It’s that time of the year again, and the annual event dedicated to all things literacy has returned. On October 21, 2023 (from 10 AM – 6 PM), the Las Vegas Book Festival will be held at the Historic Fifth Street School in Downtown Las Vegas.
The day will be packed with authors from all over, activities for readers, book signings, book readers, talks, and many more!
I’ll be there to represent the graphic novel branch alongside Donovan Petersen and Jean Munson.
So make sure to pack those light sweaters and head on down!
10:15 am
POETRY TENT
Affinity for Masculinity
Affinity for Masculinity explores the collective and cultural experience of masculinity and exposes what this means from the perspective of six Las Vegas-based poets.
- Harry R. Fagel – Moderator
- Rodney J. Lee – Moderator
- Elizabeth Allen Berry
- Ash DelGrego
- James Norman
- Harrison Nuzzo
10:30 am
DOWNTOWN TENT
Hunger & Humanity: Kim Foster in Conversation with Scott Dickensheets
- Scott Dickensheets – Moderator
- Kim Foster
10:45 am
EMPOWERED TENT
Women Behind The Mic
Join women who have left an indelible mark on the music and entertainment industry as they share their wild and intimate stories from Volume One of their book series “Word To The Wise” which aims to write these women back into history, and celebrate their achievements.
- Dr. LaJoyce Brookshire – Moderator
- Vida Dyson-Nash
- Dr. Stone Love
- Gwedolyn Quinn
11:00 am
INSPIRED TENT WRITING
History Unbound
Historical Fiction authors discuss their inspiration and how they researched their novels
- Priscilla Oliveras – Moderator
- Piper Huguley
- Adriana Herrera
- Denny Bryce
11:00 am
AUDITORIUM BOOK FESTIVAL HEADLINERS
Ana Reyes
A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, “The House in the Pines,” is the first novel by bestselling author Ana Reyes. Her debut thriller has been praised by critics and fellow authors as a compelling mix of psychological thriller and dark fairytale.
11:15 am
SUITE 140 WORKSHOPS ESPAÑOL/BILINGÜE
Vianney Harelly: Inner-Child Poetry Workshop
A Spanglish/Bilingual writing exercise inspired by Vianney Harelly’s poetry and her own therapy sessions. Participants will get to dive into their hearts and memories and then write a letter/poem/story to their inner child as a way to reconnect and heal.
11:30 am
POETRY TENT
NEVADAN TO NEVADAN: Gailmaire Pahmeier, Nevada Poet Laureate
Nevada Poet Laureate Gailmarie Pahmeier will present poems from the Nevada Poetry Project, Nevadan to Nevadan: What I Need to Tell You. Pahmeier will share her vision for this project, its genesis, and its continuing resonance with citizens throughout the state. Joining her will be Nevada poets whose work was included in the project and who worked to promote statewide participation. Also joining her will be the playwright who took on the task of creating a readers theatre script using lines and images from the first 100 submissions. This theatre performance was titled We Are Nevadans: Hear Us.
- Gailmarie Pahmeier – Moderator
- Angela M. Brommel, Clark County Poet Laureate
- Courtney Cliften
- Jeanmarie Simpson
- Lindsay Wilson.
11:30 am
DISCOVERY TENT MUSIC ESPAÑOL/BILINGÜE
Mister G
Latin Grammy Winner Mister G performs for a live audience
11:45 am
DOWNTOWN TENT
Heyday of Alt Journalism
Authors, journalists, and writers discuss the good old days of alternative media in Las Vegas.
- Scott Dickensheets – Moderator
- Geoff Schumacher
- Steve Sebelius
- April Corbin Girnus
12:00 pm
EMPOWERED TENT
Writing Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi
Authors discuss the challenges of writing genre fiction in an age of AI and an ongoing “reading crisis” in the humanities, a time of enduring writer’s strikes and superficial BookTok/Bookstagram accounts, and an era of cancel culture and book bans.
- Shwa Laytart – Moderator
- Amanda Skenandore
- Mercedes Yardley
- Jarret Keene
- Tod Goldberg
12:00 pm
IMAGINATION TENT
Jon Chad
Illustrator Demo from the Pinball Graphic Novel.
