Grab your TBR list, your book bag, a few haiku, and the kids for Books By the Bay, a free activity-filled book festival, March 28 in Pensacola.
Pensacola author Heather Anderson of Zoe and Me Books writes children’s books that teach positive values for ages 3-7. She returns to Books By the Bay for her second year.Emerald Coast Writers, nonprofit sponsor of the free event, encourages attendees to come to interact and talk with authors, discover new books, compete in the haiku slam, write “Post Cards Home,” join in a scavenger hunt, and enter the book club challenge.
Booklovers can also listen to bestselling authors, watch staged readings, see a bit of Shakespeare and shop among 100-plus booksellers and literary-themed exhibitors.
The festival’s new location at Bayview Park (2001 E. Lloyd) offers space for a variety of indoor and outdoor literary adventures. The daylong event covers a portion of the park’s grounds and occupies two buildings, Bayview Community Center and Bayview Senior Resource Center.
Inside Bayview Community Center and throughout the park, authors from 22 states and two countries will showcase titles ranging from cozy mystery to fantasy, nonfiction to romance.
Featured speaker Kyla Zhao, bestselling author of May the Best Player Win, will present an author’s talk and children’s workshop in the senior center.
The African American Heritage Readers’ Ensemble and musicians will perform on stage, followed by nonfiction author Dr. Forest Issac Jones of Virginia, who will discuss the influence of the 1965 Montgomery to Selma march on the 1969 Belfast to Derry, Ireland march.
Fifteen selected authors will deliver 15-minute readings from their latest books, and Pensacola High School theater students will perform scenes from Shakespeare.
James Crawford, who writes military sci-fi and science fiction, will be among the authors featured inside the Bayview community center at Books By the Bay on March 28.Collegians from Pensacola State and University of West Florida will compete in the first “Battle of the Bay” literary showdown, with teams offering their best poetry, nonfiction and flash fiction before a panel of celebrity judges. Past Poet Laureate of Northwest Florida Katherine Nelson-Born is facilitating a haiku slam for competitors who sign up the day of the festival.
New this year is the Adult Scavenger Hunt Raffle. In it, participants explore each festival area for “books” with fun facts about Emerald Coast authors.
After collecting all eight stamps, they return for a chance to win one of several literary-themed gift baskets.
The Book Club Challenge invites book club members to enter a drawing for a chance to win a basket of books from participating authors. A children’s scavenger hunt, provided by Highlights, includes prizes for participants. Escambia County 4-H students will lead children in creating spring crafts.
Children’s authors will showcase their books in the senior center and present “story time” in the kid’s activity room.
To help festival goers plan their day’s events in advance, the festival schedule and program is online at booksbythebay.info Volunteers, over age 16, are welcome.
To volunteer, complete the form at booksbythebay.info or email booksbythebayfest@gmail.com
Books by the Bay, the largest literary event in Northwest Florida, is sponsored by the all-volunteer nonprofit organization, Emerald Coast Writers.
Funding for this program was provided through a grant from Florida Humanities with funds from the Jacarlene Foundation. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Florida Humanities or the Jacarlene Foundation.
