Copies of Ryan Ostrander's poster will be for sale at the Festival
Mark your calendars! On Saturday, October 17, the 3rd annual Books by the Banks: Cincinnati USA Book Festival will take place at Duke Energy Center from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The day-long festival will feature over 80 regional and national authors, book signings, author panels, and activities for the entire family to enjoy. All events are free and open to the public! Attendees will have the opportunity to meet authors and to purchase signed copies of their books. A commemorative Books by the Banks poster, by artist/illustrator Ryan Ostrander, will also be available for purchase.
The Authors
Some of the featured authors include:
- Jennifer Weiner, author of the New York Times bestsellers, Best Friends Forever, In Her Shoes, and Good in Bed.
- Garth Stein, author of the bestselling The Art of Racing in the Rain, which has been published in 23 languages.
- Jeannette Walls, author of the powerful memoir The Glass Castle, and a new novel, Half Broke Horses.
- Barbara Bradley Hagerty, the religion correspondent for National Public Radio. Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality is her first book.
- Anne Byrn, an award-winning newspaper and magazine writer, known to millions of fans for her Cake Mix Doctor and Dinner Doctor cookbooks.
- Forrest Gregg, member of the NFL Hall of Fame and fomerly the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.
- Sharon Draper has been honored as the National Teacher of the Year, is a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Award, and is a New York Times bestselling author.
- Thane Maynard, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
- Ellen Schreiber was an actress and stand-up comedienne before writing the hit teen series, Vampire Kisses.
The Panels
In addition to individual presentations by Sharon Draper, Jeannette Walls, Garth Stein, Jennifer Weiner, Barbara Bradley Hagerty, Thane Maynard, Ellen Schreiber, and Amanda Little, panel discussions will take place throughout the day. Here's a sample:
Legends of Cincinnati Sports
11:00 a.m.
With: Forrest Gregg and Andrew O'Toole, Winning in the Trenches: A Lifetime of Football; and John Erardi and Greg Rhodes, Cincinnati's Crosley Field
Ruth and Earl and Uncle Al: Local Broadcasting History
12:00 p.m.
With: Michael Banks, Before Oprah: Ruth Lyons; Jim Friedman, Cincinnati Television; and Greg Hoard, Voices in My Head: Gary Burbank
Cooking Demo
12:00 p.m.
With: Amy Heyd, Saints at the Dinner Table
Ghost Stories: Haunts of the Tri-State
1:00 p.m.
With: Karen Laven, Dayton Ghosts/Cincinnati Ghosts; James McCormick, Ghosts of the Bluegrass; and Jeff and Michael Morris, Haunted Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio
Cooking Demo
2:00 p.m.
With: Amne Byrn, The Cake Mix Doctor
King of the Queen City: The History of King Records
2:00 p.m.
With: John Hartley Fox, King of the Queen City: King Records and Randy McNutt, King Records of Cincinnati
Target Kids’ Corner
The Target Kids’ Corner will feature programming for the entire family such as crafts, storytelling, costume characters, author readings, and more! Activities include:
- Make 'n Take Decorate a Target lunch bag, design a bookmark, and get a temporary tattoo
- Meet 'n Greet Meet some of your favorite storybook characters such Max the Bunny, Curious George, and Clifford the Big Red Dog
- Other Fun Stuff Joel Caithamer, The Singing Librarian; face painting and balloon art with Rainbow Entertainment, and storytime in the Target Big Red Chair
More Info
- The Books by the Banks website has all the news and information about author readings, panel discussions, and other special events.
- Listen to interviews with some of the authors on the WVXU website.
- Watch a brief public service announcement about Books by the Banks.
The Organizers
Books by the Banks is a joint effort of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Cincinnati Magazine, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, the Mercantile Library, and University of Cincinnati Libraries.
