Join us for Las Vegas Book Festival 2023!

Schedule Of Events:

10:15 am

POETRY TENT : Affinity for Masculinity

Affinity for Masculinity: An Exhibition of Poetry features original poems by various Nevada poets: Ash DelGrego, Harry R. Fagel, RodneyJ. Lee, and James Norman. Curated by Las Vegas Poets Harry R. Fagel and Rodney J. Lee, the exhibition explores collective and cultural truths about masculinity through poetry.

Rodney J. Lee - Moderator
Harry R. Fagel - Moderator
James Norman
Ash DelGreco

10:30 am

DOWNTOWN TENT : Hunger & Humanity: Kim Foster in Conversation with Scott Dickensheets

Scott Dickensheets – Moderator
Kim Foster

10:45 am

EMPOWERED TENT : Women Behind The Mic

Join women who have left an indelible mark on the music and entertainment industry as they share their wild and intimate stories from Volume One of their book series "Word To The Wise" which aims to write these women back into history, and celebrate their achievements.•

Dr. LaJoyce Brookshire
Vida Dyson-Nash
Dr. Stone Love
Gwedolyn Quinn

11:00 am

INSPIRED TENT, WRITING : History Unbound

Historical Fiction authors discuss their inspiration and how they researched their novels

Priscilla Oliveras – Moderator
Piper Huguley
Adriana Herrera
Denny Bryce

11:00 am

AUDITORIUM , BOOK FESTIVAL HEADLINERS : Ana Reyes

A Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, “The House in the Pines,” is the first novel by bestselling author Ana Reyes. Her debut thriller has been praised by critics and fellow authors as a compelling mix of psychological thriller and dark fairytale.

11:15 am

SUITE 140, WORKSHOPS : Vianney Harelly: Inner-Child Poetry Workshop

A Spanglish/Bilingual writing exercise inspired by Vianney Harelly's poetry and her own therapy sessions. Participants will get to dive into their hearts and memories and then write a letter/poem/story to their inner child as a way to reconnect and heal.

11:30 am

POETRY TENT : Nevadan to Nevadan: Featuring Nevada Poet Laureate Gailmarie Pahmeier

Nevada Poet Laureate Gailmarie Pahmeier - Moderator
Angela M. Brommel
Lindsay Wilson
Jeanmarie Simpson
Courtney Clifton

11:30 am

DISCOVERY TENT, MUSIC : Mister G

Latin Grammy Winner Mister G performs for a live audience

11:45 am

DOWNTOWN TENT : Heyday of Alt Journalism

Authors, journalists, and writers discuss the good old days of alternative media in Las Vegas.

Scott Dickensheets - Moderator
Geoff Schumacher
Steve Sebelius
April Corbin Girnus

12:00 pm

EMPOWERED TENT : Writing Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi

Authors discuss the challenges of writing genre fiction in an age of AI and an ongoing "reading crisis" in the humanities, a time of enduring writer's strikes and superficial BookTok/Bookstagram accounts, and an era of cancel culture and book bans.

Shwa Laytart – Moderator
Amanda Skenandore
Mercedes Yardley
Jarret Keene

12:00 pm

IMAGINATION TENT : Jon Chad

Illustrator Demo from the Pinball Graphic Nove

12:00 pm

SUITE 140, WORKSHOPS : Comic Books with Jean Munson

Comic book author Jean Munson will guide attendees through the process of comic book creation. All materials will be provided.

12:15 pm

INSPIRED TENT, WRITING : Romance You Can Relate To

With small towns, foreign adventures, political scandals, and love simply being love, these authors discuss how they write stories for every reader.•

Robin Bradford – Moderator
Dylan Allen
Samantha Chase
Rosie Danan
Liana De la Rosa• Ashley Winstead

12:30 pm

AUDITORIUM, BOOK FESTIVAL HEADLINERS : Terry McMillan

"How Stella Got Her Groove Back" author Terry McMillan challenges readers to tap into their passions, defeat their demons, take care of their whole selves and never take happiness for granted. The critically acclaimed and New York Times No. 1 bestselling author's newest novel, "It's Not All Downhill from Here," illustrates the challenges women face and how they pull themselves up through the power of friendship and forgiveness.

