As Wyoming gears up for the Equality State Book Festival Oct. 19-21 in Casper, its planning committee keeps an eye on other regional bookfests. Here’s info on two coming up in the next four months.

HOW THEY DO IT IN FLAGSTAFF: From a press release: The ninth annual Northern Arizona Book Festival April 21-23 will welcome 40 fiction and non-fiction writers, poets, scholars, illustrators, students and musical artists to Flagstaff, including U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, Ishmael Reed, Terese Svoboda and Naomi Shihab Nye. There will be three days of readings and panel discussions, as well as book-making and poetry workshops, events for children, and an all-day Sunday "Localsfest" celebration that honors Flagstaff's own great talents and the talents of our community's young writers. Most events will be held at the Orpheum Theater, extending to Heritage Square downtown, Bookman's, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and Coconino Community College. Many events -- including all children's book events, events held at Bookman's, and the all-day Sunday "LocalsFest" downtown on the Square -- are free and open to the public. Students from Kayenta, Tuba City, local elementary, middle and high schools, NAU and Coconino Community College will be featured all day Sunday the 23rd at various locations. Admission for some individual events is $3 for panels and $5 for readings. A weekend ticket is $25, and a "Friend of the Festival" ticket, which includes a weekend ticket, a Book Festival poster, and entry to the Festival's Authors' Reception, is $50. Festival proceeds benefit the work of the Literacy Volunteers of Coconino County. FMI: Rebecca Byrkit, 928-380-8682.

AND IN BILLINGS: On July 22-25, the fourth annual High Plains Bookfest will be held in Billings, Mont., in conjunction with Lewis & Clark Signature Days. The fest will feature readings by numerous poets, fiction and non-fiction writers, panel discussions and book sales. Ivan Doig will be the featured speaker with a reading set for Saturday, July 22, at the Alberta Bair Theater. FMI: Corby Skinner at 406-294-2390.

- posted by Michael Shay @ 11:09 AM