Book lovers all across the state and country have the chance to come together and celebrate their love for fiction, non-fiction and everything in between at the 2018 Louisiana Book Festival right here in Baton Rouge.
The 2018 Louisiana Book Festival (LBF) takes place Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m in downtown Baton Rouge at the State Library of Louisiana, the State Capitol, the Capitol Park Museum and nearby locations. The LBF is an annual, free celebration of readers, writer and their books.
LBF makes it fun for the whole family with activities aimed toward every age group. The festival includes the Young Readers Pavilion and the Teen HQ for younger audiences, as well as live musical performances, cooking demonstrations, book talks, signings and a wide variety of book-related activities and exhibitors.
The 2018 LBF program features over 245 authors and panelists presenting book talks or participating in discussions as well as other literary activities. Books by featured authors will be available in the Barnes & Noble Bookselling and Signing Tent located on North 4th Street. Participating authors will sign their books at this location approximately 15 minutes after their feature presentations.
Two of the biggest names among the 245-plus authors and panelists are Academy Award-nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis and former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Donna Brazile. Both Wallis and Brazile are Louisiana-born authors who are coming back to their southern roots for the festival.
Wallis initially gained fame when she became the youngest Oscar nominee for Best Actress at 9 years old for her 2012 performance in “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Since then, she performed in the 2013 Academy Award-winning film “12 Years a Slave” and started in the 2014 “Annie” remake.
At only 15 years old, Wallis has taken both the film and literary worlds by storm. Since 2017, she has released four children’s books, including three books for her “Shai & Emmie” series about the title best friends who are destined for superstardom.
Wallis’ books are fun for all ages, but Brazile is known for her serious nonfiction work about black women interested in government, federal politics and the controversies we’ve seen since the rise of the Trump era.
Brazile is an adjunct Professor of Women and Gender Studies at Georgetown University and serves as a fellow in the Shorenstein Center at Harvard. She reached headlines, however, in 2016 when she assumed the role of interim chair of the DNC after Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned from the position.
Brazile authored a book on her experiences titled “Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House.” The book is an account of her second time as the interim chair of the DNC and events surrounding the 2016 election, including Russian hacking and disorder within the Democratic Party.
Brazile spoke at the University in November 2017 to discuss “Hacks” at the Hill Memorial Library. Brazile said she promotes the University no matter where she is in her life and career, not only because of how well her time her prepared her for “the most tumultuous years ever in American politics,” but because of the friendships and wisdom she gained.
The 2018 Louisiana Book Festival will take place in downtown Baton Rouge at the State Library, the State Capitol and surrounding areas on Nov. 10.
