Bestselling author Julie Cantrell and award-winning screenwriter Paul Sinor headline the list of nearly 100 authors participating in Books By the Bay Festival in Pensacola, March 29. Along with Cantrell and Sinor, sixteen featured guest readers will read from their newest books. Included are bestselling youth adult author Amy Christine Parker who will read from You’re Dead to Me and award-winning Florida environmental writer Doug Alderson reading from Discovering Florida’s Coast. Cantrell, an award-winning New York Times bestselling author, will read and discuss her book Perennials.
Authors from as far as Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Alabama will join Floridians under the massive Author Signing Tent to sell and sign their books. Another 50 exhibitors including authors, booksellers, literary gift vendors, book artists, and publishers will fill Museum Plaza.
Among first-time authors participating is Ashlea Adams of Tallahassee who will launch her debut book Stitchers at Books By the Bay. Adams says, “I attended last year as a visitor and had so much fun that I wanted to launch my book at the 2025 event.”
“I’m thrilled to see so many new authors joining us this year,” says event director Tonya Dalhaus. “Our mission has always been to provide an inviting and affordable space for writers to connect with readers and their community. With so many exhibitors returning, I believe we’ve truly achieved that goal.”
Stage performances at the festival include readings by the African American Heritage Readers’ Ensemble, scenes from Shakespeare performed by Pensacola High School theater students, and local poets tossing their best three-liners in the popular Haiku Slam led by Poet Laureate of Northwest Florida Asia Samson. Local actors will perform staged readings of the winning one-act plays from the Paul Sinor screenwriting competition. Sinor will also lead a one-hour workshop at the festival. Book Clubs are invited to participate in a Book Club Challenge to win a basket of books donated by participating authors.
Around the Globe: The Adventures of Squishy and Book by K. L. Thompson of Tucson, Arizona, and The Dog with No Tail by Sally Ellen Scanlon, Pensacola, are two of the six selected books being read by their authors in the children’s section. Other children’s activities include a scavenger hunt and Words of Wonderland poetry writing. ReadyKids! nonprofit organization will be on hand to help children make bookmarks.
Emerald Coast Writers, host of the event, has collaborated with Wide Angle Photo Club to present the exhibit “Picture Me a Story.” In preparation for the festival, writers penned 400-word pieces about the Emerald Coast. Local photographers then selected a title and prepared photo essays to accompany the written work. Emerald Coast Writers has also teamed with Tallahassee Writers Association, which is sponsoring the Paul Sinor contest and workshop.
According to Dalhaus, a few exhibitor spaces and two-hour author signing slots are available. To sign up for the screenwriting workshop, reserve a space, or volunteer, visit the website www.booksbythebay.info or email BooksByTheBayFest@gmail.com.
The festival lasts from 10-4, Saturday, March 29 at Museum Plaza, 120 Church Street, downtown Pensacola.
Funding is provided in part through a Florida Humanities Book Festival Grant with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and in partnership with Books by the Bay. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities. Books By the Bay is sponsored by Emerald Coast Writers, Inc. (formerly West Florida Literary Federation (WFLF) which began in 1986 when a group of literary-minded residents worked with twelve community groups to found WFLF. The group’s mission has been to bring people together who are interested in the literary heritage of the region and to promote literary efforts through programs, workshops, awards, publications, and related activities. In 1987, WFLF was incorporated by the State of Florida as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The group rebranded as Emerald Coast Writers, Inc. in 2023.
