ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Five days celebrating reading, authors and stories is headed back to the Lehigh Valley for its 5th year, this time bigger than ever.
The Lehigh Valley Book Festival is set to showcase dozens of regional and touring authors this week, starting Wednesday evening on March 20.
Events for all ages will take place, featuring journalistic nonfiction, children's books, adult novels and more.
"It takes a year of planning for this many authors and this many types of events," said Kirsten Hess, owner of Let's Play Books and lead producer for the festival.
Hess said the mission is to expose people to new stories, so even if you are not a reader — she still wants you to attend.
"Too many people are intimidated by things that have to do with books because they're not big readers, and we are the antithesis of literary snobby snobs. It's a whole community that you don't even know is there."Kristen Hess, owner of Let's Play Books and lead producer for the festival
"Too many people are intimidated by things that have to do with books because they're not big readers," Hess said.
"And we are the antithesis of literary snobby snobs. It's a whole community that you don't even know is there."
Hess said Wednesday's keynote is focused on why children's books matter.
Books from all presenting authors will be sold at events, with only books purchased during the festival eligible to be signed.
The festival is hosted by the owners of Let's Play Books in Emmaus and its sister store The End, which opened in Allentown last year.
The festival is free, except for two events held at The End. These include the "Neat & Narrative" reception and whiskey tasting with catering by Cactus Blue and McCall Collective Brewing Co. on Friday ($15) and the "Sip, Swap & Swoon" romance novel meet & greet, book swap and Mimosa tasting bar on Sunday ($25).
While Friday and Sunday are not geared toward children, Saturday at the Bethlehem Public Library will put a focus on family-friendly events.
Lehigh Valley Public Media will be a leading partner for the festival, hosting PBS9's Be My Neighbor Day 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Bethlehem Area Public Library. Families attending can meet Daniel Tiger (reservations for this are completely booked), listen to stories, learn how police officers care for their horses, dance and sing with Lolly Hopwood and make bookmarks and kindness buckets.
From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., a meet and greet will be held with the Bethlehem Mounted Police and their horses.
A book drive is also being held to benefit Lehigh Valley Reads.
Other partners for the event include the Bethlehem Public Library, Cedar Crest College, Emmaus Public Library, A Storybook Party, and Nowhere Coffee Co.
Hess thanked the partners who offered their spaces, allowing the bulk of events to remain free to the public.
See more information on the festival on the Let's Play Books website.
Lehigh Valley Book Festival Schedule
Wednesday, 3/20
- 5:30 pm — Opening Keynote
- Award-winning and best-selling picture book author and illustrator, Greg Pizzoli (The Watermelon Seed, Good Night Owl, and The Book Hog)
- Alumnae Hall, Cedar Crest College
- Free, no registration required.
- Directly Following Keynote — Beyond the Pages: from Imagination to Impact Panel
- Melissa Kamyab, Education Department Chair & Assistant Professor at Cedar Crest College, with East Penn Library Dept. Chair Molly Magro and children's authors Greg Pizzoli and Kat Yeh (The Truth About Twinkie Pie) about how to make a lasting impact on young minds.
- Alumnae Hall, Cedar Crest College
- Books available for sale & signing after the event
- Free, no registration required.
Thursday, 3/21
- 6:00 p.m. — Literary Latte poetry slam
- Robin Gow, Chloe Cole-Wilson (Basement Poetry) and students from Allentown’s Dieruff High School's "SPITTIN' Truth"
- Open mic to follow guest writers, with spoken poetry, storytelling or prose opportunities available for up to five minutes. Arrive by 5:45 p.m. to sign up to present.
- Nowhere Coffee Co., West End Allentown
- Free, no registration required.
Friday, 3/22
- 4:00 p.m. — “Tag an Author”
- Bob Boehmer (The Path to Grave Danger), Stacy Gabel (At the Zoo-oo-oo), Katarah Jordan (It's Harvest Time) and Deborah C. Mortimer (Summer Island and more)
- "A round-robin of fun for book-loving kids and their families!"
