The Book Festival

On September 26th the library held its second annual Book Festival - a celebration of books, stories, creativity and community.  It’s also one of my favorite days of the year!  

Preparation for the Book Festival begins months in advance. While the event is held at the Lawrence Headquarters Branch, staff from branches across the Library System contribute to the planning, preparation and implementation.  It is truly Mercer County Library System’s largest event of the year.  

Even though the day was dark and stormy due to a nor’easter, almost 40 authors representing a variety of genres joined us to share their stories.  We also had several speakers, performances, and activities throughout the day.  Some highlights included:

• Crafts! We know that people of all ages love getting creative so we expanded our craft offerings from last year.  Kids and adults could bedazzle books, make bookmarks, decorate tote bags and more.  

• Kids’ events: Local favorite musician Tim Hoh kicked off the day with a concert for kids and their families.  It was the perfect, upbeat way to start the Festival!  He also treated us to a more casual encore performance right in the middle of the library.  Illustrator Mike Dawson taught cartooning skills to a room full of enthusiastic young artists.

• Speakers for adults: Our adult programming included young adult poet/author Colby Cedar Smith, writer and New York Times editor Ken Jaworowski, and a panel of authors exploring the many facets of traditional and independent publishing.  The panel featured Mickey Flagg (paranormal fiction), Maria Imbalzano (romance and women’s fiction), Delia Pitts (crime fiction), and Tom Tracy (children’s books). 

Some of My Favorite Parts of the Day 

Colby Cedar Smith’s presentation was one of my personal highlights. She spoke about the inspiration behind her books, The Siren and the Star and Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit, a Novel in Verse, and had the audience thinking and talking about the questions they would like to explore in their own writing.

Watching enthusiastic readers interact with authors is always a joy. The shared love of reading creates meaningful personal connections, and it was wonderful to see those connections happening throughout the day. Reading really does bring people together!

Collaborating with my coworkers is another part of the festival that I always enjoy. From maintenance staff and administration to librarians and the staff checking out books at the circulation desk, roughly 25 staff members chipped in to make the day a success. I’m always reminded of how hard-working, creative, and enthusiastic my coworkers are, and my appreciation for them could not be greater.

Below you can find a list of all the authors who participated in the day’s events, beginning with our presenters. You can search for their books in our catalog and discover your next great read!  See you at Book Festival 2027!   

Colby Cedar Smith

Ken Jaworowski

Mike Dawson

Mickey Flagg

Maria Imbalzano

Delia Pitts

Tom Tracy

Maria Alexander (Romance-Contemporary)

Atlas (YA Fantasy)

Margaret Buckley (Children’s)

Thomas Robert Clarke (Non-fiction)

Frank Comstock (Biography)

Barry Davis (Literary Fiction)

Ted Delgrosso (Horror)

Miriam Diephouse-McMillan (Non-fiction)

Nicholas Dollak (YA-Contemporary)

Hugo dos Santos (Poetry)

Beck Erixson (Romance)

Damon Harper (Thriller)

Jennifer Ann Hoh (Children’s)

James Irwin (Thriller)

Linda Jacobs Snyder (Memoir)

John Lissaris (Children’s)

Ruth ManNino (Non-fiction)

Bridget McGowan (All Ages Fiction)

CJ McGroarty (Historical Romance)

Andrea C. McLean (Nonfiction)

Steven Nevets (Fiction)

John David Muth (Poetry)

Jodi O’Donnell-Ames (Non-fiction)

Elisabeth Oosterhoff (Non-fiction)

Camaa Pearl (Romance)

Donald Proffit (Literary)

Chris Quarembo (Mystery)

Mark Schardine (Poetry)

R. Katze (Romance)

Tashawna Smith (Non-fiction)

Mike Steele (Children’s)

Matt Weber (Sci-Fi)

L.R. Weltmann (YA Fantasy)

DS Whitaker (Literary)

Adam Wilson (Comics)

- Christine, Lawrence Branch