Literary Festivals in the United States

The Boston Book Festival is a free annual book festival organized by the same-name nonprofit group founded in 2009 in order to promote a culture of reading.

The festival is held in October in Boston's Back Bay.

Speaker presentations are held in the Boston Public Library, Old South Church, Church of the Covenant, Trinity Church, Back Bay Events Center, and other locations.

The street festival is held on Copley Square and features live music, book vendors, and exhibitors and many activities for festival participants and their families.

There are programs and activities for children, writing contests and workshops, open mic, and more.

The book festival is a culmination of a year-long range of literary events such as literary outings, readings, cookbook author demos, literary pub trivia nights, and more.

Copley Square, Boston, MA 02116, Phone: 857-259-6999

Established in 2015, the Bay Area Book Festival is one of the world’s major literary events and is held annually for two days in Berkeley.

It includes literary sessions that present top authors from the region, the States, and the world, as well an outdoor fair with a huge number of literary exhibitors.

There are also events for kids, popular writing contests, and even a mini film festival, presenting ten films on literature organized with the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

For two days, the festival converts lively downtown Berkeley into a literary heaven in which readers, writers, thinkers, and creators of all ages and interests can meet kindred spirits.

1569 Solano Ave. #635, Berkeley, CA 94707

A program of Aspen Words and Aspen Institute, Summer Words is one of the country’s most respected literary festivals and writing conferences.

It is an annual six-day event held in Aspen.

Authors are able to attend advanced workshops with renowned authors to develop a manuscript, or introductory workshops in order to improve the craft of writing.

They can meet editors and literary agents and attend public panel discussions to gain inspiration and insight.

Evenings are reserved for receptions, readings, and the Aspen Words Annual Bene?t Dinner, which always features a special guest author.

110 E Hallam St, Aspen, CO 81611, Phone: 970-925-3122

The Books by the Banks Cincinnati Book Festival is an annual regional book festival held in downtown Cincinnati at Duke Energy Center.

This day-long festival is a premier event of the Books by the Banks non-profit organization, which works on enriching the lives of folks in Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio.

The festival is free and open to everyone. It features local, regional, and national authors and book illustrators, panel discussions, book signings, and more.

Readers can meet their favorite writers and ask them questions, buy books, and get them signed, while writers can meet publishers and other writers and get pointers on being published.

The Kiddy Corner offers a range of activities and gives kids a chance to meet their favorite writers and book characters.

Duke Energy Convention Center 525 Elm Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-2316

The Brooklyn Book Festival is a book fair held every year in the fall in Brooklyn, New York.

The festival was established in 2006 in order to represent the "Brooklyn voice" in literature, but has expanded its scope to include many non-Brooklyn and international writers.

The festival includes a range of activities such as book readings, panel discussions, author signings, book selling, a children's day, Bookend Events, parties, stand-up shows, and performances in many public venues in Brooklyn.

During the festival, St. Francis College announces the winner of a biannual literary prize aimed at supporting a mid-career writer, which is worth US$50,000.

Decatur Book Festival is the biggest independent book festival in the States and is held every year on Labor Day weekend at Decatur Square in Decatur.

The popular festival attracts thousands of participants – writers and book lovers – who come to the beautiful historic square for author readings, book signings, panel discussions, writing workshops, live music, children's activities, parades, cooking demonstrations, poetry slams, and more.

The festival was established in 2005 to celebrate the written and spoken word and to encourage a love of reading and writing for people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Between the annual festivals, the organization behind the festival hosts a series of literary and fund-raising events in order to promote the literary community.

Decatur Square, Decatur, GA 30030

While you are there, check out the Delano Park, Carnegie Visual Arts Center and The RailYard.

Decatur, Alabama is a 1 hr 16 min (86.7 miles via I-65 N) drive from Birmingham.

Key West Literary Seminar is a four-day annual event that explores a different literary theme each January.

Readers and writers from all over the world are invited to Key West to enjoy presentations by some of the most respected writers of our time.

This year, the seminar is titled “Under the Influence: Archetype and Adaptation from Homer to the Multiplex,” and explores the literary influence from Shakespeare, Homer, and African folktales to early 20th century novels and comic-book heroes.

The seminar is the flagship program of a same-name organization that also offers year-around activities, such as the Writers’ Workshop Program, a scholarship program, the Young Writers Studio, and a literary walking tour.

Recordings spanning the 30 years of the seminar are available in their audio archive. Littoral, their online journal, documents Key West’s rich literary history through essays, news, photographs, and other resources.

717 Love Ln, Key West, FL 33040, Phone: 305-293-9291

What started in 1999 as an afternoon of readings at the Edinburgh Castle pub in Golden Gate Park grew to include the wider Bay Area literary scene and in 2002 became Litquake, a nine-day festival with national and international authors, youth programs, classroom visits, book giveaways, renowned authors talks, poetry readings, storytelling nights, interactive workshops, and much more held at the different venues all over the city.

It all ends on the closing night with the traditional Lit Crawl roving party through the Mission. Localized editions of the Lit Crawl are held every year in various cities around the world. Litquake is organized by the nonprofit Litquake Foundation.

57 Post St #604, San Francisco, CA 94104, Phone: 415-440-4177

The Los Angeles Times Festival Of Books is a free-admission annual public book festival.

The two-day event, held in April at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, is the biggest book festival in the USA. Established in 1996, the festival brings together authors, book vendors, and publishers. It includes panels with authors discussing a common theme, storytelling and performances for children, as well as the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes.

The Festival of Books has grown to become an essential element of the L.A. cultural scene and one of the most significant literary events in the United States. It attracts over 150,000 participants.

The festival includes great entertainment on the USC Stage near Tommy Trojan, lively discussions with renowned university faculty and other experts at the USC Ideas and Actions in Wallis Annenberg Hall, family programs, book giveaways, and even health screenings at the USC Communities Tent and the USC Health Pavilion.

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Young or old, lovers of poetry or those who want to learn to cook some original Louisiana dishes, the Louisiana Book Festival attracts all book lovers. Every year in November, for one day, Baton Rouge hosts the largest book festival in Louisiana, a world-class literary celebration that is open and free for everyone. Held at the various locations in downtown Baton Rouge, this event is a great opportunity for exhibitors such as authors, booksellers, publishing houses, and scholarly programs to promote their products and services to thousands of festival participants. The festival is also a unique opportunity for booklovers to meet exceptional writers and storytellers and to take part in a variety of book-related activities and exhibitions. The festival, established in 2002, is sponsored by the Louisiana Center for the Book and the State Library of Louisiana.

701 N 4th St, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, Phone: 225-219-9503