-up:
- 10:30am – 12pm | Chris Clarkson author of Chloe and the Fireflies
- 11am – 12:30pm | Chris Granger, Susan Langenhennig and John Pope contributors to Painting the Town
- 11:30am – 1pm | Adam Dennis author of Gary and His Little Friend Jerry
- 12:30pm – 2pm | Rachel M. Marsh author of Rougarou Magic
- 1pm – 2:30pm | Marti Dumas author of the Wildseed Witch series.
- 1:30pm – 3pm | Eric Cook author of Modern Creole: A Taste of New Orleans Culture and Cuisine
- 2:30pm – 4pm | Alexandra Navarre-Davis & Shannon Kelly Atwater author and illustrator of Clyde the Giant Crawfish
3:30pm – 5pm | Mark Rosenbohm author and creator of Nola Portraits
Elizabeth Earnshaw discusses and signs “’Til Stress Do Us Part,” Sunday, October 27, at 4 p.m. at Garden District Book Shop.
Olivia Worley discusses and signs “The Debutantes,” Tuesday, October 29 at 6 p.m. at Garden District Book Shop.
Sharon Keating discusses and signs “Hauntingly Good Spirits," Wednesday, October 30, at 5 p.m. at Garden District Book Shop.
Tamron Hall and her co-author present a “Brunch & Books” tasting and signing, Saturday, November 2, from 1-3 at Baldwin & Co. this is a ticketed event.
The Friends of the Jefferson Public Library hold their Big Book Sale Friday through Sunday, October 25-27, at the Pontchartrain Center, Williams Blvd. at the Lake, in Kenner. Hours are Friday and Saturday (October 25-26) from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday (October 27) from noon to 5 p.m. This is one of the largest book sales in the New Orleans area, with over 65,000 items for sale, including gently used
adult and children's books, puzzles, DVDs, CDs, and records. Cash and credit or debit cards only.
Time to vote for the next One Book One New Orleans selection. Cast your vote at the web site or Facebook page for one of the following three finalists:
- Letting In Air and Light by Teresa Tumminello Brader
- NOLA Face: A Latina’s Life in the Big Easy by Brooke Champagne
- Daughters of the New Year by E.M. Tran
And get ready for the Louisiana Book Festival coming up November 2, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Baton Rouge at the Louisiana State Capitol, the State Library of Louisiana, the Capitol Park Museum, and the surrounding Capitol Park area. The festival is free and open to the public, with more than 200 authors on hand to entertain readers of all ages and activities for children and teenagers. This is the Festival’s 20th year. The Louisiana Writer Award will also celebrate its 25th year. This year’s recipient is Baton Rouge-area native poet David Kirby, long-time professor at Florida State University. The festival’s 15th One Book One Festival program, led by Dr. Gary Richard, will feature Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter.
Author and illustrator William Joyce will debut the anxiously awaited Rocket Puppies, his first book in eight years, and Ashley Elston returns with her adult debut novel First Lie Wins, a New York Times bestseller, the Penguin Random House’s bestselling fiction book for the first half of the year, and the January pick for the Reese Witherspoon Book Club. The festival will host the premiere of Books Across America, a documentary from filmmaker Mason Engel in which he travels to 50 states, reads 50 books, and interviews 50 authors in 50 days. Among those interviewed is Louisiana’s own Maurice Carlos Ruffin For more information about the 2024 Louisiana Book Festival, visit LouisianaBookFestival.org or check out the Festival’s Facebook page.
