Written by Mary Kay Carson, Writer-in-Residence
Our 2025 Writer-in-Residence is Mary Kay Carson, award-winning author of children’s nonfiction books. Attend her upcoming workshops and writers' office hours. And listen to her as host of CHPL's "Inside the Writer's Head" podcast.
Last Saturday’s Books by the Banks event was a huge success! The beautifully renovated downtown library once again welcomed Cincinnati’s top literature festival, which featured an outstanding lineup of over 100 book creators. There were headliners and featured authors, as well as regional and local favorites in every genre imaginable. Authors and illustrators signed books, chatted with readers, and inspired writers young and old!
The annual free event is organized by local libraries and booksellers with support from sponsors. Besides browsing books and meeting their creators, festival goers attended a wide array of author panels as well as informational sessions about getting their own writing published. I had the honor of moderating a panel with other children’s book writers about navigating the “kid lit” publishing world. Attendees were hungry for information on how to get their stories for young readers out into the world! (Feel free to download the distributed info sheet.)
If you missed Saturday’s event, don’t fret! Many of the participating authors have books in the library, so it’s not too late to find out what all the fuss is about.
New York Times-bestselling author Tessa Bailey, this year’s Books by the Banks headliner, pens character-driven sexy romances, including:
Festival featured author, Silas House, served as the Poet Laureate of Kentucky from 2023-2025. The author’s seven novels include:
Enjoy! And make sure to attend Books by the Banks next year!
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