For the first time since 2019, the Mississippi Book Festival is back. After two years of virtual programming, the state’s premiere literary event will return to Jackson on Aug. 20 with over 170 authors from near and far.

Thousands of visitors are expected to descend upon Mississippi’s capital city for the festival, which is full of book talks, book signings and book sales. Festival organizers have packed over 40 panels into a single day celebrating the love of reading. All genres are represented, from children’s to fantasy to poetry, and independently published writers will be showcased in the Authors Alley.

Several Mississippi bookstores, including Columbus’ Friendly City Books, will be selling books by festival authors on site. A wide variety of food trucks and vendors will also be on hand throughout the day.

All events take place at the Mississippi State Capitol building and the surrounding grounds, including nearby Galloway United Methodist Church, and entrance to the festival is completely free to the public.

With so much to do in such a short time, attendees will likely want to plan their day in advance. Consider starting with the highlights suggested below. For more details on logistics and a complete list of speakers and exhibitors, visit msbookfestival.com.

Children’s books to enjoy
An annual highlight of the Mississippi Book Festival is the “KidNote,” a keynote presentation by a major national children’s author. This year’s KidNote will be delivered by Matt de la Peña at 9:30 a.m. The author of more than a dozen picture books and young adult novels, he has received the prestigious Newberry Medal and Caldecott Award.

Fans of HGTV’s Home Town will not want to miss Laurel’s own Erin Napier, who is attending in support of her new picture book The Lantern House. Napier will appear on two panels, “Picture This!” with fellow picture book authors at 10:45 a.m. and “Talk from the Start” with children’s literacy advocates at 12:00 p.m. Napier is also scheduled to sign books at 1:45 p.m.

Additional children’s authors with Mississippi ties at the festival include Jimmy Cajoleas, Linda Williams Jackson, Bethany Mangle and Angie Thomas.

Columbus authors to see
The Friendly City will be represented at the Mississippi Book Festival by several familiar faces.

Mary Miller, a professor of creative writing at Mississippi University for Women, will participate on two panels in the afternoon, with a book signing in between. At 1:30 p.m., “Grisham Writers in Residence” will showcase Miller alongside fellow alumni of the University of Mississippi’s writing residency, which is provided by John and Renée Grisham. Then, in one of the final panels of the day, Miller will speak on the Mississippi Humanities Council’s session “Reflecting Mississippi” at 4:00 p.m.

Humor writer Harrison Scott Key, who has also spent time in Columbus, will moderate “Humor and Hope” at 10:45 a.m. His first book “The World’s Largest Man” won the Thurber Prize for American Humor, and he is slated to have a new book come out next year.

Additionally, local authors Angie Basson and Kimberly Mullin will be in Authors Alley selling and signing their books. Basson recently published a children’s book titled “I Hate Turtlenecks.” Mullin is the author of memoir “No Obstacles Could Keep Me Down. I Am Victorious.”

Watching from home
Can’t make it to Jackson? No problem. C-SPAN will broadcast author panels all day long, with a focus on history and current events.

Coverage begins at 9:30 a.m. with a discussion on civil rights featuring father and son authors David J. Dennis Sr. and David J. Dennis Jr., who collaborated on “The Movement Made Us,” and Dr. Leslie-Burl McLemore. It will be moderated by Pamela D.C. Junior, the director of the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.

Additional televised sessions will feature Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie G. Bunch III in conversation with former Mississippi Congressman Gregg Harper; a slate of authors with new books on World War II; and panels on American history and maritime history. The day wraps up with a conversation titled “The State of Political Journalism,” which includes Mississippian Stuart Stevens, a veteran political strategist.

Pre-festival and post-festival events
In addition to the main programming on Saturday, Aug. 20, the Mississippi Book Festival will have special events leading up to the big day as well as later that evening. Several of these events are open to the public, starting with the Pre-Fest Party hosted by beloved Mississippi writers John T. Edge and W. Ralph Eubanks on Thursday, Aug. 18, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Jackson’s Cultivation Hall.

While the festival officially ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday, the fun will continue throughout the night. There will be a special screening of the documentary “Walter Anderson” by Robert St. John and Anthony Thaxton at 5:30 p.m. at the Capri Theater. The filmmakers are also the authors of a book by the same name celebrating the legendary Mississippi artist.

The night will close at the Hot Fest Cool Down at Hal and Mal’s at 7:30 p.m. with a live taping of Thacker Mountain Radio Hour featuring Southern humor writer Helen Ellis and music by Water Seed and Empty Atlas. Admission is $10 for the festival’s grand finale.

Emily Liner is the owner and founder of Friendly City Books, an independent bookstore and press in Columbus, Mississippi.