12:45 pm

POETRY TENT : Spark! Youth Poetry

Each year, Nevada Humanities invites Clark County high school students to present three original poems to be judged by a panel of poets, authors, educators, and other community members. The Spark! Youth Poetry Competition takes place at the Las Vegas Book Festival in October. The top three students are selected as first, second, and third-place winners. This is a program of Nevada Humanities with support from the Nevada Arts Council.

Ms. AyeVee – Coordinator
Vanessa Williams – Stage Host
Petit Monstre – Judge
Alicia Sincera – Judge
Jesus Solis – Judge

12:45 pm

DISCOVERY TENT : Draw-off!

Popular children's authors will lead an exciting game inspired by Pictionary.

Nikki Streets - Moderator
Daria Peoples
Ken Lamug

12:45 pm

IMAGINATION TENT : Roseanne Perry

Reading from A Horse Called Sky

1:15 pm

EMPOWERED TENT : Vianney Harelly: Here Are the Tears I You We Didn't Cry

Poet and visual artist Vianney Harelly will exercise their acumen for translaguaging while reading from their work - Here Are the Tears I You We Didn't Cry.

Vianney Harelly

1:15 pm

DISCOVERY TENT : Middle Grade Readers: Navigating New Spaces

Most writers hold at least one other job while completing their writing projects. Listen as these writers share their best practices and the pitfalls of writing and working.

Veeda Bybee - Moderator
Lindsey Leavitt
Lakita Wilson
Shelly Brown
Chad Morris
Michael Leali

1:30 pm

INSPIRED TENT, WRITING : Love and Lassos

Bestselling Black authors discuss their cowboy romance novels•

Shay Baby Bohannon – Moderator
Nina Crespo
Beverly Jenkins
Reese Ryan
Rebekah Weatherspoon

1:30 pm

SUITE 140, WORKSHOPS : MISTER G Multi-Sensory Workshop

In this dynamic, interactive workshop, Ben and Katherine (MISTER and MISSUS G) will share how educators can use music, movement, and storytelling to enliven their classrooms, story times and other learning environments. Regardless of background, participants will come away with an understanding of how to incorporate musical techniques and story-telling to increase experiential learning opportunities, facilitate language acquisition, and teach common core topics. Educators will leave with a toolkit which includes a free download of MISTER G's Latin Grammy Award-winning album Los Animales, sample teaching guides, online resources and videos for using music and picture books in the classroom, and current research about the connection between music and education. Come ready to sing, dance and be inspired!

2:00 pm

AUDITORIUM, BOOK FESTIVAL HEADLINERS : Rebecca Yarros

No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros has ventured into new adult fantasy with the release of “Fourth Wing.” She continues to write romance novels, including her latest published this month, “In The Likely Event.” A hopeless romantic with a lifelong passion for reading, she has written more than 15 popular novels.

2:00 pm

IMAGINATION TENT : Daria Peoples

Reading from Hello Mr. Blue

2:15 pm

DOWNTOWN TENT : Las Vegas and the Mob

The story of Las Vegas is inextricably linked to the story of organized crime in America. This panel will explore how mobsters migrated here to help build the city's casino industry and left a mixed legacy of community development and underworld intrigue.

Geoff Schumacher - Moderator
Alan Geik
Larry Gragg
Geno Munari

2:30 pm

EMPOWERED TENT : Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science With Dr. Jessica Hernandez

Dr. Jessica Hernandez sits in conversation with Victoria Flores to discuss the topics of her book Fresh Banana Leaves.

