Tents were spread around the streets of Baltimore City on September 28-30 as people walked through  to sit down within them for lectures or to look at books.  The Baltimore Book Festival occurs every year around the end of September, featuring many authors that are local or national.  People that went to the festival enjoyed book signings and readings from published authors.  Librarian Kayse Corrieri would have enjoyed going to the book festival.  “It’s…nice because you get to mingle with people that are in the same line of work…” Corrieri said.  “I like that you get to see the newest things, what’s coming out and up-and-coming authors.”

According to the Baltimore Book Festival website, a few of the presenting authors this year included: Ledisi, a singer and author of Better than Alright: Finding Peace Love & Power, Emily Giffen, author of Where We Belong, and Real Housewife Teresa Giudice, author of Fabulicious and Fit.  There are many authors that attend the festival that are not as well known because they are brand new or publish through an independent publishing company.  Junior Megan Burns would go to a book festival even if she had not heard of the authors that were going to be there.  “You can find out about new books and maybe get interested [in the author or book],” Burns said.  In addition to presenting authors, there was an author’s tent where authors, local or regional, signed and sold their books.   A few of the authors that participated in the author’s tent were Leah Diehl, author of Miles of Deception, Christine Hughs, author of TORN, and Alexandra Hamlet, author of The Right Guard.  The festival was fairly big, encompassing the streets of Mount Vernon Place in Baltimore.  Senior Madison Bowe finds that a book festival is more interesting when it is larger.  “I think the more authors, the better…the bigger it is, the better it’s going to be,” said Bowe.  There was also a City Paper Book Swap where participants could bring a book they did not want anymore for a different book of their choosing.   Furthermore, there was a tent with chairs available for people to stop by for a while and just read.   Lectures were not the only form of entertainment available.  Free live music from local bands and artists as well as food being sold from different vendors filled the atmosphere.

-http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/