On November 2, book lovers will converge for a celebration of literature at the annual Kentucky Book Festival. Now in its 43rd year, the festival, a program of Kentucky Humanities, is a day of all things literary; readers can meet authors and illustrators, get signed books, hear presentations and participate in book-based activities.
“It was started by a journalist named Carl West in Frankfort,” says Katerina Stoykova, the festival’s director. “For the majority of its existence, the festival has taken place in Frankfort, and then it moved to Lexington and was at the Horse Park.” Now, the festival is hosted at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, an independent bookstore in Lexington.
This year, attendees can expect a wide variety of authors and activities, with the festival running from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Patrons can come meet your favorite author and buy signed books,” Stoykova says. “Also, children 14 and under will be able to receive a free book while supplies last – but we are prepared to give away hundreds of books. There will be a lot of free activities for kids: face painting, pumpkin painting, six story times and three illustration workshops.”
Among the 150 authors and illustrators in the event lineup are Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize winner for his Martin Luther King Jr. biography, “King: A Life”; children’s author and First Lady Britainy Beshear, with illustrator Anita Hatchett; Chef Edward Lee; poet Frank X Walker; culinary memoir author Crystal Wilkinson; and 16-year-old Yolanda Renee King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s granddaughter, bringing her first book, We “Dream a World.”
Brother Paul Quenon, poet, photographer and nonfiction writer, is also scheduled to attend and speak. As a monk from the Abbey of Gethsemani, his appearances are quite rare. For a full list of authors and illustrators attending, readers can visit the Kentucky Book Festival website, where festival-featured books are listed along with book descriptions and statements from the authors. Not only will visitors be able to meet with and buy signed books from their favorite authors or illustrators, but some authors will also be reading, presenting and giving talks across five stages.
With so many opportunities packed into one day, it might seem that the festival would come with a cost. “People often call and say, ‘What’s the price?’ or, ‘Are there tickets?’” Stoykova says. “The festival is free. All this celebration, all this programming – all that is free.”
The day of the Kentucky Book Festival is packed with activities, but its organizers put on a variety of events beforehand as well. “Kentucky Book Festival has several events in the week of the festival,” Stoykova says. “We have the Literary Luncheon, which this year will be on October 31 at noon at Fasig-Tipton.” In this ticketed event, participants can enjoy a meal catered by Chef Ouita Michel and Holly Hill Events, while hearing culinary memoir author Crystal Wilkinson in conversation with food writer Ronni Lundy. That evening, Stoykova says, “people will have an opportunity to socialize and to test their literary trivia. It is an exciting event and people get competitive. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s free and open to the public.”
In addition to week-of activities, the group also puts on year-round events to cater to a wide variety of interests, from history to creative writing. “We have something called pop-up events, which are events throughout the year that are Book Festival-related events to remind people of what we do and to keep connected to the public,” Stoykova says. Among the events hosted earlier in the year are a presentation at the Henry Clay Estate by historian H. W. Brands, a poetry open mic, and a book reading and discussion with author Angela Correll.
The Kentucky Book Festival website features other events like these, and those interested can check regularly for updates on upcoming events. The group also hosts School Days, where authors visit Kentucky schools. Each student receives a signed book, but the school pays for nothing. Events like these truly show the Book Festival leaders’ passion for and dedication to fostering a love of reading among Kentuckians of every generation – particularly those of a young age, where the effects can last a lifetime.
Stoykova speaks of the hopes those who work with the Book Festival have for Kentuckians statewide: to introduce and provide access to new books, from the adult who has attended many festivals to the child who is picking up a picture book for the first time.
“I have been to the festival as an author myself, I have been at the festival as an attendee, and I have been at the festival as an administrator, so I’ve seen it from those versions,” Stoykova says. “Our Executive Director Bill Goodman says the Kentucky Book Festival is one of the best days that Kentucky has to offer, and we put it up there with the Derby and other very popular events. Books, in our opinion, should have as wide an appeal as horse races. So, we think that it’s an opportunity to celebrate books, and we have the hope that kids will walk away with books, and with a relationship with a book of their choice, and with painted faces, and with bookmarks, and having heard stories. All of these positive associations and memories with books, they change lives. They could really influence young people. I have noticed that in my own life.”
Kentucky Humanities, the statewide nonprofit that runs the Kentucky Book Festival, has a goal to tell Kentucky’s story, and by supporting the gathering where Kentucky’s readers meet authors and illustrators, they are doing just that. At the same time they are teaching the next generation – those next in line to tell Kentucky’s story – the value of the written word.
But this influence doesn’t happen alone. The festival couldn’t run, and the stories couldn’t be told, without a wide array of writers and illustrators, and just as wide an array of volunteers. “The event needs over 100 volunteers,” Stoykova says. “We have many different opportunities for volunteering and we appreciate our volunteers very much.” For those interested in helping, Kentucky Book Festival’s website includes a volunteer sheet with links to sign up for various positions. Roles range from working with parking to taking authors to their presentations, and from unpacking books to bringing authors coffee.
Whether volunteering or attending, for the first or 43rd time, Stoykova urges readers to visit. “The Kentucky Book Festival has something for everyone,” she says. “Whatever you like, whatever genre you like, whatever you read, there’s a good chance that you will find it at the festival. Browse all books. You never know what you’ll find, and you never know – maybe you are about to meet your new favorite author.”
