Gaithersburg Book Festival Set for May 18
The Gaithersburg Book Festival will take place on May 18 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Gaithersburg City Hall grounds. The family-friendly festival includes author presentations, book signings and numerous workshops. The schedules for the presentations, discussions and author signings is available on the Gaithersburg Book Festival website and summarized below. View or print the Gaithersburg Book Festival Map, the author program and author signing schedules to plan your visit.
Montgomery Community Media (MCM) is a sponsor of this premier literary event and our crews and volunteers will be on site the day of the festival. For more information about who’s coming and what to expect, see our page Inside the Gaithersburg Book Festival.
10 a.m.–10:30 a.m.
- “The Ghosts of Montgomery County” – Karen Yaffe Lottes, Dorothy Pugh
- “King Peggy, An American Secretary with Royal Destiny” – Peggilene Bartels
- “The Life of Brigham Young” – John G. Turner
- “The Little Things that Matter in the Big Game” – Kathy and Patrick Boehlert
- Reflections of Life and Death – Yvette Neisser Moreno, Joseph Ross
- “Hands Around the Library” – Karen Leggett Abouraya
10:15 a.m.–11:05 a.m.
- Literary Biographies – Cory MacLaughlin, Elizabeth Winder
- “They Call Me a Hero” – Daniel Hernandez, Jr.
- “Melonhead & Lucy Rose” – Katy Kelly
- “My Summer of Pink and Green” – Lisa Greenwald
10:35 a.m.–11:05 a.m.
- Local Thrillers – Larry Matthews, Grady Smith
- Romance & Suspense – P.J. O’Dwyer
- A Simple Thing – Kathleen McCleary
- National Insecurity – Mel Goodman
- Civil War Era D.C. – Charles V. Mauro, John Muller
- “Pluto’s Secret: An Icy World’s Tale of Discovery” – Diane Kidd, Margaret A. Weitekamp
11:15 a.m.–12:05 p.m.
- “What’s a Witch To Do?” – Jennifer Harlow
- New Voices in Fiction – Emily Jeanne Miller, Abigail Tarttelin
- Cultural Explorations – Vaddey Ratner, Manil Suri
- The Mommy Bloggers – Amber Dusick, Jill Smokler
- Baseball and Society – Tom Dunkel, Tom Oliphant
- “38 Nooses” – Scott Berg
- D.C. and Montgomery County History – Matt Dembicki, Garrett Peck
- Books Boys Love – Fred Bowen, Tommy Greenwald
- “Stripes of All Types” – Susan Stockdale
- Ghosts and Pirates – Mary Quattlebaum
- “The Raven Boys” – Maggie Stiefvater
12:15 p.m.–1:05 p.m.
- Book Maven Bethanne Patrick in Conversation with… Benjamin Percy
- Literary Fiction – Maryanne O’Hara, Frances de Pontes Peebles
- Novelists in Conversation – Jami Attenberg, Jennifer Close
- Psychological Rollercoasters – Susannah Cahalan, David Fitzpatrick, John Schwartz
- “Ike’s Bluff” – Evan Thomas
- Entering World War II – Lynne Olson
- Chocolate City in the ‘80s – Natalie Hopkinson, Dave Ungrady
- “Astronaut Academy” – Dave Roman
- Picture Book Fun – Mac Barnett, Jon Scieszka
1:15 p.m.–2:05 p.m.
- Mystery Master – Phillip Margolin
- Urban Fiction – Candice Dow, Kia Dupree
- Contemporary Fiction – Jane Green
- Triumph Over Adversity – Brian Boyle, Shelby Smoak
- Crossing WWII Battle Lines – Rachel S. Cox, Leslie Maitland
- “Capturing Camelot” – Kitty Kelley
- White House History – Paul Dickinson, Kathleen Kinsolving
- “Three Times Lucky” – Sheila Turnage
- “The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom” – Chris Healy
- Books Girls Love – Adele Griffin, Courtney Sheinmel
2:15 p.m.–3:05 p.m.
