Readers, take note! Mark your calendars for the 2022 Southern Kentucky Book Fest, set for late March. This popular celebration of books and reading hosted by the Warren County Public Library and its partners WKU Libraries and Barnes & Noble Booksellers will be back full-force after a two-year hiatus.
The Book Fest kicks off Thursday, March 24, with a 6pm presentation by bestselling author Karen Kingsbury downtown at the Capitol. With over 25 million books in print, Kingsbury has been dubbed America’s favorite inspirational storyteller, and her novels have gained an international following. She has written a large number of fiction series titles, a number of stand-alone novels, devotional books and several children’s books, as well. Several of her books have been made into movies, which have been shown on the Hallmark Channel. A popular presenter, she currently lives in middle Tennessee. This will be her second time to present in Bowling Green.
The following morning, the Knicely Conference Center will come alive on “Children’s Day.” As on Fridays in years past, March 25 will feature authors and illustrators of books for children and teens, who will sign books and give presentations during school-day hours. (Details for that day will be featured in an upcoming article.)
On Saturday, March 26, the lineup will expand with a large collection of authors for adult readers. This is a day the entire family will want to attend, particularly those who might be fans of the following headliners!
The first Book Fest headliner will be actor, producer and writer Andrew McCarthy. Many watched his career take off with a bang on the big screen in the 1980s. He quickly achieved heartthrob status along with fellow “Brat Pack” members who starred in several hit movies, including St. Elmo’s Fire and Pretty in Pink. McCarthy’s acting experience is broad, as it also included appearances on Broadway and in numerous television series. As with many actors, as time went on, his career moved toward directing and producing. His extensive list of directing credits includes work on Gossip Girl and the award-winning series Orange Is the New Black.
When he hit his thirties, with a number of successful films under his belt, the movie actor stepped away from the celebrity lifestyle when he was hit by the travel bug, which took him across the globe. His world adventures became fodder for writing, which soon won him both attention and acclaim. For a time he served as editor-at-large for National Geographic Traveller magazine, and his travel essays garnered several awards from the Society of American Travel Writers, including Travel Journalist of the Year in 2010. He forayed into the fiction market and penned a young adult novel, Just Fly Away, in 2017 which became a New York Times best-seller. His most recent book is a memoir entitled Brat: An ’80s Story, published just this summer, which has been described as “beautifully written, entertaining, and emotionally honest.”
Fans of history’s darker side will enjoy welcoming author/storyteller/producer Aaron Mahnke to the Book Fest. His award-winning podcast, “Lore,” features stories of creepy creatures, spooky locations and a shadowy host of real-life characters, the type that could spark a person’s worst nightmares. The award-winning hit podcast has spawned a beautifully illustrated series of three books, featuring stories pulled from his show’s most popular broadcasts, as well as a television series on Amazon Prime and a national tour. He has also penned a graphic novel, Wellington, a supernatural thriller that’s been likened to a gothic Sherlock Holmes tale.
Don’t miss It!
All Saturday events will take place between 9am and 3pm and are provided free of charge. Books will be on sale and available for personalization. For more information and a full list of authors, go to sokybookfest.org.
-by Ashley Fowlkes
