Fantasy, mystery, historical fiction and other genres will take center stage Saturday at Eastridge Center when more than 100 authors, indie publishers and literary groups gather for the inaugural San Jose Book Festival.
Book lovers and writers of all ages are invited to attended the family-friendly event, sponsored by the San Jose Public Library, BookSmart and the office of San Jose City Councilman Domingo Candelas. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is free.
“We aim to connect local readers to local authors,” said organizer Linda Ulleseit, an author herself, who got the idea from successful events in other cities.
“I was a vendor at the Sacramento Book Festival for the past two years, and it was very well attended with great energy,” she said. “Nothing like this has ever happened in the South Bay, and I know San Jose can support a festival like this.”
About 100 authors, mostly from the Bay Area, will be in attendance to meet and chat with fans — and soon-to-be fans — and sign and sell books.
Saturday’s keynote speaker will be Karen Joy Fowler, who is the author of seven novels, including the bestseller “The Jane Austen Book Club,” “We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves” and “Booth.” She will deliver her talk at 11 a.m. at the mall’s center court.
Panel discussions are scheduled throughout the day on such topics as “How to Turn Ideas into Books,” “Why Fantasy Resonates at Every Age” and “Unconventional, Brazen and Morally Gray Characters: Why We Love to Write and Read Them.” The 50-minute sessions will be held at BookSmart on the second level.
Storytime and photos with Pete the Cat are scheduled for noon and 3 p.m., and sword-fighting demonstrations are set for 1 and 4 p.m.
Among the organizations participating will be the Mystery Writers of America NorCal Chapter, Northern California Sisters in Crime, Paper Lantern Writers, Poetry Center San Jose, Bay Area Queer Writers Association, South Bay Writers, Small Publishing in a Big Universe and Writers Grotto.
Details: Find the full list of authors at www.sanjosebookfestival.org. The events will be held on the first and second floors of Eastridge, 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose.