The Long Beach Public Library will host its Festival of Asian American and Pacific Islander Books next week, with the event set to feature author panels, book signings, a story time, crafts and local AAPI-owned businesses to honor the community’s history.

The festival, co-hosted with Bel Canto Books, will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 11 at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library, 5870 Atlantic Ave. The Port of Long Beach and Friends of the Long Beach Public Library will also sponsor the event.

Founded by Filipina American poet Jhoanna Belfer, Bel Canto Books has three locations in Long Beach and curates books written by women and people of color.

Belfer launched the festival in 2022 with Cathy De Leon, the director of Long Beach’s Library Services Department. Bel Canto Books also collaborates with the libraries for the Liwanag Lit Fest in October, which celebrates Filipino American History Month.

“We were dreaming up this idea,” Belfer said in a Monday, June 29, interview. “There’s not a literary festival specifically for the Filipino community or the Asian American community, and we’re like, ‘Why don’t we start it ourselves?’”

The first Festival of AAPI Books in 2022 was at the Billie Jean King Main Library, according to the city’s Department of Library, Arts and Culture. Th main branch’s large campus, however, made it difficult for visitors to find workshops and author talks, so the festival moved to the Michelle Obama branch, the system’s next largest library.

“Its layout makes it much easier to highlight and organize the key spaces needed for the festival’s activities,” a library spokesperson said in a statement.

Next week’s festival, however, is not the only AAPI event the city’s public library system has hosted.

Throughout May, in fact, LBPL hosted AAPI Heritage Month story times, a book club, crafts and booklists for all ages. On May 9, interior designer Karena Apollonya Ebora Higgins visited the Harte Neighborhood Library to present vintage decorative art from the Philippines.

“With so many wonderful AAPI programs happening in May, the festival’s coordinating committee wants to ensure there is enough time and resources dedicated to the festival,” the library spokesperson said. “Moreover, LBPL wants to highlight and celebrate AAPI voices and culture year-round, not necessarily confined to a single month.”

The festival will offer activities for community members of all ages. Children can listen to AAPI authors read their books, such as Ann Chau’s “My Ong Ngoai’s Garden,” in which a boy learns about Vietnamese fruit with his grandpa. Chau and five other authors will read their stories aloud during the event.

There will also be author panels for young adults and teens, as well as romance books. Panelists will discuss literature about identity, AAPI history and family relationships. At a publishing round table, authors, an illustrator and a literary agent will talk about the process of bringing a manuscript to publication.

“I’m really excited to see the wonderful diversity of authors we have this year,” Belfer said. “There’s a couple of authors that I have admired for a really long time, like Vanessa Hua, who lives up in the Bay Area, who’s coming down for it.”

Los Angeles author Jasmin Iolani Hakes, from Hawaii, will also be at the festival to read and talk about her new book, “The Pohaku.” The nonprofit TeachAAPI, meanwhile, will have a table at the event and will lead the children’s craft corner, helping youngsters make an Asian wishing tree, and East and South Asian fans. For adults and teens, the local artist Fuzz Garden will lead a clay art workshop.

“We’re really thrilled to have some new partners and excited to see everybody come out and hear these amazing authors and artists,” Belfer said, “and just have a great day for the community and readers of all ages and all walks of life.”

Vendors will also sell books, food and gifts from local AAPI-owned businesses, including Cheery Human Studios and Teofilo Coffee Company. The day will conclude with a book signing with 22 authors, and books will be available for purchase from Bel Canto.

“The Festival of AAPI Books brings together literature, culture and community in a powerful way,” De Leon said in a city press release. “It is an opportunity for residents of all ages to engage with authors whose stories reflect identity, resilience and the richness of the AAPI experience.”