Livingston Parish Library announces full lineup of featured authors for 10th Annual Livingston Parish Book Festival

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The Livingston Parish Library is thrilled to announce the full lineup of acclaimed, award-winning authors who will be featured at the 10th Annual Livingston Parish Book Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the Main Branch in Livingston.

Headlining this year’s Livingston Parish Book Festival will be Mari Mancusi, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. 

Other featured authors include Shannon Kelley Atwater, a children’s author/illustrator based in New Orleans; Baptiste Paul, a Caribbean-born children’s book author, speaker, environmentalist, and activist; and Rachel M. Marsh, a Louisiana native and critically acclaimed middle grade author.

Mari Mancusi

Known for her captivating storytelling and imaginative worldbuilding, Mari Mancusi is the author of more than 30 science fiction/fantasy books in addition to being an Emmy Award-winning former television news producer. Mancusi’s bestselling series have been awarded spots on major state reading lists and have been featured selections in Scholastic Book Fairs and clubs.

Mancusi’s extensive catalog includes “New Dragon City” and its upcoming prequel “Dawn of the Dragons”; “Dragon Ops” and its sequel “Dragon Ops: Dragons vs. Robots”; “The Once and Future Geek” and “Geeks and the Holy Grail”, both from “The Camelot Code” series; “Princesses, Inc.”; “Gamer Girl”; and “Golden Girl.”

Mancusi has also written tie-in novels for Disney (such as “Frozen: Polar Nights, Cast into Darkness”; “Frozen: Dangerous Secrets”; and “Sally’s Lament”) as well as Netflix (“The Official Wednesday Cookbook”).

Shannon Kelley Atwater

Shannon Kelley Atwater is an author-illustrator based in New Orleans. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts from Loyola University in 2009 and has been working in the arts ever since.

Atwater published her first book, “Alligators Don’t Like Flowers,” in 2022. Since then, she has written and illustrated three other children’s books: “Goodnight Pothole,” “Five Little Termites,” and her newest book “Fais Do-Do,” which includes an original song. She has also provided the illustrations for “Rainbow Rodney” and “Clyde the Giant Crawfish.” 

Atwater has been a featured author at The Louisiana Book Festival, The New Orleans Book Festival, and on NPR’s The Reading Life with Susan Larson. She lives with her husband Nate and their three kids, their dog, and their bearded dragon.

Baptiste Paul

Baptiste Paul is a Caribbean-born speaker, environmentalist, activist, and award-winning author of multiple children’s books.

Paul’s acclaimed debut picture book, “The Field,” was inspired by his childhood in Saint Lucia, and received starred reviews from Kirkus, The Horn Book, and Booklist.

His other children’s books include “Peace,” “To Carnival: A Celebration in Saint Lucia,” “Climb On,” “Dear You, Dream Big,” and Patchwork Prince.” Several of his titles have been translated into multiple languages. 

Baptiste’s stories are fueled by his passion for diversity, inclusion, and uninhibited jwe (play). He loves writing stories inspired by his childhood and featuring words from his native language, Creole.

Rachel M. Marsh

Rachel M. Marsh, a Baton Rouge native, brought her family’s Cajun folk tales to life with her debut middle grade novel, “Rougarou Magic.”

The story follows 12-year-old Feliciana, a Cajun girl who is having a tough time adjusting to her new life in Boston. But things change when Feliciana’s grandmother sends her a mischievous and magical monster from Cajun folklore – Roux the rougarou. 

After discovering that the creatures from Cajun folklore exist, Feliciana is torn between hiding her Southern heritage and starting fresh at her new school – all while caring for an unexpected magical friend. 

“Rougarou Magic” was named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. 

Marsh, who earned her Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children from Simmons University, will release her second novel, “Grandpere’s Ghost Swamp,” in 2026.