- Emmaus Public Library
- Free, no registration required.
- 5:30 p.m. — Featured Presentation, From 'The Exceptions' to the Norm: Women's Evolving Role in Science
- Cedar Crest College President Dr. Elizabeth Meade in conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner, Kate Zernike (The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science; NYT Notable Book 2023) and Dr. Audrey Ettinger, Chair and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences.
- The conversation will discuss what has changed for women in science, and what progress still needs to be made to advocate and support women in STEM.
- Free, no registration required.
- 7 - 9:00 p.m. — LV Book Festival's Neat & Narrative Reception, (tickets required)
- A whiskey tasting featuring author Kurt Maitland
- Participate in an interactive, collaborative art installation with local artist Lorna Flowers
- Authors Jahmal Mayfield (Smoke Kings) and Lesa-Cline Ransome (One Big Open Sky)
- Cactus Blue Mexican Restaurant and McCall Collective Brewing Co. catering will both be on site (additional purchase required).
- The End: A bookstore
- $15.00 per person. Advance ticket required. Purchase here.
Saturday, 3/23, Family Day at Bethlehem Area Public Library
- 9 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. — Be My Neighbor Day
- A free, family-friendly event with many fun things to do led by PBS39
- Learn how police officers care for their horses, dance and sing with Lolly Hopwood, make bookmarks – and meet Daniel Tiger
File Photo/WLVTThe schedule for Be My Neighbor Day events at Bethlehem Public Library
- 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Lehigh Valley Featured Authors
- Picture book authors Katarah Jordan, Dana Kramaroff, Joe McGee, Deborah C. Mortimer, Matt Phelan & Jessica Rinker
- Laros Room
- Free, no registration required.
- 12:30 - 1 p.m. — Mindful Moments
- Led by Kira Willey (Let's Breath Like a ...)
- Free, no registration required.
- 1:30 - 4pm Lehigh Valley Book Festival AUTHOR EXPO
- Featured Authors: Sophie Andrews, Xio Axelrod, Josh Berk, Candy Cooper, Valerie & Clara Deneen, Stacy Gabel, Katarah Jordan, Timothy Janovsky, Dana Kramaroff, Kurt Maitland, Joan Marr, Jahmal Mayfield, Joe McGee, Matt Phelan, Ellen Ramsey, Jessica Rinker, Kira Willey and more!
- Exhibitors: Echo City Capers, Deborah C. Mortimer from Leap Forward Publishing, Bright Communications and more!
- Local Authors & illustrators: Christian Bensing & Tim Feather, Suzie Bichovsky, Elle Blackenstoe, Bob Boehmer, L. Clara, Dan Conti, Anna Drew, Dave Fry, Janice Kenyatta, Marissa Koons, Kelly McPherson, Veronica Moore, Danielle S. Notaro, Berrie Togan-Randall, and more!
- Story Time corner: every 15 minutes, take a load off and listen!
- Fun-at-Art corner: free-expression at its best!
- Raffle prizes & more!
- 2-3:00 p.m. — Web of Creativity: See how we PLAY BOOKS!
- Spiderman Draws with acclaimed Marvel illustrator and author Bob Mcleod in a drop-in, interactive drawing session.
- Meet & greet Spiderman & Spider-Gwen and take a photo with your best Superhero pose
Sunday, 3/24
- 10:00 a.m. — Sip, Swap & Swoon at the end: a bookstore
- A celebration of all things romance.
- Meet and greet with romance authors Xio Axelrod (Girls with Bad Reputations), Timothy Janovsky (The (Fake) Dating Game), Victoria Schade (Unleashed Holiday), and Nisha Sharma (Tastes like Shakkar).
- Mimosa tasting bar
- Romance novel swap
- The End: A Bookstore
- $25 advance purchase required. Purchase here.
