Northern Arizona Book Festival
Mission
The purpose of the Northern Arizona Book Festival, Inc. (NABF) is to promote the union of literacy and the fine art of literature in a meaningful and relevant way to the peoples of Northern Arizona and the greater Southwest. In addition, NABF is committed to promoting literacy in Northern Arizona.
History
The Northern Arizona Book Festival was founded in 1998 by the Literacy Volunteers of Coconino County as a link between basic literacy efforts and artistic literary endeavors. A diverse group of acclaimed authors was brought to Flagstaff for a weekend of readings, workshops, panel discussions, and other literary events. Right from the beginning, the Book Festival became one of the highlights of Flagstaff's cultural calendar.
Some of the writers who have appeared at the Northern Arizona Book Festival in past years are: Nobel Prize winners Toni Morison and Czeslaw Milosz; former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky; Michael Ondaatje, author of The English Patient; Russell Banks, author of The Sweet Hereafter; John Nichols, author of The Milagro Beanfield War; American Indian writers Simon Ortiz, Leslie Marmon Silko, Luci Tapahonso, and Ofelia Zepeda; Chicano writers Ana Castillo, Dagoberto Gilb, Alfredo Vea, and Denise Chávez; African American poets Quincy Troupe and Tim Seibles; and many others.
During the Northern Arizona Book Festival, Flagstaff buzzes with literary excitement. Events take place in Flagstaff’s historic downtown and at Coconino Community College and the Museum of Northern Arizona as well as Northern Arizona University. A lover of books can find months worth of reading before and after the Festival. Authors have opportunities to reach new audiences. High school students travel from Indian Reservations to take part in the Festival and read their own poetry. Authors visit local schools. They read at Sun Sounds radio for the blind. There are poetry slams, poetry cafes, writing workshops. The weekend can transform people's lives.
