The 15th annual Gaithersburg Book Festival took place on May 18 at Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm in Gaithersburg, Md. More than 8,500 book lovers attended despite the inclement weather. This year’s event featured more than 130 authors of all genres, including 35 children’s authors and eight YA authors, including Derrick Barnes, Cece Bell, Brian Lies, Carole Lindstrom, Katherine Marsh, James Ransome, Gary Schmidt, and Carole Boston Weatherford.
The festival also included free writing workshops with activities such as poetry writing, bookmaking, collage art, a “from song to story” session with Grammy Award winner Mister G, writing a magical forest journal, and more. Politics & Prose hosted a pop-up bookstore where visitors could purchase new books and have them signed by their favorite artists. In the Children’s Village, kids could find Waldo, Peter Rabbit, Clifford and other characters, and everyone was treated to cake in celebration of the festival’s anniversary. We’ve gathered highlights from the events. Photos courtesy of the City of Gaithersburg, Bruce Guthrie and Daniel Martinez.
Carole Lindstrom (l.), author of Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior, and Beth Ferry, author of Solar Bear.
Cece Bell, author-illustrator of Animal Albums from A to Z, leading a drawing demonstration.
Gaithersburg Mayor and festival founder Jud Ashman (l.) and Junior Mayor Abdel Espinoza Laguna spreading cheer with cake.
(From l.) authors Derrick Barnes, Fred Bowen, and Phil Bildner discussing their sports-themed books Who Got Game? Basketball: Amazing but True Stories!, Extra Innings, and Glenn Burke, Game Changer, respectively.
Making crafts in the Children’s Village.
Lisa Graff (l.), author of Rewind, and Hena Khan, author of Drawing Deena, in conversation.
Musician, author, and educator Ben Gundersheimer, aka Mister G (r.), and Katherine Jamieson, aka Missus G, led an interactive, bilingual family workshop on transforming songs into stories.
A view of the audience.
Author David LaRochelle presenting his book Go and Get with Rex.
Friends of the Library hosted a used book sale.
