Post updated at 8:18 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17:

The annual Kansas Book Festival will enter its 14th chapter this weekend, featuring a host of Lawrence-affiliated authors and events.

The festival, which is free to all, includes author events, signings, book sales, live performances, a literary vendor fair, activities for kids and more. It will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Washburn University Library.

An additional talk with “New Yorker” poetry editor Kevin Young will take place at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. Attendees can register for free here.

For a full list of festival panels, see here.

Local authors will discuss topics from KU women’s basketball to axe murder to the reimagining of T.S. Elliot classics.

Here are some of their takes on what stands out about the Kansas literary scene, along with some local book recommendations.

Will Averill

You are speaking at the “Classics Remixed” panel discussing your new book, “Day After the Waste Land,” which reimagines T.S. Eliot’s writing in Lawrence. What is something that you hope attendees learn from your event?

“I’m excited to be part of a panel which encourages authors to look at classic works, honor them for what they are and what they’ve done, but also have the audacity and whimsy to play with classic text, and impose current references on them which allows us to enjoy not only the original work, but how it is relevant in the now.”

What do you think makes the Kansas literary scene special?

“I have found Kansas writers to be supportive and inspiring, and I love seeing the landscape of our state reflected through their eyes and words. The idea of having a home, and how the geography of your home defines, limits, defines and builds you, is fascinating to me.”

Local books and writers Averill recommends:

• “Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder” by Rachel McCarthy James
• Eric McHenry’s poetry
• “This Book is Not for You” by Daniel Hoyt

Bryn Greenwood

You are speaking at the “Creating Reality” event with Silvia Park on believable worldbuilding, with a focus on your newest title, “Nobody Knows You’re Here.” What is something that you hope attendees learn from your event?

“For writers, I think what will likely prove interesting is some of the psychology around convincing readers to buy into a version of reality that doesn’t match their own. For readers who attend, it’s possible they’ll learn to accept that it’s okay if a book’s world doesn’t look exactly like the one they see every day.”

What do you think makes the Kansas literary scene special?

“I suspect that what makes the Kansas literary scene special is similar to what makes Kansans in general special. We tend to be somewhat separated from the larger scene, both by geography and by politics. In a traditionally red state that regularly elects blue governors, Kansans often have diverse and nuanced views of the world. That gets reflected in the stories Kansas writers tell, too.”

A writer Greenwood recommends:

Greenwood wished more readers outside of science fiction and fantasy circles would explore the work of R.B. Lemberg, which they call “complex and erudite.”

“They write experiences that are not familiar to a lot of Kansans, but this Kansan definitely connects with their writing,” Greenwood said.

Rachel McCarthy James

You are speaking at the “Seeing Red” event, discussing your recent nonfiction title. What is something that you hope attendees learn from your event?

“I’m really excited to talk about my new book ‘Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder’ with Kara Heitz, who is a very impressive cultural historian. We’ll talk about the history of the axe and how it has embodied power and violence throughout the years — two forces that are eternally relevant.” 

What do you think makes the Kansas literary scene special?

“I love Kansas and I feel like there’s a lot of inspiration and support for writers statewide. I think there’s an effort to support writers at many different places in the industry, where they might feel lost in a more crowded literary scene … I especially love living in Lawrence. We’re really lucky to have such an amazing concentration of creative offerings in this small town.”

James especially appreciated these pieces of local literary culture:

• The Raven Book Store
• Will Averill’s “eclectic” projects
• Inside the Castle, a small Lawrence press
• Volta, a monthly poetry event at Replay
• “In Walks a Woman” podcast, which James was recently featured on

Local writers and books that James recommends:

• A forthcoming title from her mom, Susan McCarthy, about art in Kansas, expected from the University Press of Kansas next year
• “Bad Kansas” by Becky Mandelbaum
• “Continental Breakfast” and “How to Resist Amazon and Why” by Danny Caine

Silvia Park

You are speaking at the “Creating Reality” event with Bryn Greenwood Park on believable worldbuilding, with a focus on your recent title, “Luminous.” What is something that you hope attendees learn from your event?

“I hope attendees realize that worldbuilding isn’t scary at all. It’s actually the foundation of every story, regardless of genre. We’re building a reality from scratch whether we’re writing about our hometown in Maine or a far-away planet covered in ice. And I think in our current political climate, we feel more keenly than ever that many of us are not sharing the same reality.”

What do you think makes the Kansas literary scene special?

“It’s very close-knit and unapologetically unique. I also feel that Kansas writers are quite attuned to nature and this is a wonderful steady presence in their work.”

A local book that Park recommends:

• “The Privilege of the Happy Ending” by Kij Johnson

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

What is something that you hope attendees learn from your event?

“In my case, my memoir ‘The Magic Eye: A Story of Saving a Life and a Place in the Age of Anxiety’ speaks to expanding our vision of the earth and our lives through the lens of my journey through a rare and dangerous eye cancer and my husband and my struggle to save the land where we live. Our books span memoir and fiction as we explore stories of overcoming the odds and restoring our health, lives, and places, and I believe attendees at our session will expand their view of the possibilities of thriving and finding new ground, even through daunting times.”

What do you think makes the Kansas literary scene special?

