To read a writer is for me not merely to get an idea of what he says, but to go off with him and travel in his company. -- Andre Gide
Canada
The Scream Literary Festival
July 6-12
Toronto
http://www.thescream.ca/
For one glorious week the Scream Literary Festival will celebrate the pranksters and radicals of the literary world, the agents provocateurs who challenge, entertain and frustrate readers—and ultimately redeem literature.
Lakefield Literary Festival
July 15-18
Lakefield, Ontario
http://www.lakefieldliteraryfestival.com/index.html
The Lakefield Literary Festival celebrates its rich literary heritage each July on the weekend closest to Margaret Laurence’s birthday, and showcases many current Canadian authors. The festival was created to celebrate the work of Catharine Parr Traill, Susanna Moodie and Margaret Laurence, among others, all whom lived and wrote in Lakefield.
China
Hong Kong Book Fair
July 21-27
Hong Kong
http://hkbookfair.hktdc.com/en/index.aspx
England
London Literature Festival
July 1-18
Southbank Centre, London
http://www.londonlitfest.com/
Bringing the world’s best writers and thinkers to Southbank Centre. Football, philosophy, capitalist apocalypse, comedy and adventures in science are just some of the exhilarating features of this year’s festival.
Buxton Festival
July 7-25
Buxton, Derbyshire
http://www.buxtonfestival.co.uk/
The Peak District hills host a friendly crowd of opera, music and literature lovers from all over the country during July’s Buxton Festival.
A morning literary series, afternoon concerts and rarely-performed opera in the evening offer a rich and unique cultural experience, attracting big names and a faithful audience to an historic and beautiful setting.
The Telegraph Ways with Words Festival at Dartington Hall
July 9-19
Dartington, Totnes, Devon
http://www.wayswithwords.co.uk/festivals/dartington-hall-18
The Telegraph Ways With Words festival of words and ideas is a vibrant and joyful 10-day event, a chance for those who read books to meet those who write them. The setting is glorious, the atmosphere is invigorating. People come together in spectacular surroundings to share the pleasure and power of language and ideas. The warmth and energy of this lively gathering make it a memorable occasion.
Harrogate Crime Writing Festival
July 22-25
Harrogate
http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/
The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate is a not to be missed event. Let’s examine the evidence: Ian Rankin, Christopher Brookmyre, Jeffery Deaver, Joanne Harris, Jeff Lindsay, Karin Slaughter: some of the best and biggest names in the business. Hang on for your life as many of the biggest authors in crime fiction gather for Europe’s most gripping crime writing festival.
Ireland
West Cork Literary Festival
July 4-11
Bantry, County Cork, Ireland
http://www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie/
Michael Palin, Margaret Drabble, John Boyne and Hugo Hamilton are just four of the writers appearing at this year’s West Cork Literary Festival which features some of the finest writers and poets from Ireland and abroad.
23rd Gerard Manley Hopkins Festival
July 24-30
Newbridge College, County Kildare, Ireland
http://www.gerardmanleyhopkins.org/
Japan
Tokyo International Book Fair
July 8-11
Tokyo
http://www.reedexpo.co.jp/tibf/english/
Welcome to Asia’s leading publishing trade fair! 1000 exhibitors from 30 countries!
Mexico
Hay Festival Zacatecas
July 15-18
Zacatecas
http://www.hayfestival.com/portal/index.aspx?skinid=1&localesetting=en-GB
The first Hay Festival in Zacatecas, Mexico, takes place in July 2010. A new and exciting festival in the heart of Mexico, exploring the best international literature and music, with debate on migration, environment, gender and much more.
South Africa
The Cape Town Book Fair
June 30-August 2
Cape Town
http://www.capetownbookfair.com/
You will meet all of Africa at the fair: CTBF and Goethe Institut South Africa are inviting more than 15 publishers from other African countries to attend the fair.
United States
California
Sierra Storytelling Festival
July 23-25
North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center, Nevada City
http://www.sierrastorytellingfestival.org/
Join us to revel in 25 years of heartfelt tales with our anniversary celebration! Tellers and special guests will regale you with memories both poignant and hilarious--stories from African, Asian, Jewish, and Native American traditions as well as heart-warming folk tales. We will present some of the finest nationally and internationally known tellers for your enjoyment, food and drink for the body, resources for your library, and introduce you to the beauty of the Sierra Foothills.
Napa Valley Writers’ Conference
July 25-30
St. Helena
http://www.napawritersconf.org/program
Participants register for either the poetry or the fiction workshops, but panels and talks are open to all. Workshops meet for two hours daily over five days. The schedule also includes talks by faculty writers, panels featuring visiting editors and agents, and readings by the faculty at Napa Valley wineries.
