Third annual BookFest brings acclaimed and homegrown authors to Glen Ellyn

The Glen Ellyn Public Library is proud to partner with the Alliance of Downtown Glen Ellyn, The Bookstore and Bundles of Books to bring you the 3rd annual BookFest: A Celebration of Books on Saturday, June 23. This all-ages festival provides residents of Glen Ellyn an opportunity to come together and enjoy unique literary events throughout the downtown, featuring over two dozen acclaimed and homegrown authors.

“In addition to bringing in well-known authors, we also wanted to showcase local and new authors under our authors’ tent this year.  We are fortunate to have so much talent, so close by, and want to give emerging talent a stage to share their work,” said Dawn Bussey, Director of the Glen Ellyn Public Library.

The festival kicks off with a continental breakfast from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Glen Ellyn Public Library, during which members of the publishing world offer marketing advice to authors in a program entitled “Promoting Yourself as a Writer.” An authors’ tent featuring dozens of emerging writers will be open from 10 am to 1 pm in the vacant lot west of Citibank at approximately 468 Duane Street. Authors will have books for sale and signing and information about their writing careers.

From 10 to 11 am, children’s author Jim Aylesworth will be at The Bookstore on North Main Street to read his stories in a fun, playful way that will be sure to enchant your young children. Advance registration is requested by calling The Bookstore at (630) 469-2891 or emailing justbook475@yahoo.com. From 11:30 to 1, families are invited to Glen Oak Restaurant for a children’s luncheon featuring children’s chapter book author Marianne Malone, who will be discussing Stealing Magic, the second book in her Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure series. A full menu of food themed after Malone’s book and ticket information is available at bookfest.org.

Also from 11:30 to 1, BookFest will offer a ladies’ luncheon featuring a panel of female authors, including Hannah Pittard (The Fates Will Find Their Way), Libby Fischer Hellmann (A Bitter Veil), Sarah McCoy (The Baker’s Daughter), and Charlene Ann Baumbich (Finding Our Way Home). This fascinating group of women will be available to discuss their work over lunch. A full menu and ticket information is available at bookfest.org.

BookFest returns to the library at 1:15 p.m. for a rapid-fire “PitchFest” book-pitching master class hosted by Author! Author! David Finch, author of the New York Times bestselling biography The Journal of Best Practices, will follow with BookFest’s keynote presentation at 2 p.m.

Finally, the festival will conclude with a presentation for teens at Asian Pearl Restaurant. M. Molly Backes will join us to discuss The Princesses of Iowa. A discussion of teenage drinking and its consequences as seen in the book makes this a great event for parents and teens to enjoy together.

Full details and complete ticketing information about the third annual BookFest: A Celebration of Books in Downtown Glen Ellyn is available at bookfest.org.

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Schedule of Events

Glen Ellyn Public Library

Downtown Glen Ellyn

The Bookstore

Glen Oak Restaurant

Glen Ellyn Public Library

Glen Ellyn Public Library

Glen Ellyn Public Library

Asian Pearl Restaurant

Glen Ellyn Public Library

Downtown Glen Ellyn

The Bookstore

Glen Oak Restaurant

Glen Ellyn Public Library

Glen Ellyn Public Library

Glen Ellyn Public Library

Asian Pearl Restaurant

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This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Community Arts Access Program, which is funded by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and Hinsdale Center for the Arts.