“There’s a real generosity of spirit at the Kansas Book Festival and throughout the Kansas literary scene. Many of us do whatever we can — in balance with our lives — to lift each other up rather than push each other aside. For years, I’ve talked with people about how, in the bigger literary scene, there’s a myth that there’s so much pie to go around, and most authors won’t even get a crumb of attention, but we have the power to bake more pies — create more events, publication possibilities, gatherings, and other ways to cultivate the ground and tend our writing community.”

Local writers and books that Mirriam-Goldberg recommends:

• “How to Explain” by Louise Krug
• “Love Prodigal” by Traci Brimhall
• “Midlife Abecedarian” by Melissa Fite Johnson
• Writings of Max McCoy
• Writings of George Frazier

Leslie VonHolten

You will host a book launch for your co-edited anthology “Kansas Matters: Twenty-First-Century Writers on the Sunflower State.” What is something that you hope attendees learn from your event?

“I hope that attendees will feel a kinship with others in the room. Kansas is a dynamic, hardscrabble, difficult, and beautiful place that fascinates me. The writers who will speak all show us that. We have individual stories that are never reflected in media. I want those stories to be gathered together. Let’s make it weird and beautiful.”

What do you think makes the Kansas literary scene special?

“The community! Writing is a solitary endeavor, but the reason to do it is to share stories. The Kansas literary scene is supportive and grassroots. Most of us don’t aspire to Big Publishing or fame. What we love is working together, solving language questions and broadening the view in this place.”

Local books and literary efforts that VonHolten recommends:

• “Megan Kaminski’s work with the Lawrence Transit System is exciting because of the democratic feeling of it. Ride the bus and write a poem! The bus is meaningful to me — my daughter and I used to ride together to work and school, and we met so many wonderful people, and their stories, over the years.
• “Riverine Dreams” by George Frazier, coming Oct. 3

Marian E. Washington

You’ll be speaking at the “Fierce Hoops” event about your memoir. What is something that you hope attendees learn from your talk?

“As the first and only Women’s Athletic Director at the University of Kansas, I was responsible for building a Division 1 women’s intercollegiate athletic program among other accomplishments. I do share this history in my autobiography, ‘FIERCE: My Fight For Nothing Less,’ so it’s important to me that the history of our women’s athletic programs be accurate.”

What do you think makes the Kansas literary scene special?

“The excitement of Kansas excellence in the writing and overall talent with famous world-renowned authors like Langston Hughes, Gordon Parks, and Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks, to name a few. These writers are known around the world; we should be proud!”

A local writer that Washington recommends:

Washington enjoys the books of Sarah Paretsky, a renowned mystery writer from Lawrence.

George Frazier

You’ll be speaking at the “Watery Ways” event about the history and ecology of grassland rivers. What is something that you hope attendees learn from your talk?

“‘Grassland rivers’ are unique in the pantheon of American rivers, and they are right here in our own backyard, so to speak. Almost everywhere, the wildest lands that remain are close to rivers. This is especially true in the Midwest and Great Plains, where much of the accessible land is privately owned. You probably live within a few miles of a grassland river, yet perhaps less than a hundred people every year lay eyes on tens of thousands of miles of them … I’ll not only highlight the Kansas and Missouri Rivers close to home, but also some important issues affecting rivers across the prairies and plains. America, in my opinion, is at the beginning of a grassland river revival, and I hope attendees will come away with a new appreciation for these wild landscapes of the Midwest.”

What do you think makes the Kansas literary scene special?

“Camaraderie among writers across genres, with the University Press of Kansas as a sturdy backbone and a robust collection of small presses supporting a number of regional writing groups. I’m always fascinated by what I learn about the history of our writing ‘scene.’ For example, John O’Brien’s fantastic noir novel Leaving Las Vegas, later adapted into the film, was published by Wichita’s Watermark Press, which at the time was run by the folks at Watermark Books in Wichita. Iris DeMent wrote the haunting lyrics for her first album in a creative writing class at Washburn in Topeka. I could go on …”

Local titles Frazier recommends:

• “The Center of Everything” by Laura Moriarty
• “Hurt People” by Cote Smith
• “Wild Douglas County” by Ken Lassman
• “Elevations” by Max McCoy
• “Speaking French in Kansas and Other Stories” by Robert Day
• “Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie” by Kelly Kindscher
• “Touching the Sky” by Denise Low
• “A Kansas Bestiary” by Jake Vail and Doug Hitt, with watercolor illustrations from Lisa Grossman
• “Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas” by Jennifer Raff

“I could go on and on — these are just a few,” Frazier said.

2025 Kansas Notable Books

Kansas Notable Book awardees are honored each year at the Kansas Book Fest. “The Lies We Conjure” by Sarah Henning is one of the named 2025 titles.

“I’ve lived in Lawrence longer than anywhere else, and I’ve been a guest at the Kansas Book Festival a couple of times,” she said. “… It was really exciting to me, just as a Kansan, to be recognized for my work.”

She wanted to thank the anonymous person who nominated her for the award. See here for some of her local book recommendations.

Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at wulfe@lawrencekstimes.com.

Read their complete bio here. Read their work for the Times here.

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