It’s a dream come true for any book lover: More than 100 authors under one roof greeting fans, talking about their work and signing books.
The Books by the Banks book festival, a free event presented by Ohio Humanities, is making that dream a reality this fall in downtown Cincinnati for the ninth year in a row. The festival is one of the biggest and most prestigious events of its kind in the Midwest. In addition to many local and regional writers, best-selling national authors in the lineup include:
- Rainbow Rowell, the wildly popular best-selling author of books for teens and adults such as “Eleanor & Park,” “Fangirl,” “Landline” and the new “Carry On.”
- Sharon M. Draper, National Teacher of the Year and author of the award-winning “The Jericho Trilogy” and the new “Stella by Starlight.”
- Cleary Wolters, the real-life inspiration for the character Alex Vause from “Orange Is the New Black,” who has written her own tell-all memoir about prison life called “Out of Orange.”
- John and Sherry Petersik, the husband-and-wife duo behind the hugely popular home-renovation blog, Young House Love, and authors of the new book “Lovable Livable Home: How to Add Beauty, Get Organized, and Make Your House Work for You.”
- Anthony Marra, The New York Times best-selling author of “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,” long listed for the National Book Award and winner of the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize.
- Christian Rudder, president and co-founder of OkCupid, one of the biggest dating sites in the United States, who has written the new book “Dataclysm.”
- Tad Hills, author and illustrator of many popular children’s books including The New York Times bestselling “Duck and Goose” and “Rocket” series.
- James and Kimberly Dean, authors of the beloved “Pete the Cat” picture book series for children.
In addition to the Author Pavilion, where visitors can buy books and get them signed, there are many more activities during the festival. The popular Kids’ Corner includes free balloon sculptures, face painting and acts by top-notch children’s performers. There is also an area for teens, the Teen Scene, with special activities and events with author interaction picked just for them.
The popular “Writing & Getting Publishing” series returns this year with panel discussions covering hot topics for writers and workshops to help hone the craft of writing.
For the first time ever, the festival will award cash prizes to authors selected for its inaugural Author Awards, sponsored by the Scripps Howard Foundation. Fans can also vote on the Books by the Banks website for several People’s Choice categories. Separate awards for a short story writing contest sponsored by The George and Margaret McLane Foundation will also be awarded to selected adult and teen entrants.
The festival is 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, October 17 at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati. For more, visit www.BooksByTheBanks.org.
Staff report/Photo provided