By the book

The Louisiana Book Festival returns to the downtown grounds bounded by the State Capitol, State Library and Louisiana State Museum on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. More than 130 authors—many who have made Louisiana their home or the subject of their work—will be there to meet fans, sign books and read selections from their latest offerings. Poet Andrei Codrescu, screwball humorist Toni McGee Causey, food historian Elsa Hahn, thriller writer Erica Spindler and journalist and novelist Ken Wells are just a few of the authors scheduled to appear. Book and arts booths, live music and food vendors round out this family-friendly festival. The Baton Rouge Symphony will close the event with a 6 p.m. performance of “The Sound of Books,” an ode to the theme songs of films adapted from popular fiction. Admission is free. louisianabookfestival.com