Are you a reader, a literary nerd, and an all-around lover of books? If your answer is yes, the Bay Area Book Festival is created just for you. On June 6-7 of this year, the very first book festival for the San Francisco Bay Area will commence, and it is sure to fulfill every book lover's dreams.
The festival will take place in the downtown area of Berkeley, CA, and will feature countless events and exhibits to be enjoyed by everyone of all ages. First, there will be over 200 authors gathered in the event. Not only will this growing list of authors be attending, but some will also have engrossing presentations, hosted interviews, and fun keynotes. One of the authors on that list who is confirmed to attend is Judy Blume, a world-renowned author and illustrator of books for children and young adults. One may recognize the name from her influential books such as Are You There God? It's Margaret, Blubber, and countless others. Other notable authors listed are Daniel Handler (otherwise known as the writer behind the pseudonym, Lemony Snicket), Michael Chabon, Lauren Oliver, and more. The list is growing by the day and the website will show the full list this month, so one can expect a plethora of diverse and stellar authors.
Perhaps one of the biggest things to look out for is the public art installation called Lacuna, "a magic castle of books." This public art structure will be made entirely out of books. It will feature 50,000 donated books and to say that it will be an incredible sight to behold is an understatement. It is also quite literally something that everyone would enjoy because all the books will be free to take for attendees.
There will also be street closures in downtown Berkeley, and blocks will be turned into a literary lover's paradise. Expect a wide variety of exhibitor booths from Bay Area's finest such as independent bookstores, publishers, non-profit organizations, and literary-related shops. The street will also be organized by interest, making it easily accessible by everyone depending on each individual's tastes.
Meanwhile on stage, there will be leading chefs and cookbook authors who will show their skills and share their recipes with the audience, and also offer sampling of their food! As if that wasn't fun enough, a beer and wine garden will be available for those who want to relax during and after their literary adventures.
Of course, do not forget to bring the children! There will be storytelling events on stage and other exhibitions will be there, specifically catering to the young readers and their parents. Also, who doesn't like free giveaways? The popular used bookstore, Half Price Books, will be generously giving every child under 12 a free book! Teenagers and young adults will also find something for them here. Young Adult authors will have appearances on stage, and there will be countless artistic presentations that will be especially engaging for the age group and beyond.
While the Bay Area book festival is especially not to be missed by those with the passion and interest in reading and all-things literary, this will also generally be a fun-filled event that has something for everyone to enjoy. It will also encourage everyone to get to know more about the book industry and the lively literary community, as well as find the next book on their to-be read list. That being said, if you live anywhere near the Bay Area, reserve June 6 and 7 as this is a free event not to be missed.
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