Mississippi Book Festival Goes Virtual

The Mississippi Book Festival is going virtual. After COVID-19 caused the cancellation of its August event, the festival has been working to create a virtual experience for readers to connect with the many authors who had planned to participate in August.

That virtual experience will go public on the festival’s website on October 12, 2021, with more than 110 official panelists appearing on 31 panels recorded in the last month.

According to Executive Director Ellen Daniels, “We’ve got an amazing group of authors and moderators who have rallied to record more than 35 hours of great conversations about books and writing. Honoring these writers and continuing to engage our loyal and growing community of book lovers is what the festival is all about. Perhaps we couldn’t have an in-person literary lawn party this year, but we can certainly have a literary log-on party!”

Some of the authors featured include Curtis Wilkie, Kiese Laymon, Nic Stone, W. Ralph Eubanks, Jerry Mitchell, Catherine Pierce, Beth Ann Fennelly, Mitch Landrieu, William Ferris, Angie Thomas, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Robert Khayat, and Kai Bird.

All panels will be made available online for public viewing on the Book Festival’s website beginning Tuesday, October 12th. To connect with the virtual festival on October 12, please visit msbookfestival.com. Also connect with the Mississippi Book Festival on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

“Hundreds of people work year-round to make the Mississippi Book Festival a success,” said Daniels, “and it would not be possible without the help of generous sponsors and donors from across the state. The Community Foundation for Mississippi is the festival’s longtime partner and this year’s presenting funder. Trustmark National Bank is the lead sponsor for the virtual experience.”