- Thrillers on the Hill – Allison Leotta, Charles Robbins
- Book Maven Bethanne Patrick in Conversation with… Jon Methven
- Parallel Narratives in Fiction– Tara Conklin, Jeanine Cummins
- Miami Writes – Debra Dean, John Dufresne, Les Standiford
- I Want My MTV – Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman
- What’s in Our DNA? – Sam Kean
- “Comida Latina” Cooking Demo – Marcella Kriebel
- Double Feature: Twin Authors for Teens and Tweens – Julia DeVillers, Jennifer Roy
- Author & Illustrator – Christopher Myers
- Young Adult Fantasy – Ellen Oh, Jessica Spotswood
3:15 p.m.–4:05 p.m.
- “The Good Cop” – Brad Parks
- The World with a Twist – Jason Mott, Karen Thompson Walker
- Historical Fiction – Therese Anne Fowler, Caroline Leavitt
- Stand-Up Comedy Writers – John DeBellis, Sylvia Traymore Morrison
- “The Life of Sargent Shriver” – Mark Shriver
- “The Alchemists” – Neil Irwin
- Beautiful Washington, D.C. – Judy Colbert, Barbara Glickman
- The Stinky Cheese Man (and more) – John Scieszka
- Songwriting and Success – The Voice’s Erin Willet
4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
- Washington Post Book World Fiction Editor Ron Charles in Conversation with… Adam Mansbach
- “The Boy from Reactor 4” – Orest Stelmach
- Poetry in the Afternoon – Sarah Arvio, Sally Keith, Eric Pankey
- Humor on the Interwebs – Phil Edwards, Lauren Leto, Sarah Schmelling
- “The Life of William Rehnquist” – John Jenkins
- Industry Panel: Independent Bookselling – Bradley Graham, Mitch Kaplan, Chris Kerr, Lissa Muscatine
- “Pati’s Mexican Table” Cooking Demo – Pati Jinich
- An Hour with the Legendary Children’s Author – Walter Dean Myers
- Look Out Taylor Swift – Courtney Rau
5:15 p.m. – 6 p.m.
- Songwriting Collaboration…What Inspires You? – Pete Looney
Note: Children and young adult presentations are denoted in italics.
Additional Coverage:
Mayor's Speech at GBF Authors' Reception (Video)
Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz spoke at the authors’ reception the evening before the Gaithersburg Book Festival. Take a look.
Jud Ashman's Remarks at Authors' Reception (Video)
Gaithersburg Book Festival Founder Jud Ashman addresses the authors, volunteers and city officials at a reception the night before the literary event.
Book Festival Authors' Reception (Photos & Video)
Montgomery Community Media (MCM) was granted access to a reception for the authors the night before the Gaithersburg Book Festival. MyMCMedia’s Sonya Burke reports that many of the festival’s authors were excited to meet each other in person. More photos from the reception: That’s Singer Erin Willett and her mom Mary; Children’s Author John Scieszka; […]
Book Festival Puts MoCo On Cultural Map (Video)
MyMCMedia’s Sonya Burke recently sat down with the founder of the Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF), Jud Ashman, to talk about the significance of the literary event for the city of Gaithersburg and Montgomery County. Take a look. You can find out more information about the May 18 GBF on its website: www.gaithersburgbookfestival.org.
GBF Insider: Jud Ashman (Video)
MyMCMedia’s Sonya Burke recently sat down with Gaithersburg Book Festival Founder Jud Ashman to get an insider’s look at the May 18 festival. In this clip from their conversation, they talk about the MTV VJs who are coming to the festival and the possibility of a Redskins sighting. Take a look. For more information about […]
"Our Secret Weapon" (Video)
In this webisode of the Gaithersburg Book Festival Insider you will meet the Gaithersburg Book Festival’s secret weapon: Becky Meloan. Meloan, a Gaithersburg resident, tells us about some of the authors presenting at this year’s event. Take a look.
