The Kentucky Book Festival – The Rambler

I went to the Kentucky Book Festival, and it was one of the most inspiring things I have seen. 

When I was a freshman deciding where I wanted to go to school, I picked Transylvania, partly because of Lexington itself. The community of writers and readers that Lexington cultivates is full of joy and creativity. It is such an amazing opportunity to wander into Joseph-Beth Booksellers and find over 70 authors ready to talk about their books. The amazing range of literature made it feel like there was a book for almost everyone who walked in. 

The Book Festival (illustrated by K. Nicole Wilson, seen on the right) features three main stages where authors are able to discuss their work. Located in the upper level of the store, rotating authors spoke about their lives as writers, the inspiration and history of their books, and held a discussion panel and Q&A with the audience. The various stages had a theme for each panel, such as Appalachia, Writing for Young Readers, Cocktails, and Poetry. This brought authors from across a variety of fields, but allowed each panel to have an overarching theme in which authors could find common ground with each other. 

This opportunity for authors to come together was beautiful to witness. Kentucky Poet Laureate Kathleen Driskell discussed how writing is often perceived as something done in solitude and isolated from others. However, she argued that writing is one of the most collaborative things one can do. It felt amazing to see the conversation and intellect shared across authors and readers. 

As a Kentuckian, it felt particularly meaningful to introduce myself to Kentucky authors. Oftentimes, the world of reading seems so huge with millions of authors out there. The Kentucky Book Festival really highlighted how many truly amazing authors we have right in our own backyard. It was invigorating to see this community and to find part of myself becoming an attendee, adding more and more books to my “need to read” list. 

Witnessing the young children so excited about the books and authors was particularly dazzling. Recently, I have often found myself worried about how kids are no longer reading for fun. Social media has been a dominating force, and the lack of children reading has become daunting. However, I experienced the opposite at the Book Festival. Instead of seeing iPad kids, I saw attentive children at storytime and kids excited to receive a book signed by the author. 

Overall, the Kentucky Book Festival was pretty much the perfect event. As a college student bogged down with many readings, I often struggle to find time for my personal reading. The Kentucky Book Festival inspired me to make time and not give up on a hobby I love, simply because I am busy. I felt inspired to write, read, and support authors. 

Thank you, Kentucky Book Festival.