Victoria Flores – Moderator
Dr. Jessica Hernandez

2:30 pm

DISCOVERY TENT : The Comic Book Panel

Comic books are books! Las Vegas authors discuss their love for comic books, and how that love contributes to their work in creating them.

Jean Munson – Moderator
Ken Lamug
Donovan Petersen

2:45 pm

INSPIRED TENT : Thrilled to Meet You

Female authors of Thrillers and Horror talk about their books

Crystal Perkins – Moderator
Yasmin Angoe
Tori Eldridge
Dary Kane
Kathleen Glasgow
Michelle Gagnon
Liz Lawson
Gretchen McNeil
Kiersten White
3:30 pm
DOWNTOWN TENT
Writing Resistance: How Black Women are Using the Craft as Liberation
Vogue Robinson – Moderator
Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
Sonya Renee Taylor
EbonyJanice Moore
LaLa Thomas

3:45 pm

IMAGINATION TENT : Larissa Theule

Reading from Kafka and the Doll, a Nevada Young Readers Award Winner!

3:45 pm

WORKSHOPS, SUITE 140 : Jon Chad: Introduction to comics-making in the classroom

A workshop for teachers. This workshop will guide teachers through the process for teaching their students how to make comic books. This workshop is designed for professional development, and will come with a “workshop certificate” for teachers to present for CEUs

4:00 pm

AUDITORIUM, BOOK FESTIVAL HEADLINERS : Malcolm Nance

Malcolm Nance is a bestselling author and terrorism/counter-terrorism/extremism consultant. He has been deployed to respond to numerous incidents, including the Sept. 11 attacks, as well as conceptualized and implemented the Advanced Terrorism, Abduction and Hostage Survival school in resisting torture, exploitation and escaping terrorist captivity. In his most recent book, “They Want to Kill Americans,” he outlines the threat America faces from U.S.-led militia groups.

4:15 pm

INSPIRED TENT : Welcome to Our Worlds

Science Fiction and Fantasy authors discuss worldbuilding and how they find their inspiration.•

Olivie Blake – Moderator
Brian McClellan
Jonathan Mayberry
Liz Kerrin
Rebecca Yarros

4:15 pm

DOWNTOWN TENT : Balancing writing and your regular working life: a Workshop Panel

Most writers hold at least one other job while completing their writing projects. These writers share their best practices and the pitfalls of writing and working while audience members participate in the discussion.

Wendy Wimmer
Tonya Todd
Acamea Deadwiler
Angela Brommel
Veeda Bybee
Kim Foster

4:15 pm

DISCOVERY TENT : Pinball Wizards: A Panel

Tim Arnold of the Pinball Hall of Fame will discuss the world of pinball with pinball-enthusiast authors.

Tim Arnold - Moderator
Jon Chad
Adam Ruben
Kayla Greet

4:30 pm

Sana Sana: Latinx Pain and Radical Visions for Healing and Justice

Authors of this anthology discuss their contributions to the book and their radical visions for healing and justice. •

Dr. Marcela Rodriguez-Campo – Moderator
Gisselle Yepes
Nic Rodriguez-Villafane
Daivd Glisch-Sanchez
Christian A. Bracho

4:30 pm

POETRY TENT : Zeitgeist Press: The People's Press

Zeitgeist Press is an independent poetry press founded organically in the East Bay, by a trio of poet activists: Bruce Isaacson, Julia Vinograd, and David Lerner. The press arose out of a raucous reading at the Café Babar once deemed “gladiator school for poets.” This panel will be an overview/introduction of some of the works produced by Zeitgeist in Las Vegas over the past decade.

James Norman – Moderator
Bruce Isaacson
Andrew Romanelli
Walker Rose
Charlene Stegman-Moskal
Ash DelGreco
Harry R. Fagel
Rodney J. Lee

Date: October 21, 2023

Time: 10am-6pm

Cost: Free

Location: Historic Fifth Street School, 401 South Fourth Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101

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