More than 120 authors will fill the Main Library in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Nov. 14, for the 19th annual Books by the Banks Cincinnati Regional Book Festival, a free, daylong celebration of reading and writing.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Main Library of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, 800 Vine Street, according to the festival’s own site, Books by the Banks. Admission is free and open to the public.
The Cincinnati Enquirer, previewing the festival, described it as a seriously star-studded literary event, drawing thousands of people for writing panels, discussions with best-selling authors, a family fun zone, and food trucks. Angela Hursh, communication director for the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, spoke with The Cincinnati Enquirer about this year’s lineup.
Among the biggest names the Enquirer highlighted are George M. Johnson, author of All Boys Aren’t Blue, whose new memoir is out this month; Pierce Brown, the New York Times best-selling author of the six-book Red Rising dystopian series; and John Scalzi, a leading science-fiction writer. The festival’s own spotlight list also features historical-fiction author Kate Quinn, whose new novel, The Astral Library, is about a hidden library where readers can live inside the books they love, according to Books by the Banks.
For families, the festival keeps its emphasis on younger readers, with a Family Fun Zone and children’s and teen authors alongside the adult panels, book signings, and discussions that run throughout the day at the Main Library.
What happens next is simple for readers who want to go: the doors open at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 800 Vine Street in downtown Cincinnati, and the festival runs until 4 p.m. The full author lineup and schedule are posted at booksbythebanks.org, according to the festival.
Books by the Banks describes itself as Cincinnati’s regional book festival, and Saturday’s edition is its 19th. That longevity is part of the draw the Enquirer noted in its preview: a single free day at the Main Library that brings national best-sellers, regional authors, and local writers into the same building, with panels running across genres from science fiction and historical fiction to biography and children’s books.
Photo: Valereee, CC BY-SA 4.0