Saturday’s Louisiana Book Festival lets readers connect with authors across genres

The Louisiana Book Festival is returning to downtown Baton Rouge this Saturday, Oct. 31, at the State Library of Louisiana. With a lineup of more than 200 authors and books spanning over 20 genres, this free event has something for everyone. 

“Whatever you love to read, you’ll find your people at the Louisiana Book Festival,” says Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. “A history buff and a horror fan can walk the same block in downtown Baton Rouge, meet the authors behind their favorite books, and never spend a dime doing it. It’s simply one of the best days of the year for book lovers in our state.”

The event will feature essayists, biographers, novelists, poets, children’s book authors, cookbook authors and more as well as panel discussions and program events. 

Featured titles include Scott Billington’s Irma Thomas: Soul Queen of New Orleans, which will headline the Biography and Memoir program; Joe R. Lansdale’s Petrified Dreams, a detective novel set in the Deep South; and Jack B. McGuire’s Killing the Kingfish: The Huey P. Long Assassination, which takes a deep dive into the killing of Louisiana’s most infamous governor.

This year’s selection for the One Book, One Festival book discussion is Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire. Not only is the classic novel perfect for the festival’s Halloween date, but it also coincides with the book’s 50th anniversary. 

For the discussion, guests are invited to read the novel in advance and participate in a discussion led by Gary Richards, a professor of English at the University of Mary Washington. Richards is an expert on southern literature, and Interview with a Vampire has deep roots within Southern Gothic literature and Louisiana history.

“Anne Rice gave the world an unforgettable vision of New Orleans,” says Nungesser. “There’s no better way to mark the 50th anniversary of Interview with the Vampire than at the Louisiana Book Festival on Halloween, and we’re excited to welcome readers from across the state and beyond to Baton Rouge for this fascinating discussion.”

For younger festival-goers, the Young Readers Pavilion has no shortage of fun activities for all ages. With special appearances from storybook characters, featured children’s and young adult books, musical performances, balloon artists, face painting, and arts and crafts, the area is designed to spark children’s curiosity in reading and storytelling.

Young readers can also participate in Halloween costume contests. The children’s contest is scheduled for 1 p.m., and the teen contest at 3 p.m.

After visiting with featured authors and hearing from guest speakers, readers can take a walk down Exhibitors’ Row to explore the creative works of select authors and publishers. 

Clay Weill, a senior English instructor at LSU, is an exhibiting author this year and will be promoting his new book, Dreamwriter, which was released on Oct. 15. The book follows Su Smith, a mother, wife and hospital administrator who has to balance her daily responsibilities while discovering her ability to influence other people’s dreams. 

Weill’s work of magical realism was inspired by his own experience with nightmares, and though he has been criticized for his unusual merging of family drama and superhero story, Weill says he is excited for the opportunity to share Dreamwriter with guests at the book festival.

“It’s just filled with the most hopeful, optimistic, friendly people,” Weill says. “There are authors and editors and publishers and just all the people who still believe in books in our age of artificial intelligence.”

Readers can find Dreamwriter online or purchase it locally at Red Stick Reads, or visit him at Slot 31 along Exhibitors’ Row.

Whether you’re meeting your favorite author or discovering new fictional worlds, the Louisiana Book Festival has something for all bookworms. The festival will take place outside the State Library of Louisiana and in the surrounding Capitol Park area from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free, and the schedule of events can be found on the Louisiana Book Festival website.