Mississippi Book Festival Returns for Ninth Year

Every summer, the Mississippi State Capitol hosts thousands of people at a one-day,
free festival to celebrate books, authors, and readers. The Mississippi Book Festival will return for its ninth year this August with over 150 authors, whose written words have inspired many readers. Booklovers can connect with authors and each other through a wide selection of panels, book signings, family-friendly activities, and more on August 19th, 2023, in downtown Jackson.

The Mississippi Book Festival is excited to host a plethora of talented authors, including
children’s authors Lois Lowry, whose recent novel, The Windeby Puzzle, is a combination of strange history and compassionate reflection. She will join award-winning Mississippi author Margaret McMullan to discuss her book. Jackson native Richard Ford will sit down with the festival’s founding director Holly Lange in a conversation about his final novel in the world of Frank Bascombe, Be Mine. Readers of literary fiction will be eager to witness the conclusion of Ford’s “everyman” character.

There will be panels for every type of reader at the festival, including Cookbooks &
Culture, Mississippi Culture, Author Biography, Book Club Picks, and more. Jackson author Mary Miller will lead the “Novel Women” panel featuring fellow Jackson author Katy Simpson Smith, Ramona Ausubel, Jenny Jackson, and Mona Simpson as they explore identity and relationships in their gripping narratives. In a panel on “Marriage, Memoir, & Misadventure,” Former Mississippi Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly will moderate an honest and moving discussion with writers Harrison Scott Key, Helen Ellis, Maggie Smith, and Hannah Pittard.