A Literary Lawn Party
Each August, the Mississippi Book Festival unites readers and authors in an exhilarating celebration of books.
The Capitol’s stately rooms and nearby Galloway Church turn into venues for distinguished panelists, the streets in-between transform into a bustling marketplace for booksellers, and the grounds and Capitol Rotunda become a hub of lively exchange. FREE AND OPEN TO ALL, the festival brings the written word to fun, festive life with authors, panel discussions, book signings, family-friendly activities, food trucks, live music, and more!
Authors
Hundreds of contemporary authors — national, regional and local — connect directly with fans and new readers at the festival each year. Official Panelists are invited to contribute to in-depth discussions and sign books, while Authors Alley hosts dozens of self-published authors selling their works.
Exhibitors
The 2023 festival offers an exceptional opportunity for individuals, retailers, organizations, and vendors to sell or distribute books, goods, information, and foods. With four different ways to participate, you’re sure to find a perfect fit.
Volunteers
Our tireless volunteers power the festival—with more than 150 coming together each year to greet guests, give directions, ensure safety, and execute countless essential tasks to make the day and weekend run smoothly.
Attractions
This ten-acre booklover’s paradise, set in and around the State Capitol Building, draws hundreds of visiting authors each year to engage with each other and the public to discuss their latest works. Dozens of panel discussions on a wide range of topics, book signings, Booksellers Row, Authors Alley, family-friendly activities, food trucks, Capitol tours, and much more, make this event one for the books!
Panels
The festival celebrates the hottest new books and the storytellers behind them in a dynamic forum that is open to all. Discussion panels, scheduled throughout the day in air-conditioned venues, consist of one or more authors engaging in an hour-long conversation. Topics include fiction, narrative non-fiction, poetry, children’s literature, young adult and more!
Booksellers
On Booksellers Row, beloved independent booksellers from around the region sell the day’s featured titles, keeping the festival’s finger on the pulse of the reading public.
Funders
Committed to making a positive impact on the cultural life of our state, funders are the lifeblood of the festival. At the August event these essential supporters are recognized through a host of special opportunities, many of which are customized to meet charitable and/or marketing objectives. Through their generosity the festival remains FREE AND OPEN TO ALL.
More than just a day!
On the day before the festival, thousands of students join compelling authors who write for young people at select venues to hear candid enlightenment and to receive free books at KidNote. In 2022, more than 24,000 students took part in a statewide orchestration of in-person and online engagements. This year, why not ask one of your favorite authors from our lineup to come early and speak to your local school!
We speak book!
At our very first festival, we made the commitment to capture every official panel discussion in video and, in 2019, we joined forces with Mississippi Public Broadcasting to create the podcast Write On, Mississippi! This incredible and growing feast of video and podcast recordings is organized in the ARCHIVE section of our website for you to savor anytime!
I found my visit to Jackson heartening and illuminating. I couldn’t have asked for a warmer welcome or a more engaged and responsive audience!”
Jennifer Egan, 2022 Official Panelist
My former husband, Mel Leventhal, a devoted Civil Rights attorney, and I dreamed of a day when there might be a festival such as this, when all of Mississippi would feel invited, welcomed, and comfortable."
Alice Walker, 2022 Official Panelist
At a time when books are being banned at a furious clip, events like the Mississippi Book Festival are more than literary occasions. They are fundamental components of our democracy. I had a wonderful time at the festival meeting other writers of diverse backgrounds and experiences, and cannot wait to return."
James Kirchick, 2022 Official Panelist
Mississippi is a state with such radiant literary history that it’s no wonder the Mississippi Book Festival was an astonishment: extraordinary organization, a great number of brilliant writers, and pervasive joy in the celebration of books and their makers.”
Lauren Groff, 2022 Official Panelist
Ours is a deeply flawed experiment, but confronting the past affords us an opportunity to imagine ourselves differently, to take the measure of the country and dare to be otherwise. All is not lost."
Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., 2022 Official Panelist
In only a few years, the book festival has established itself as a premier literary event, so well-run it feels chiseled in granite."
Snowden Wright, 2022 Official Panelist
The Mississippi Book Festival is special. Envision this: thousands of book-lovers spilling out of the grand state capitol and ambling from one engrossing author event to the next, taking in a political session here and one on Southern food there before headed over to history or true crime. It's a literary buffet, in one place on one day. And it's air conditioned."
Jonathan Martin, 2022 Official Panelist
Funders
The Mississippi Book Festival cherishes funders who are committed to making a positive and lasting impact on the cultural life of our state. See all funders.