Lawrence’s first Free State Book Festival aims to create a more relaxed and accessible environment for the public rather than focusing on publishers and panels, as many traditional book festivals do.
That atmosphere will include music, food, poetry and activities for all ages, making it a community-centered experience.
The event is scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, May 3 and will feature 50 regional authors, more than 20 poets, food from The Mad Greek and beer from Free State Brewing Company.
Festivities will begin at 12:45 p.m. with live music from Ian Cook on the lawn of the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., and Too Late for Satellites at the back of the library, where the open mic event will take place.
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Throughout the afternoon, attendees can hear from featured speakers, including Huascar Medina at 1:45 p.m., M. Palowski Moore at 3 p.m., Stephen Johnson at 3:15 p.m., and Will Averill at 4:20 p.m. to close out the event. Chris McKitterick will appear at The Raven Book Store at 4 p.m.
The Lawrence Public Library and The Raven Book Store will co-host the event alongside the Kansas Authors Club and Anamcara Press.
While other book festivals are often more centered on publishers and panels in a conference-style format, organizers said they had a different focus in mind.
“Our focus here was on the individual author … to give a venue that was inexpensive for an individual author to come and show off their work,” said Maureen Carroll, Lawrence area president of the Kansas Authors Club.
To ensure attendees connect with active writers, organizers limited participation to authors published within the last five years.
Carroll emphasized the importance of engaging young readers through interactive programming and featuring children’s authors.
“Reading starts young … if we can interest young readers, then they’re going to become lifelong readers,” Carroll said.
A rain date is set for Sunday, May 31.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
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