Discover the Northern Arizona Book Festival’s free events

Literary enthusiasts and book lovers are in for a treat as the Northern Arizona Book Festival (NOAZBF) returns to Flagstaff with an expansive lineup of free cultural events. This year’s festival showcases a diverse range of programming that celebrates the unique literary landscape of the Colorado Plateau region, featuring everything from Indigenous voices to environmental humanities.

A festival for every reader

Established in 1997, NOAZBF is a literary nonprofit based in Kinłaní (also known as Flagstaff, Arizona) that has been celebrating writing and the region’s literary culture for over 25 years. This year’s festival has been carefully curated around four main themes, offering multiple entry points into the literary arts.

The Indigenous Writers Symposium stands as a cornerstone, addressing Native sovereignty, language preservation, and exploring how traditional oral storytelling intersects with contemporary literature. Additional focus areas include the Young Reader’s Fest, which makes literature accessible and fun for youth; the Environmental Humanities Series, examining the intersection of climate science with humanities disciplines; and innovative Off the Page events that bring literature to life through various performance arts including theater, dance, multimedia, and music.

“The Northern Arizona Book Festival coordinates programming that reflects the literary interests and cultural issues that define life in the Colorado Plateau region,” Margarita Cruz, NOAZBF president and administrative service assistant in the Department of Sociology, told The NAU Review. “This festival combines traditional and non-traditional modes so participants can discover new entry points into the literary arts.”

Featured authors and events

The festival’s impressive roster includes award-winning authors such as Kinsale Drake, whose work “The Sky Was Once a Dark Blanket” earned the 2023 National Poetry Series recognition. Drake will be featured alongside m.s. RedCherries, a Northern Cheyenne Nation citizen and Iowa Writer’s Workshop MFA graduate whose debut collection “mother” was a finalist for the National Book Award, and Amber McCrary, a Diné poet and NOAZBF board member dedicated to amplifying Indigenous voices.

Other notable presenters include Ed Mabrey, described as “the greatest poet in the history of Poetry Slam” with four World Championships and seven Regional Championships; Laura Tohe, the current Navajo Nation Poet Laureate; and Ruben Quesada, editor of the award-winning anthology “Latinx Poetics: Essays on the Art of Poetry.”

The festival kicks off on Thursday, April 10, with a Welcome Back Reading featuring local author Will Cordeiro, Megan Merchant, and Lydia Paar at The Annex Cocktail Lounge, followed by readings hosted by NAU’s creative writing MFA program.

Four days of diverse programming

The festival spans four days (April 10-13) and features events at various venues throughout Flagstaff. Friday’s highlights include the Ekphrasis Poetry Workshop with Camille LeFevre, the Copper Quill Awards featuring Jodie Hollander and Melissa Sevigny, and an evening keynote reading with m.s. RedCherries, Kinsale Drake, and Amber McCrary at the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Saturday promises a full day of activities, including an Indigenous Book Arts Discussion & Generative Writing Workshop with Manny Loley, a Publishing 101 Workshop presented by Torrey House Press, and panel discussions covering Southwest publishing and Latinx poetics. The evening concludes with several performances, including “The Immeasurable Equation: Chaology, Noise, and Improvisation” and “Lucha Libro: A Masked Writing Contest.”

Sunday rounds out the festival with unique events like “Gathering Points: Read, Walk, and Run,” Drag Story Hour, and a Youth Poet Laureate writing workshop, plus several online readings and discussions for those who cannot attend in person.

Book fair highlight

A centerpiece of the festival is the Heritage Square Literary Book Fair on Saturday, April 12, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The fair features exhibitor booths, readings, performances, and activities throughout the day, including a maker table for DIY zines, literary trivia, a showcase of local presses, and Indigenous song/storying featuring Ed Kabotie, Laura Tohe, Def-i, and Daniel Nez.

Cruz particularly emphasizes the importance of this event: “I think if you don’t make it to any other event, you should absolutely stop by Heritage Square on Saturday, April 12, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to check out our book fair. All of the presses and organizations that come out have amazing, smart people who are so incredibly generous to authors and readers at all stages. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction and slam performances will be rolling every hour in the square, so there’s a chance you’ll run into a reading or event that will catch your ear!”

The day concludes with a Haiku Death Match, in which participants can win cash prizes, followed by a featured performance by Ed Mabrey.

Community partnerships

The festival partners with a wide array of non-profits, presses, businesses, and community organizations to increase both literacy and cultural literacy in the region. This collaborative approach allows NOAZBF to offer a broad spectrum of events that appeal to diverse audiences while fostering a sense of community around the literary arts.

For complete festival details and schedule, visitors can check www.noazbookfest.org.