Northern California Storybook & Literature Festival
July 31
Maidu Library and Maidu Community Center, Roseville
http://www.roseville.ca.us/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=1956&targetid=5
Florida
Hemingway Days
July 20-25
Key West
http://www.fla-keys.com/hemingwaymedia/
During his Key West residence, Ernest Hemingway wrote some of his most enduring works and spent his leisure hours fishing and socializing with local and literary cohorts. Each year, fans of his writing and exuberant lifestyle come together for Hemingway Days.
Illinois
Newberry Library Book Festival
July 28-August 1
Chicago
http://go.newberry.org/bookfair
Celebrate 26 years of inexpensive used books at the Newberry's annual Book Fair. We have a record number of books to sell this year! More than 110,000 donated books will be sorted into 70 categories for your browsing convenience. With many books priced under $2, it's easy to replenish your home library's holdings on subjects ranging from antiques to zoology.
Iowa
Iowa City Book Festival
July 16-18
Gibson Square, Iowa City
http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org/
The Iowa City Book Festival is a three-day celebration of books, reading and writing presented by the University of Iowa Libraries on July 16, 17 and 18. The Book Festival will begin on Friday with an author dinner in the Main Library. Saturday is festival day in Gibson Square with booksellers, music, children's activities, food vendors, book arts demonstrations and readings and panel discussions. Sunday will be "A Day in the City of Literature." Local businesses of all kinds throughout Iowa City will participate with readings, special activities all day.
Massachusetts
Berkshire Wordfest at the Mount
July 23-25
The Mount, Lenox
http://www.edithwharton.org/events-detail.php?record=49
Wharton wrote these words in The Age of Innocence. This July 23-25, The Mount launches its first annual literary festival, Berkshire WordFest, in just that spirit, bringing together twenty nationally acclaimed writers for a weekend of talks, interviews, readings, book signings, and more. Our 2010 theme is “Channeling Edith Wharton,” and her literary genius is the touchstone for our events and participants. Berkshire WordFest is the first festival of its kind in the Berkshires and a significant addition to the region’s cultural season.
Michigan
Michigan Storytellers Festival
July 16-17
Flint
http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/msf/index.shtml
This is the 30th Michigan Storytellers Festival. The Festival begins with an evening concert on Friday, July 16 at 7PM. Then a full day of activities follows on Saturday, July 17 beginning with Coffee Hour at 9AM and a Workshop by Donald Davis entitled “Exploring the Attic of Memory – Finding and Learning to Tell Stories of Our Own People Places and Happenings” at 9:30 AM. JOIN US!
Mississippi
Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference
“Faulkner and Film”
July 18-22
Oxford
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/events/faulkner/
The 2010 Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference will examine the topic 'Faulkner and Film' through five days of lectures and discussions by literary scholars and critics. There will also be showings of five or six films made from Faulkner’s screenplays or adapted from his novels or short stories. We will make selections from screenplays such as ‘Road to Glory,’ ‘The Big Sleep,’ and ‘To Have and Have Not,’ or adaptations such as ‘The Story of Temple Drake,’ ‘The Long Hot Summer’ (The Hamlet), ‘Intruder in the Dust,’ ‘Tomorrow,’ ‘Old Man,’ ‘Barn Burning,’ and ‘Sanctuary’ (Sanctuary and Requiem for a Nun).
Nebraska
Norfolk Public Library’s 16th Annual Literature Festival
July 31
Northeast Community College/Lifelong Learning Center, Norfolk
http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/News/content/2574.html
New York
Buffalo Book Fair
July 10
Buffalo
http://buffalobookfair.com/
Experience your dream trip, an intriguing romance, the excitement of a good mystery and the many imaginative and true stories that help us smile and escape to a different time or moment.
Harlem Book Fair
“Women in Word and Power”
July 17-19
http://www.qbr.com/page18993.asp
The Vision of the Harlem Book Fair is to partner with local and national leadership organizations under the banner of literacy awareness, affirming HBF as the nation’s largest African American literary event celebrating family literacy, community empowerment, and community cooperation.
Pennsylvania
Chestnut Hill Book Festival
July 9-11
Philadelphia
http://www.chestnuthillpa.com/events/chestnut-hill-book-festival/
Chestnut Hill is proud to announce its second annual book festival schedules for July 9th, 10th & 11th, 2010. This weekend-long event will feature over 50 locally and nationally recognized authors.