12:00 pm
SUITE 140 WORKSHOPS
Comic Books with Jean Munson
Comic book author Jean Munson will guide attendees through the process of comic book creation. All materials will be provided.
12:15 pm
INSPIRED TENT WRITING
Romance You Can Relate To
With small towns, foreign adventures, political scandals, and love simply being love, these authors discuss how they write stories for every reader.
- Robin Bradford – Moderator
- Dylan Allen
- Samantha Chase
- Rosie Danan
- Liana De la Rosa
- Ashley Winstead
12:30 pm
AUDITORIUM BOOK FESTIVAL HEADLINERS
Terry McMillan
“How Stella Got Her Groove Back” author Terry McMillan challenges readers to tap into their passions, defeat their demons, take care of their whole selves and never take happiness for granted. The critically acclaimed and New York Times No. 1 bestselling author’s newest novel, “It’s Not All Downhill from Here,” illustrates the challenges women face and how they pull themselves up through the power of friendship and forgiveness .
12:45 pm
DISCOVERY TENT
Draw-off!
Popular children’s authors will lead an exciting game inspired by Pictionary.
- Nikki Bylina-Streets – Moderator
- Daria Peoples
- Ken Lamug
12:45 pm
IMAGINATION TENT
Roseanne Perry
Reading from A Horse Called Sky
1:15 pm
EMPOWERED TENT ESPAÑOL/BILINGÜE
Vianney Harelly: Here Are the Tears I You We Didn’t Cry
Poet and visual artist Vianney Harelly will exercise their acumen for translaguaging while reading from their work – Here Are the Tears I You We Didn’t Cry.
- Vianney Harelly
1:15 pm
DISCOVERY TENT
Middle-Grade Readers: Navigating New Spaces
Authors discuss middle-grade stories of growth and change.
- Veeda Bybee – Moderator
- Lindsey Leavitt
- Lakita Wilson
- Shelly Brown
- Chad Morris
- Michael Leali
1:30 pm
INSPIRED TENT WRITING
Love and Lassos
Bestselling Black authors discuss their cowboy romance novels•
- Shay Baby Bohannon – Moderator
- Nina Crespo
- Beverly Jenkins
- Reese Ryan
- Rebekah Weatherspoon
1:30 pm
POETRY TENT
Spark! Youth Poetry
High school students residing in Clark County, Nevada present their original poems at the Las Vegas Book Festival to be judged by a panel consisting of poets, authors, educators, and other community members.
- Ms. AveVee – Competition Moderator
- Poetic V (Vanessa Latrice Williams) – Stage Host
- Judges: Petit Monstre, Alicia Sincera, and Jesus Solis.
1:30 pm
SUITE 140 WORKSHOPS ESPAÑOL/BILINGÜE
MISTER G Multi-Sensory Workshop
In this dynamic, interactive workshop, Ben and Katherine (MISTER and MISSUS G) will share how educators can use music, movement, and storytelling to enliven their classrooms, story times and other learning environments. Regardless of background, participants will come away with an understanding of how to incorporate musical techniques and story-telling to increase experiential learning opportunities, facilitate language acquisition, and teach common core topics. Educators will leave with a toolkit which includes a free download of MISTER G’s Latin Grammy Award-winning album Los Animales, sample teaching guides, online resources and videos for using music and picture books in the classroom, and current research about the connection between music and education. Come ready to sing, dance and be inspired!
2:00 pm
AUDITORIUM BOOK FESTIVAL HEADLINERS
Rebecca Yarros
No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros has ventured into new adult fantasy with the release of “Fourth Wing.” She continues to write romance novels, including her latest published this month, “In The Likely Event.” A hopeless romantic with a lifelong passion for reading, she has written more than 15 popular novels.
2:00 pm
IMAGINATION TENT
Daria Peoples
Reading from Hello Mr. Blue
2:15 pm
DOWNTOWN TENT
Las Vegas and the Mob
The story of Las Vegas is inextricably linked to the story of organized crime in America. This panel will explore how mobsters migrated here to help build the city’s casino industry and left a mixed legacy of community development and underworld intrigue.
