Nolafamily is proud to once again be a part of NOLA BookFest this year! There are two great ways you can enjoy bookFest FREE this weekend. 

The Festival begins on Friday, Nov. 11 with evening performances by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra quintet and Young Audiences from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Latter Branch Library, 5120 St. Charles Ave. The public is encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs. Local food trucks will be onsite, and attendees may bring their own picnics. 

The Festival continues on Saturday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Big Lake in New Orleans City Park, near the New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collin Diboll Circle. The day will feature readings, author signings, panels and other activities for readers of all ages. 

Free snacks will be provided, and dishes will be available for purchase from local restaurants and food trucks, including Bratz Y’all, Crepes a la Cart, Curly Q, Frenier Landing, Jamba Juice and Moe’s Original BBQ. 

Headliners include Jeff Abbott, bestselling author of more than 15 books, Greg Iles, bestselling author of “The Bone Tree,” Colin Dickey, author of “Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places,” Willie Robertson, reality T.V. star and author of “The American Fisherman: How Our Nation’s Anglers Founded, Fed, Financed, and Forever Shaped the U.S.A.,” and Fred LeBlanc, lead singer and drummer of the band Cowboy Mouth and author of “Fred the New Orleans Drummer Boy.”

For information on FREE library shuttle pick-up schedule, click here

PARTICIPATING AUTHORS AND FEATURED BOOKS

• Jeff Abbott, “The First Order” (Sam Capra Series #5)
• Alys Arden, “The Casquette Girls”
• Kevin Belton, “ Kevin Belton’s Big Flavors of New Orleans”
• Ann Benoit, “New Orleans Best Seafood Restaurants”
• Deborah Burst, “Spirits of the Bayou: Sanctuaries, Cemeteries and Hauntings”
• Jean Cassels, “Two Bobbies” 
• Cecilia Dartez, “Jenny Giraffe and the Streetcar Party”
• Colin Dickey, “Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places”
• Johnette Downing (author) and Heather Stanley (Illustrator), “Petit Pierre and the Floating Marsh”
• Nancy Dixon, “N.O. Lit: 200 Years of New Orleans Literature”
• Kathy Finn, “Tom Benson: A Billionaire’s Journey”
• Alan Gauthreaux, “Echoes of Valor”
• Simon Hardeveld, “Simon of New Orleans”
• Emile Henriquez, Sr., “Mr Okra Sells Fresh Fruit and Vegetables” (kids art demonstration)
• Bobbi Hess, “Merry the Christmas Witch”
• Greg Iles, “The Bone Tree”
• Happy Johnson, “Backyard Bayou”
• Mike Kimmel, “Scenes for Teens”
• Fred LeBlanc, “Fred the New Orleans Drummer Boy”
• Stephen Maitland-Lewis, “Botticelli’s Bastard”
• Denise McConduit, “The Boy Who Wouldn’t Read”
• Grace Milsaps and Ryan Murphy, “What the Sleepy Animals Do at the Audubon Zoo”
• Robert G. Mueller, “Coast Guard Heroes of New Orleans”
• Michael Murphy, “Hear Dat New Orleans; Fear Dat New Orleans”
• Jenn P. Nguyen, “The Way to Game the Walk of Shame”
• Nancy Parker, “The Adventures of Yat and Dat: Superdome!”
• Yvonne Perret, “Simon of New Orleans”
• Kat Pigott, “Green Dinosaur Pancakes”
• Ralph Presley III, “Can We Get Back?”
• Stephen Rea, “Finn McCool’s Football Club”
• Laura Roach Dragon, “The Bayou Bogeyman Presents Hoodoo and Voodoo”
• Willie Robertson, “The American Fisherman: How Our Nation’s Anglers Founded, Fed, Financed, and Forever Shaped the U.S.A.”
• Nancy Roniger, “Bayou Home”
• Jack Roth, “Ghost Soldiers of Gettysburg: Searching for Spirits on America’s Most Famous Battlefield”
• Peggy Scott Laborde (author) and Louis Hodges Jr (Illustrator), “The Fair Grounds Through the Lens”
• Whitney Stewart, “Meditation is an Open Sky”
• Linda Thurman, “Hollywood South: Glamour, Gumbo and Greed”
• Freddi Williams Evans, “Congo Square: African Roots in New Orleans”
• Michael Allen Zell, “Law & Desire”