Last fall, the NH Book Festival drew nearly 5,000 book lovers to South Main Street in Concord, bringing together authors with readers to celebrate literacy, conversation, and community. This October 3, the four blocks anchored by Gibson’s Bookstore and the Capitol Center for the Arts (CCA) will again be filled with bookish festivities for all ages, including author panels, book signings, local food, and hands-on activities. The all-day event is free, and will feature a roster of more than 60 nationally recognized authors, twelve of whom have ties to the Granite State.

The KidLit Stage, situated in a roomy tent just outside the CCA, will commence with a picture- book showcase at 9:30 a.m., just after the “dress as your favorite book character” Costume Parade. At 10:45 a.m., debut NH author Kate Schoedinger will take part in a panel that showcases “Bold Hearts, Brave Voices.” Schoedinger, who recently retired from a 40-year teaching career in Bedford, will discuss her middle grade historical fiction book, “Death by Molasses,” which follows a child survivor of the 1919 Great Boston Molasses Flood.

In concurrent panels on the Author’s Stage in Governor’s Hall (ground floor, CCA), multiple NH authors will preview their newest works, all published within the past six months. At 10:45, Dan Simon, founder and editor-in-chief of Seven Stories Press, will discuss his debut novel, Ashland as part of the “Family Dramas and Sagas” panel. His novel takes place in Ashland, NH, and is told in six voices.

At noon, New York Times best-selling author and journalist Keith O’Brien will participate in a spotlight conversation with Carla Kaplan in a session titled “Singular Lives.” O’Brien will discuss “Heartland,” the backstory of NBA legend Larry Bird, whose career nearly ended before it began after he dropped out of Indiana University and returned to his hometown of French Lick.

After lunch, in a panel titled “Books That Inspire Environmental Advocacy,” children’s author Maria Gianferrari will discuss her April release, “Just One Oak” along with middle-grade author Emilie Christie Burack, who will introduce a character who is trying to save the melting Arctic permafrost in her latest book, “Dominic Bean and the Mammoth Melt.” The novel is based on the real account of woolly mammoth remains found in Vermont in 1848. “Magic, Myths and Adventures” is on tap for the 2:30 p.m. panel.

Former NH resident Jacquelyn Stolos will talk about the inspiration for Asterwood, a fantasy novel for middle-grade readers. The plot involves a new girl in town who finds friendship and adventure when a forbidden trail leads her into a new world.

At 3:45 p.m., NH humorist Rebecca Rule and her daughter, Adi Rule, will participate in a KidLit panel titled “Writing Thru Generations.” They will be joined by father/son duo David Elliott and E.M. Elliott. The Elliotts have co-authored Bonebag, which is billed as a “dark, middle-grade fantasy novel.” Each Rule has their own publication–Rebecca will discuss her new picture book, “Who Loves Blueberries?”

And just in time for Halloween, Adi will debut “Ghost Chickens,” a middle-grade book about spectral poultry that only a child can see.

The afternoon will (fittingly) conclude with a panel titled “Redemption At Last.” Award-winning contemporary novelist Andrew Krivak will share the backstory to Mule Boy, set in the coal mines of Pennsylvania in the early part of the 20th-century. Diane Les Becquets will discuss her latest work, “Where the Water Meets the Sky,” a coming-of-age novel set on the Garden Peninsula of Michigan.

If you’re a lover of poetry, the Festival’s poetry offerings include readings led by NH Poet
Laureate Jennifer Militello. At noon, Rena J. Mosteirin will read from her most recent collection, “Disaster Tourism.”

For the complete festival schedule, info about keynote authors Jodi Picoult and Jeff Kinney,
and more, go to https://www.nhbookfestival.org/.