Texas
Way Out West Texas Book Festival
July 29-31
Alpine
http://www.wowtxbookfestival.com/
Read books. They are good for us. -- Natalie Goldberg
Canada
The Scream Literary Festival
July 6-12
Toronto
http://www.thescream.ca/
For one glorious week the Scream Literary Festival will celebrate the pranksters and radicals of the literary world, the agents provocateurs who challenge, entertain and frustrate readers—and ultimately redeem literature.
Lakefield Literary Festival
July 15-18
Lakefield, Ontario
http://www.lakefieldliteraryfestival.com/index.html
The Lakefield Literary Festival celebrates its rich literary heritage each July on the weekend closest to Margaret Laurence’s birthday, and showcases many current Canadian authors. The festival was created to celebrate the work of Catharine Parr Traill, Susanna Moodie and Margaret Laurence, among others, all whom lived and wrote in Lakefield.
China
Hong Kong Book Fair
July 21-27
Hong Kong
http://hkbookfair.hktdc.com/en/index.aspx
England
London Literature Festival
July 1-18
Southbank Centre, London
http://www.londonlitfest.com/
Bringing the world’s best writers and thinkers to Southbank Centre. Football, philosophy, capitalist apocalypse, comedy and adventures in science are just some of the exhilarating features of this year’s festival.
Buxton Festival
July 7-25
Buxton, Derbyshire
http://www.buxtonfestival.co.uk/
The Peak District hills host a friendly crowd of opera, music and literature lovers from all over the country during July’s Buxton Festival.
A morning literary series, afternoon concerts and rarely-performed opera in the evening offer a rich and unique cultural experience, attracting big names and a faithful audience to an historic and beautiful setting.
The Telegraph Ways with Words Festival at Dartington Hall
July 9-19
Dartington, Totnes, Devon
http://www.wayswithwords.co.uk/festivals/dartington-hall-18
The Telegraph Ways With Words festival of words and ideas is a vibrant and joyful 10-day event, a chance for those who read books to meet those who write them. The setting is glorious, the atmosphere is invigorating. People come together in spectacular surroundings to share the pleasure and power of language and ideas. The warmth and energy of this lively gathering make it a memorable occasion.
Harrogate Crime Writing Festival
July 22-25
Harrogate
http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/crime/
The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate is a not to be missed event. Let’s examine the evidence: Ian Rankin, Christopher Brookmyre, Jeffery Deaver, Joanne Harris, Jeff Lindsay, Karin Slaughter: some of the best and biggest names in the business. Hang on for your life as many of the biggest authors in crime fiction gather for Europe’s most gripping crime writing festival.
Ireland
West Cork Literary Festival
July 4-11
Bantry, County Cork, Ireland
http://www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie/
Michael Palin, Margaret Drabble, John Boyne and Hugo Hamilton are just four of the writers appearing at this year’s West Cork Literary Festival which features some of the finest writers and poets from Ireland and abroad.
23rd Gerard Manley Hopkins Festival
July 24-30
Newbridge College, County Kildare, Ireland
http://www.gerardmanleyhopkins.org/
Japan
Tokyo International Book Fair
July 8-11
Tokyo
http://www.reedexpo.co.jp/tibf/english/
Welcome to Asia’s leading publishing trade fair! 1000 exhibitors from 30 countries!
Mexico
Hay Festival Zacatecas
July 15-18
Zacatecas
http://www.hayfestival.com/portal/index.aspx?skinid=1&localesetting=en-GB
The first Hay Festival in Zacatecas, Mexico, takes place in July 2010. A new and exciting festival in the heart of Mexico, exploring the best international literature and music, with debate on migration, environment, gender and much more.
South Africa
The Cape Town Book Fair
June 30-August 2
Cape Town
http://www.capetownbookfair.com/
You will meet all of Africa at the fair: CTBF and Goethe Institut South Africa are inviting more than 15 publishers from other African countries to attend the fair.
United States
California
Sierra Storytelling Festival
July 23-25
North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center, Nevada City
http://www.sierrastorytellingfestival.org/
Join us to revel in 25 years of heartfelt tales with our anniversary celebration! Tellers and special guests will regale you with memories both poignant and hilarious--stories from African, Asian, Jewish, and Native American traditions as well as heart-warming folk tales. We will present some of the finest nationally and internationally known tellers for your enjoyment, food and drink for the body, resources for your library, and introduce you to the beauty of the Sierra Foothills.
Napa Valley Writers’ Conference
July 25-30
St. Helena
http://www.napawritersconf.org/program
Participants register for either the poetry or the fiction workshops, but panels and talks are open to all. Workshops meet for two hours daily over five days. The schedule also includes talks by faculty writers, panels featuring visiting editors and agents, and readings by the faculty at Napa Valley wineries.