GBF Insider: Nonfiction Authors (Video)
In this webisode of the Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF) Insider, GBF Founder Jud Ashman talks with Author Recruitment Volunteer Becky Meloan about the outstanding lineup of nonfiction authors. Take a look:
GBF Insider with Volunteer Becky Meloan (Video)
In this webisode of the Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF) Insider, GBF Founder Jud Ashman sits down with author recruitment volunteer Becky Meloan to talk about the upcoming book festival and all the reasons you should plan to attend. Take a look. You can find out more about the May 18th Gaithersburg Book Festival by visiting […]
Author Ellen Oh on Demons & Writing (Video)
Prophecy Author Ellen Oh tells us the difference between a Dragon King and demon in this interview with Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF) Founder Jud Ashman. She also explains what it took to get her latest fantasy novel published. Find out more in this webisode of the GBF Insider: You can meet Oh and dozens of […]
GBF Insider & Author Ellen Oh (Video)
In this webisode of the Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF) Insider, GBF Founder Jud Ashman talks to author Ellen Oh about how the inspiration for her latest novel, Prophecy, actually occurred when she was stuck in traffic on the Beltway. Take a look. You can find out more about the May 18th Gaithersburg Book Festival by […]
Virtual Gaithersburg Book Festival to Feature 'American Dirt' Author
The 11th annual Gaithersburg Book Festival will be held virtually this year throughout the month of May. This will be the second year the Gaithersburg Book Festival will be all virtual because of the coronavirus. The announcement was made on social media on Feb. 12: “Programming will start on May 1st and continue throughout the […]
Why Gaithersburg's Mayor is Pumped for Book Fest
There’s no one more excited for the 10th annual Gaithersburg Book Festival than the city’s mayor, Jud Ashman. More than 140 authors will be at the festival — here’s what Ashman had to say about these authors: Some of the biggest names at the festival, according to Ashman, include Kwame Onwuachi, author of “Notes From […]
MCPS Students Finalists in Gaithersburg Book Festival Short Story Contest
Judges have selected three finalists for the 2015 Gaithersburg Book Festival High School Student Short Story Contest. According to a press release, first, second and third place- along with a fan favorite- will be announced at the book festival on May 16. The event will be held on the grounds of City Hall in Gaithersburg […]
Book Festival Sets Attendance Record (Video & Photos)
Over 18,500 people visited this year’s Gaithersburg Book Festival. Now in its fourth year, this annual literary event is putting Gaithersburg and Montgomery County on the map as a cultural destination. MyMCMedia’s Sonya Burke reports. Officials said 17,000 people visited the festival last year. Below are some more images from this year’s event.
Ashman Applauded: Book Fest Sets Record for Attendance
The founder of the Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF), Jud Ashman, also a City Council member, received a standing ovation at the May 20 Gaithersburg City Council meeting for his leadership and vision for the popular event. Despite less than perfect weather, Ashman reports that approximately 18,500 people attended this year’s event. That’s up slightly from […]
Who's Introducing Who at the GBF
Several local officials will be introducing some of the presenting authors and panel discussions at the Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF) on May 18 on the grounds of City Hall. GBF Founder Jud Ashman said he is not doing introductions this year as he just wants to enjoy the festival. Here’s a quick preview of some […]
Gaithersburg Book Festival Set for May 18
The Gaithersburg Book Festival will take place on May 18 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at Gaithersburg City Hall grounds. The family-friendly festival includes author presentations, book signings and numerous workshops. The schedules for the presentations, discussions and author signings is available on the Gaithersburg Book Festival website and summarized below. View or print […]
Plan Your Visit to the Gaithersburg Book Festival
The Gaithersburg Book Festival is just a few weeks away so start planning your day. The festival includes author presentations throughout the day. This year, the format differs slightly as the presentations focuses on author pairings and panel discussions about hot topics. The schedules for the presentations, discussions and author signings is available on the […]
Save the Date (Video)
![gbflogo[1]](https://s19499.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/gbflogo11-169x123.png "Save the Date (Video)")
The fourth annual Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF) will take place on the grounds of City Hall in Gaithersburg on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Take a look at this video for a quick preview of what to expect.
GBF to Include Children's Village
The Gaithersburg Book Festival (GBF) will take place on the grounds of City Hall in Gaithersburg on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival will spotlight a Children’s Village featuring some of the top authors in children’s literature. The Village will include the Imagination Station, where children can perform or watch […]
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