Louisiana Book Festival

09/04/2026

Three award-winning writers will serve as the faculty for the Louisiana Book Festival's WordShops writing workshops, set to take place Oct. 30 at the State Library of Louisiana in Baton Rouge.

The three-hour workshops are open to writers of all experience levels and will be held the day before the festival. Read more ⬇️

09/04/2026

Registration is now open for WordShops! These writing workshops taught by acclaimed and widely-published authors help writers of all experience levels to refine their craft. Scheduled for Friday, October 30, the day before the Louisiana Book Festival, WordShops provide serious educational experiences presented in a supportive, informal environment. It’s the perfect opportunity to glean professional insight and develop valuable skills. See the list of this year’s classes and register online today – a discount is available if registering for two sessions!

Today’s news release: https://library.la.gov/about-us/news/louisiana-book-festival-announces-faculty-for-its-2026-writing-workshops/

WordShops info and online registration: https://www.louisianabookfestival.org/events/wordshops/

09/03/2026

Be the first to know about activities, authors, and books to be featured at – subscribe to our email newsletter at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/AHOEl25/labookfestival . Weekly updates from now until the festival on October 31!

09/02/2026

Today’s video highlight from the 2025 features the session “In the Shadow of the South: Memoirs of Prejudice, Truth, and Hope” featuring authors Larry Bagneris (CALL ME LARRY: A CREOLE MAN’S TRIUMPH OVER RACISM AND HOMOPHOBIA) and Adam Gussow (MISTER SATAN’S APPRENTICE: A BLUES MEMOIR), with moderator A.E. Rooks.

Check out the list of featured authors and books for 2026 at https://louisianabookfestival.org and make your plans to attend the state’s signature literary event in Baton Rouge on October 31!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLY87f66e5Q

Featuring Larry Bagneris, author of CALL ME LARRY: A CREOLE MAN'S T...

08/26/2026

The National Book Foundation will feature a session from this year's as part of its fall season of NBF Presents! "Southern Satire" will feature authors Ben Fountain (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, 2012 Fiction Finalist; Rasputin Swims the Potomac) and T. Geronimo Johnson (Welcome to Braggsville, 2015 Fiction Finalist; The Occidental Book of the Dead).

Dozens of authors honored by the National Book Foundation to appear at 15 events between September and November 2026 New York, NY (August 26, 2026) – The National Book Foundation today announced its fall NBF Presents lineup of 15 events taking place in five states—Florida, Louisiana, New York, O...

08/26/2026

Congratulations to alum Eli Cranor, whose novel MISSISSIPPI BLUE 42 was named the 2026 recipient of the Booker-Worthen Prize, an annual award given by the Central Arkansas Library System's Butler Center for Arkansas Studies to the best work of fiction/nonfiction by an Arkansas author.

More info about the award here: https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/booker-worthen-literary-prize-6008/

Eli Cranor - Author Page

08/25/2026

Our latest video highlight from last year's features Raj Tawney, author of COLORFUL PALATE: A FLAVORFUL JOURNEY THROUGH A MIXED AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, and Annabelle Tometich, author of THE MANGO TREE: A MEMOIR OF FRUIT, FLORIDA, AND FELONY, who share their personal journeys of growing up as multiracial Americans. They discuss the feeling of existing between cultures, and wrestling with the expectations of "normality," and overcoming the isolation that often accompanies mixed-race heritage.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified about the latest video postings and make your plans to attend the 22nd Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge on October 31!

Revisit some the programs from the 2025 Louisiana Book Festival and...

08/21/2026

Today’s video highlight from last year’s - True-Crime historian Harold Schechter joins interviewer Maurice Carlos Ruffin in this introduction to Schechter's graphic novel, DR. WERTHLESS, that takes an unbiased look at Dr. Fredric Wertham, the flawed and enormously complex man whose obsessive dream of freeing the world from violence nearly murdered the comics industry.

Follow our YouTube channel for more highlights as we prepare for the 2026 festival and make your plans to join us in Baton Rouge on October 31!

True-Crime historian Harold Schechter offers a quick overview of hi...

08/14/2026

As anticipation builds for the 2026 on October 31, take a look back at last year’s festival with highlights of programs and interviews with authors, attendees, and other participants. As we ramp up toward this year’s event, we’ll be regularly posting video replays of book talks, panels and other highlights from 2025. Make your plans to join us in Baton Rouge this year!

Whet your appetite for the upcoming 2026 Louisiana Book Festival by...

08/14/2026

Congratulations to Susan Larson, author, editor, past recipient of our Literary Icon Award, and longtime host of THE READING LIFE on WWNO, who recently announced her upcoming retirement from the show. Thanks Susan for your many years of support for Louisiana’s literary community and elevating exceptional authors and books!

Hear celebrated and up-and-coming authors read excerpts from new books and discuss their work with former Times-Picayune book editor Susan Larson.