Northern California Storybook & Literature Festival
July 31
Maidu Library and Maidu Community Center, Roseville
http://www.roseville.ca.us/news/displaynews.asp?NewsID=1956&targetid=5
Florida
Hemingway Days
July 20-25
Key West
http://www.fla-keys.com/hemingwaymedia/
During his Key West residence, Ernest Hemingway wrote some of his most enduring works and spent his leisure hours fishing and socializing with local and literary cohorts. Each year, fans of his writing and exuberant lifestyle come together for Hemingway Days.
Illinois
Newberry Library Book Festival
July 28-August 1
Chicago
http://go.newberry.org/bookfair
Celebrate 26 years of inexpensive used books at the Newberry's annual Book Fair. We have a record number of books to sell this year! More than 110,000 donated books will be sorted into 70 categories for your browsing convenience. With many books priced under $2, it's easy to replenish your home library's holdings on subjects ranging from antiques to zoology.
Iowa
Iowa City Book Festival
July 16-18
Gibson Square, Iowa City
http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org/
The Iowa City Book Festival is a three-day celebration of books, reading and writing presented by the University of Iowa Libraries on July 16, 17 and 18. The Book Festival will begin on Friday with an author dinner in the Main Library. Saturday is festival day in Gibson Square with booksellers, music, children's activities, food vendors, book arts demonstrations and readings and panel discussions. Sunday will be "A Day in the City of Literature." Local businesses of all kinds throughout Iowa City will participate with readings, special activities all day.
Massachusetts
Berkshire Wordfest at the Mount
July 23-25
The Mount, Lenox
http://www.edithwharton.org/events-detail.php?record=49
Wharton wrote these words in The Age of Innocence. This July 23-25, The Mount launches its first annual literary festival, Berkshire WordFest, in just that spirit, bringing together twenty nationally acclaimed writers for a weekend of talks, interviews, readings, book signings, and more. Our 2010 theme is “Channeling Edith Wharton,” and her literary genius is the touchstone for our events and participants. Berkshire WordFest is the first festival of its kind in the Berkshires and a significant addition to the region’s cultural season.
Michigan
Michigan Storytellers Festival
July 16-17
Flint
http://www.flint.lib.mi.us/msf/index.shtml
This is the 30th Michigan Storytellers Festival. The Festival begins with an evening concert on Friday, July 16 at 7PM. Then a full day of activities follows on Saturday, July 17 beginning with Coffee Hour at 9AM and a Workshop by Donald Davis entitled “Exploring the Attic of Memory – Finding and Learning to Tell Stories of Our Own People Places and Happenings” at 9:30 AM. JOIN US!
Mississippi
Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference
“Faulkner and Film”
July 18-22
Oxford
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/events/faulkner/
The 2010 Faulkner and Yoknapatawpha Conference will examine the topic 'Faulkner and Film' through five days of lectures and discussions by literary scholars and critics. There will also be showings of five or six films made from Faulkner’s screenplays or adapted from his novels or short stories. We will make selections from screenplays such as ‘Road to Glory,’ ‘The Big Sleep,’ and ‘To Have and Have Not,’ or adaptations such as ‘The Story of Temple Drake,’ ‘The Long Hot Summer’ (The Hamlet), ‘Intruder in the Dust,’ ‘Tomorrow,’ ‘Old Man,’ ‘Barn Burning,’ and ‘Sanctuary’ (Sanctuary and Requiem for a Nun).
Nebraska
Norfolk Public Library’s 16th Annual Literature Festival
July 31
Northeast Community College/Lifelong Learning Center, Norfolk
http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/News/content/2574.html
New York
Buffalo Book Fair
July 10
Buffalo
http://buffalobookfair.com/
Experience your dream trip, an intriguing romance, the excitement of a good mystery and the many imaginative and true stories that help us smile and escape to a different time or moment.
Harlem Book Fair
“Women in Word and Power”
July 17-19
http://www.qbr.com/page18993.asp
The Vision of the Harlem Book Fair is to partner with local and national leadership organizations under the banner of literacy awareness, affirming HBF as the nation’s largest African American literary event celebrating family literacy, community empowerment, and community cooperation.
Pennsylvania
Chestnut Hill Book Festival
July 9-11
Philadelphia
http://www.chestnuthillpa.com/events/chestnut-hill-book-festival/
Chestnut Hill is proud to announce its second annual book festival schedules for July 9th, 10th & 11th, 2010. This weekend-long event will feature over 50 locally and nationally recognized authors.
Texas
Way Out West Texas Book Festival
July 29-31
Alpine
http://www.wowtxbookfestival.com/
Read books. They are good for us. -- Natalie Goldberg