The Southern Kentucky Book Fest was recently announced as one of the Kentucky Travel Industry Association’s Top 10 Festivals for Spring 2013 in the state of Kentucky. In the company of other noted festivals such as Keeneland and the Kentucky Derby, the SOKY Book Fest will be held on Saturday, April 20 in Bowling Green at the Knicely Conference Center.
“We were very happy to hear the news from the Bowling Green Area Visitors Bureau,” said Kristie Lowry, Literary Outreach Coordinator for WKU Libraries and Coordinator of the SOKY Book Fest. “We feel the SOKY Book Fest is an important event for our region and part of what makes Southern Kentucky such a special place to live and visit. We appreciate the recognition from KTIA.”
More than 140 authors for adults and children will be in attendance including the well-known actor, author, producer, and director Henry Winkler, most recognized for his portrayal of “The Fonz” for 10 seasons on Happy Days (1974-1984). Mary McDonough, well-known actress best known for her role as Erin Walton from The Waltons, will be in attendance with her book Lessons From The Mountain, What I Learned From Erin Walton. Mary is a public speaker and workshop leader, and she will be the presenter at a breakfast on Saturday aimed at girls and a healthy body image. Included among many other panels and presentations, Jarrett Krosoczka, creator of the Lunch Lady book series, will give writing tips for kids in 4th-8th grades on Saturday afternoon.
In addition to the main Saturday event, children’s authors and illustrators will be the focus at Children’s Day on Friday, April 19. The Kentucky Writers Conference will also take place that Friday featuring writing workshops presented by authors who will be participating in the Book Fest on Saturday.
SOKY Book Fest is a partnership project of WKU Libraries, Warren County Public Library, and Barnes and Noble Booksellers. For more detailed information about the SOKY Book Fest, go to sokybookfest.org or contact Kristie Lowry, coordinator of the Book Fest, at kristie.lowry@wku.edu or 745-4502.