After 10 years of bringing the region’s biggest and best book festival to downtown Cincinnati, Books by the Banks has expanded its reach with a brand-new lineup of events, culminating with the 10th annual Books by the Banks Cincinnati Regional Book Festival this fall.
This expansion celebrates the joy of literacy and lifelong learning throughout the year with 10 events for our 10th anniversary. The goal is to enrich the lives of people in the area through reading and writing and take the joy and excitement beyond our annual festival in October.
Hillenbrand and the 10th anniversary poster
A popular tradition of the celebration includes a commemorative poster which has become a collector’s item. An artist is selected each year to design the poster. For its inaugural year in 2006, festival organizers commissioned beloved local children’s book author and illustrator Will Hillenbrand to design the poster.
Now, for its 10th year anniversary, Hillenbrand was asked to return to do the 2016 design. In addition, Hillenbrand and Books by the Banks are generously donating copies of his latest book to hundreds of local school kids.
The artwork was revealed at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati. Posters sell for $15.
Check out the schedule of events:
* Books by the Banks Writing Contest deadline – October 1. Teens and adults can enter this year’s Books by the Banks Writing Contest, generously underwritten by the McLane Foundation, for a chance to win part of almost $2,600 in cash prizes. The contest is devoted to short fiction. Learn more and enter online.
* Public School Book Giveaway with Author & Illustrator Will Hillenbrand Saturday, Oct. 1-Thursday, Oct. 13 Select classrooms throughout the Books by the Banks service region will receive a free copy of Will Hillenbrand’s latest book — plus a personal school visit by Hillenbrand. These select students will also receive a coupon to pick up another free book at the festival Oct. 15.
* Women Writing for (a) Change presents: “From Stand-up to Sit-down,” in partnership with Books by the BanksMonday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. | Arnold’s Bar & Grill Local writers will present a series of brief performances which highlight a variety of writing genres. Join us for an evening of short plays, songwriting, blogging, spoken word, and more.
* University of Cincinnati presents: “Genre Genius in Cincinnati: From SciFi to Hybrid Forms,” in partnership with Books by the Banks
Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016 | 1-3 p.m. | University of Cincinnati Langsam Library
Join creative writing experts and practitioners for an afternoon of sharing and discovery. Sessions will focus on Science Fiction and Fantasy, Comics and Graphic Novels and the mixed mastery of Hybrid Forms. Come to listen, learn and share, stay for a casual writers’ lounge celebrating Cincinnati creatives and their community.
* Kenton County Library presents: “Author Talk,” in partnership with Books by the Banks. Details TBA.
* MidPointe Library presents “A Night with Bob Shea,” in partnership with Books by the Banks. Friday, Oct. 14 | Time TBA | MidPointe Library West Chester Branch. Be the first to meet beloved and bestselling children’s book author Bob Shea before his Saturday, Oct. 15 appearance at the Books by the Banks Cincinnati Regional Book Festival. Get a sneak peek and find out what else you can do Saturday in downtown Cincinnati.
* Books by the Banks Cincinnati Regional Book Festival Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016 | 10 a.m.-4p.m. | Duke Energy Convention Center, Cincinnati Meet more than 100 local writers and national bestselling authors under one roof! Buy books and get them signed, plus free entertainment and activities for the entire family. Visit the expanded Kids’ Corner and Teen Scene for events all day long.
