Tucson Festival of Books

The Tucson Festival of Books was a free annual book fair held in Tucson, Arizona during the second weekend in March. It was established in 2009 by Bill Viner, Frank Farias, John M. Humenik, Bruce Beach, and Brenda Viner.

Tucson Festival of Books
The event is held on the University of Arizona Mall
StatusCancelled
FrequencyAnnually
VenueUniversity of Arizona Mall
Location(s)Tucson, Arizona
InauguratedMarch 14, 2009 (2009-03-14)
FoundersBill Viner, Frank Farias, John M. Humenik, Bruce Beach, Brenda Viner
Most recentMarch 2019 (2019-03)
Attendance135,000 (2017)
Organized byThe Tucson Festival of Books Foundation
Filing status501(c)3 non-profit organization
SponsorsThe Arizona Daily Star, The University of Arizona, Tucson Medical Center, Others
Websitetucsonfestivalofbooks.org

History

The first annual festival featured around 450 authors and welcomed over 50,000 regional visitors. For most recent Festival in 2017, attendance reached over 135,000.[1] The event typically includes special programming for children and teens, panels by best-selling and emerging authors, a literary circus, culturally diverse programs, a poetry venue, exhibitor booths and two food courts.[2][3] The Festival's mission is to improve literacy rates among children and adults in Southern Arizona. Since its creation, the Festival has donated over $1.65 million to agencies that improve literacy in the community such as Reading Seed, Literacy Connects, and University of Arizona Literacy Outreach Programs.[4][5] In addition to aiding the fight against illiteracy, the festival also helps the local community tremendously. In a study by a students at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, the festival was found to pump an estimated $4 million into Tucson’s economy annually.[6] The festival has also been covered by C-SPAN in the past, with over 120 videos in the C-SPAN Video Library.[7]

The 2020 edition of the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.[8] While event organizers say they will return in 2021, no confirmed plans have been announced.[9]

Festival Founders Award

In 2011, the Festival Founders Award was established to recognize exceptional literary achievement. Below is a list of past winners:[10]

YearAuthorNote
2011Elmore Leonard
[10]
2012Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
[10]
2013R.L. Stine
[10]
2014Richard Russo
[10]
2015Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Sam Barry, Greg Isles, Ridley Pearson, Amy Tan & Scott Turow
- The Rock Bottom Remainders
[10]
2016J.A. Jance
[10]
2017T.C. Boyle
[10]
2018Billy Collins
[11]
2019Luís Alberto Urrea
[12]
2020Lisa See
[13]
  • 2009 Tucson Festival of Books
  • 2010 Tucson Festival of Books
  • 2010 Tucson Festival of Books Event
  • 2013 Tucson Festival of Books
  • PaperWorks Exhibit at 2013 Tucson Festival of Books
  • 2015 Festival of Books

See also

References
  1. "History and Festival Founders". tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  2. "10th Annual Tucson Festival of Books". visittucson.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  3. "Tucson Festival of Books". pw.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  4. "Frequently Asked Questions". tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  5. "The 2018 Tucson Festival of Books". authorhouse.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  6. "Tucson Festival of Books Is an Economic Powerhouse". tucson.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  7. "Tucson Festival of Books". c-span.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  8. Knott, Gloria (March 10, 2020). "Coronavirus fears force cancellation of Tucson Festival of Books". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  9. Villarreal, Phil (March 9, 2020). "2020 Tucson Festival of Books canceled". KGUN-TV. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  10. "Tucson Festival of Books Digital Toolkit". Tucson Festival of Books. Tucson Festival of Books. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  11. Coile, Norma (10 March 2018). "At Tucson Book Festival, acclaimed authors reflect on finding voice, including 'me too'". Tucson Festival of Books. Tucson Festival of Books. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  12. "Get ready to celebrate at the Tucson Festival of Books". Tucson.com. Arizona Daily Star. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  13. Eubank, Johanna. "Author Lisa See will receive the 2020 Tucson Festival of Books Founders Award". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
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