America’s Top Writing and Literary Festivals

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Literary Book Festivals

Top Six Must-See Writing and Literary US Festivals

If you’re a bibliophile, you’d definitely agree that nothing beats the smell of a new autographed book that you’ve never read before. However, one thing comes pretty close to this experience: writing festivals.  For book lovers, writing and literary festivals are a great way to relax, blow off some steam and disconnect completely from the world.

Whether you offer college essay writing service or simply love to read, a literary festival offers you all the knowledge and fun you need in one package. In fact, it’s hard to experience a writing festival without stumbling upon a famous writer or poet that you love.

If you live in the US, here’s a list of some book festivals you should definitely not miss out on:

Brooklyn Book Festival

The Brooklyn Book Festival is one of the largest literary events in the United States. Here, you get to connect with fellow book lovers and writers.  It was first created in 2006 to represent Brooklyn writers and authors. However, it has expanded and now includes many international and non-Brooklyn writers.

This festival is held  every year in the fall. So, if you don’t have anywhere to go next fall, you might want to book a plane ticket to Brooklyn.  To clear any doubts you may have, there’s more to the Brooklyn book festival than just book readings and author signings. Here, you’d find parties, performances, Bookend events and even a children’s day that your kids would definitely love (if you have any).

During this festival, the winner of a biannual literary prize worth $50,000 will also be announced.

Boston Book Festival

The Boston Book Festival is another annual book festival that is a perfect fit for any bibliophile. The first thing you should note about this literary event is that it is absolutely free. It is organized by a non-profit group which was founded in 2009 to promote the culture of reading in people.

Just like the Brooklyn version, the Boston Book Festival is crammed with tons of activities. If you aren’t careful, you just might get burned out.  Some of the top activities to look out for in this festival are the writing contests, open mic, readings and the literary pub trivia nights.

If you have kids, you may want to take them to the children’s programs in order to give them a taste of the Boston experience.

Louisiana Book Festival

You’ve been to book conventions before,but have you been to the Louisiana Book Festival? If you haven’t, you should probably add it to your itinerary. This festival draws in people from all walks of life. From young rookie writers to authors who have been writing even before Abraham Lincoln was born, there’s no limit to the kinds of people you’d meet at this festival.

Even if you’re just looking to have a taste of the Louisiana life and dishes, this book festival will give you all you need and more. Here, you’d get the opportunity to meet exceptional writers and storytellers. You’d also get to take part in a wide range of literary activities and exhibitions.

You may have missed tons of field trips as a child but this is one experience you never want to miss.

Litquake

Litquake started just like the typical love story. It started out as something small, and before anyone knew what was happening, it had blossomed into a huge experience that everyone wants to have a taste of.

This nine-day festival features poetry readings, storytelling nights and sessions with both national and international authors. If you’re lucky, you just might stumble upon your favorite author.

This huge festival ends with a big bang on the last night with the famous Lit Crawl roving party.

Bay Area Book Festival

If you’re looking for a literary heaven to help take your worries away, this one’s for you. The Bay Area Book Festival is one of the world’s biggest literary events and it is held every year in California.

This two-day festival has sessions that feature renowned authors and poets from all over the world. But that’s not all. At the Bay Area Book Festival, you’d also find a wide range of literary exhibitions, writing contests and the icing on the cake: a mini film festival.

If you’re looking for a huge festival that combines literary sessions with the fun lifestyle that California is known for, this one’s for you.

Summer Words

Although this festival doesn’t exactly feature fun games and film festivals, it’s one of the best places to go if you really want to hone your writing skills.

Created by Aspen Words and Aspen Institute, Summer Words is an annual event held in – you guessed it – Aspen.  Here, you get to attend advanced workshops with some of the most renowned authors in the world. However, you’re not just there to catch a glimpse of your writing demigods. You’d also get to attend panel discussions where you can gain inspiration for your next writing project.

Rumours have it that a famous writer once attended this festival and by the next week, he had released a bestseller.  If you’re lucky, you just might have the same story to tell.

Bottom Line

Book festivals are a great avenue for unwinding and getting in touch with the writing world. If you’ve been searching for the right festivals to attend, you could narrow your list down to these ones listed above.

However, if you’d rather unwind somewhere else, you can check out our blog post on the best cultural hotspots in the US.

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About The Author:  Amanda Dudley is a writer and lecturer with a Ph.D in History from Stanford University. With years of lecturing experience up her sleeves, she loves to teach students and ensure that they get all the help they need.   Amanda also works as a part-time essay writer. She helps undergraduate and postgraduate students write complex essays, term papers and even dissertations.
If you’ve ever had to use a professional essay writing website like EssayUSA, you’d have a glimpse of what to expect from her in terms of writing skills. Her biggest strength? Delivering flawlessly written papers ahead of deadlines.

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