- Geoff Schumacher – Moderator
- Alan Geik
- Larry Gragg
- Geno Munari
2:30 pm
EMPOWERED TENT
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science With Dr. Jessica Hernandez
Dr. Jessica Hernandez sits in conversation with Victoria Flores to discuss the topics of her book Fresh Banana Leaves.
- Victoria Flores – Moderator
- Dr. Jessica Hernandez
2:30 pm
DISCOVERY TENT
The Comic Book Panel
Comic books are books! Las Vegas authors discuss their love for comic books, and how that love contributes to their work in creating them.
- Jean Munson – Moderator
- Ken Lamug
- Donovan Petersen
2:45 pm
INSPIRED TENT
Thrilled to Meet You
Female authors of Thrillers and Horror talk about their books
- Crystal Perkins – Moderator
- Yasmin Angoe
- Tori Eldridge
- Darby Kane
- Kathleen Glasgow
- Michelle Gagnon
- Liz Lawson
- Gretchen McNeil
- Kiersten White
3:30 pm
DOWNTOWN TENT
Writing Resistance: How Black Women are Using the Craft as Liberation
- Vogue Robinson – Moderator
- Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
- LaLa Thomas
3:45 pm
IMAGINATION TENT
Larissa Theule
Reading from Kafka and the Doll, a Nevada Young Readers Award Winner!
3:45 pm
WORKSHOPS SUITE 140
Jon Chad: Introduction to comics-making in the classroom
A workshop for teachers. This workshop will guide teachers through the process for teaching their students how to make comic books. This workshop is designed for professional development, and will come with a “workshop certificate” for teachers to present for CEUs
4:00 pm
AUDITORIUM BOOK FESTIVAL HEADLINERS
Malcolm Nance
Malcolm Nance is a bestselling author and terrorism/counter-terrorism/extremism consultant. He has been deployed to respond to numerous incidents, including the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as conceptualized and implemented the Advanced Terrorism, Abduction and Hostage Survival school in resisting torture, exploitation and escaping terrorist captivity. In his most recent book, “They Want to Kill Americans,” he outlines the threat America faces from U.S.-led militia groups.
4:00 pm
POETRY TENT
Zeitgeist Press: The People’s Press
Zeitgeist Press is a loose coalition of misfits, autodidacts, and back-alley prodigies, who were willing to put their careers on the line for the sake of their art. This tradition continues in Las Vegas, a city that itself embraces those who don’t fit anywhere else, and this panel features local writers who works are published with Zeitgeist Press.
- James Norman – Moderator
- Ash DelGreco
- Harry R. Fagel
- Bruce Isaacson
- Rodney J. Lee
- Walker Rose
- Andrew Romanelli
- Charlene Stegman Moskal.
4:15 pm
INSPIRED TENT
Welcome to Our Worlds
Science Fiction and Fantasy authors discuss worldbuilding and how they find their inspiration.•
- Vicki Pettersson – Moderator
- Olivie Blake
- Brian McClellan
- Jonathan Mayberry
- Liz Kerin
- Rebecca Yarros
4:15 pm
DOWNTOWN TENT
Balancing Writing: A Workshop Panel
Most writers hold at least one other job while completing their writing projects. These writers share their best practices and the pitfalls of writing and working while audience members participate in the discussion.
- Wendy Wimmer
- Tonya Todd
- Acamea Deadwiler
- Angela M. Brommel, Clark County Poet Laureate
- Veeda Bybee
- Kim Foster
Moderated by Vogue Robinson
4:15 pm
DISCOVERY TENT
Pinball Wizards: A Panel
Tim Arnold of the Pinball Hall of Fame will discuss the world of pinball with pinball-enthusiast authors.
- Tim Arnold – Moderator
- Jon Chad
- Adam Ruben
- Kayla Greet
4:30 pm
EMPOWERED TENT ESPAÑOL/BILINGÜE
Sana Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice
Authors of this anthology discuss their contributions to the book and their radical visions for healing and justice. •
- Dr. Marcela Rodriguez-Campo – Moderator
- Gisselle Yepes
- Nic Rodriguez-Villafane
- David Glisch-Sanchez
- Christian A. Bracho
