Sacramento bookworms, prepare to adorn your favorite literary tee and tote and clear off some extra space on your bookshelf.
The Sacramento Book Festival returns Sunday, April 19 for its third annual congregation of regional authors and readers of all ages, this time at the air-conditioned Scottish Rite Masonic Center in River Park — a welcome upgrade following last year’s 100-degree-day festival that nonetheless drew 5,000 attendees.
This year’s free gathering from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will feature more than 250 authors spanning romance, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, LGBTQ+ fiction, nonfiction and more, who will sell books and engage readers through panel discussions and readings.
Keynote speakers Kim Stanley Robinson (science fiction) and Wendelin Van Draanen (young adult) headline a roster of other well-known authors with Sacramento ties, including James Rollins, Allison Brennan, Brenda Novak, Beth Ruyak, Chef Rogelio Garcia and Gail Carriger.
The gathering is the premier literary event of the year, according to Matt Abraham, a Stockton-based mystery author set to participate for his second year.
“There’s no better opportunity for authors like me to meet readers face-to-face and talk about a shared love of fiction,” said Abraham, also highlighting the chance to liaise with other San Joaquin Valley writers. “Sacramento is clearly in the throes of a literary revolution because every time I go there I’m ‘literarily’ swamped by literati.”
Fifteen panel discussions will be held across three rooms throughout the day, covering topics from meet-cutes and writing characters that readers want as friends to middle grade fiction and Sacramento murder mysteries. (Yes, there is a whole cohort of authors who specialize in Northern California crime fiction!)
Families and kids at heart can enjoy a designated Kids Zone with over 30 children’s authors, eight of whom are slated to perform readings from 10:20 a.m. to about 1 p.m.
Returning children’s book author Theresa Saechao Rother, a Sacramento native from the Iu Mien community, said she is excited to share the joy of storytelling, imagination and books with kids at the festival again this year through a read-aloud of her Iu Mien folktale inspired by Southeast Asian culture.
Attendees of all ages can enhance the day’s adventures by participating in a passport stamp hunt, with drawings for season tickets to Capital Stage and B Street Theatre, an underground tour at the Sacramento History Museum, Sacramento Ballet tickets, a meal at Zocalo and more.
Coffee carts and four food trucks will also fuel the fun from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Presented by the Sacramento branch of the California Writers Club, the Sacramento Book Festival strives “to help build a vibrant community of readers, authors and literary organizations, foster a culture of critical thinking and imagination, and support local charitable literary endeavors,” according to its mission statement.
As part of its focus on literacy, the festival will collect new coloring and activity books suitable for kids or adults to donate to the Mustard Seed School, a Sacramento school for children in unhoused families. Also joining the event are a number of Sacramento library and literacy institutions, including 916 Ink, an arts-based creative writing and literacy nonprofit.
“Everybody should be reading books,” said J. Scott Coatsworth, chair of the Sacramento Book Festival and local science fiction and fantasy author. “We want to help make Sacramento more literate and also bring them a sense of adventure with all these great authors locally that they may not know about.”
The Sacramento Book Festival began in 2024 as a pop-up at the McKinley Park Farmers Market with about 20 authors. Each sold an impressive 15-20 books within four hours, said Coatsworth, who had been wanting to put on a book festival in Sacramento for a long time. “There was a real hunger for it.”
Last year, the festival hosted 140 authors at the Shepherd Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park for its first self-contained event. Drawing strong crowds and surpassing the previous year’s book sale average, organizers recognized the festival had quickly outgrown the venue.
“Not only was [last year’s festival] one of the most well attended book events I’ve ever been to, but it was a delight to see all the readers turned out in book swag, representing their favorite genres,” said M.L. Hamilton, a returning mystery author.
This year, the Scottish Rite Masonic Center will provide about five times the venue space and 550 free parking spots, said Coatsworth, adding that he expects attendance to at least double that of last year.
For more information about the festival, including a detailed schedule of events, parking map and volunteer sign-up form, visit sacramentobookfestival.com.
This story is part of the Solving Sacramento journalism collaborative. This story was funded by the City of Sacramento’s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento. Following our journalism code of ethics, the city had no editorial influence over this story. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, Capital Public Radio, Hmong Daily News, Outword, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Sign up for our “Sac Art Pulse” newsletter here.
By Serena Roberts
