Several national best-selling authors and dozens of accomplished writers from across Iowa will appear at this weekend’s Des Moines Book Festival.
Event organizer Jan Danielson Kaiser, of Beaverdale Books, says the free fest offers attendees the chance to get their books signed, visit with publishers, and mingle with fellow book lovers.
“We have four headlining authors,” Danielson Kaiser says. “They’re phenomenal authors, including the All Iowa Reads author Allen Eskins, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Art Cullen from Storm Lake, and Julie Murphy, and the AViD author Taylor Wolfe.”
The day-long festival will feature 30 panels and workshops being led by published authors and experts.
“Ranging in all kinds of subjects from fiction, nonfiction, mysteries. The Iowa Writers Collaborative will be there,” she says. “We have people talking about memoirs, people talking about photography. We’ve got some songwriters, and a couple of baseball historians.”
Iowa author and filmmaker Beth Howard will take the stage at 4:30 PM to introduce the free showing of her documentary, “Pieowa: A Piece of America.” Danielson Kaiser says there will be a host of other activities throughout the day, including events for kids.
“In the gymnasium, we will have at least 100 authors who will be at booths selling their books, in addition to nonprofits, and book-related merchants.”
The fest runs from 11 AM to 6 PM on Saturday at the Franklin Event Center in Des Moines. The event and parking are free, and six food trucks will be on-site. The AViD (Authors Visiting in Des Moines) author, Taylor Wolfe, speaks at 7 PM.