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The Louisiana Book Festival returns Saturday, October 31, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Baton Rouge, with events at the State Library of Louisiana and throughout the surrounding area. Admission is free. More than 200 authors and presenters – from best-selling, award-winning names to writers making their debut – will take part in dozens of panels, programs, and book signings spanning more than 20 genres at the state’s signature literary event.
Landing squarely on Halloween, the 2026 festival leans into the occasion while reaching across every kind of reader’s interest. Some of this year’s highlights:
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A 50th-anniversary One Book, One Festival discussion of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, the New Orleans-born novel that reshaped modern gothic fiction. The horror and supernatural lineup carries the Halloween spirit further with panels on Southern Gothic hauntings and ghost stories featuring David Armand, Emily Carpenter, Kim Fu, Bethany C. Morrow, and more.
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The presentation of the Louisiana Writer Award to best-selling romance novelist Farrah Rochon, honored with a ceremony and an “In Conversation” session before she joins a panel on writing love across genres. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation’s latest Ernest J. Gaines Award honoree, Rob Franklin, will discuss his debut novel Great Black Hope.
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The debut of the first biography of New Orleans music icon Irma Thomas, with Thomas herself scheduled to appear alongside authors Johnette Downing and Scott Billington. The biography and memoir lineup also includes Tom Piazza on the life and music of John Prine.
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A National Book Foundation–presented conversation on Southern satire with National Book Award honorees Ben Fountain and Jason Mott, plus a panel on Louisiana-set fiction with Stephanie Soileau and Rod Davis.
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High-octane crime and suspense with Joe R. Lansdale and his final Hap & Leonard novel, alongside New Orleans mysteries and Southern thrillers from Ellen Byron, Greg Herren, and Ashley Elston.
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History timed to the nation’s 250th anniversary, revisiting the American Revolution and the Louisiana Purchase with historians Richard Bell, Denise Kiernan, and Alexander Mikaberidze, and a look at the assassination of Huey Long with Jack B. McGuire.
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Live cooking demonstrations throughout the day in the Cooking Demonstration Tent, plus foodways panels pairing celebrated Louisiana chefs including Frank Brigtsen and Alon Shaya, and a session highlighting the traditions of boucherie and boudin.
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A full day of poetry hosted by Louisiana Poet Laureate Gina Ferrara, plus the festival’s popular poetry-to-order feature, where writers compose free, personalized poems on antique typewriters in the State Library lobby.
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Science fiction and fantasy anchored by acclaimed novelist Yoon Ha Lee, the Young Readers Pavilion and Teen HQ with activities and award-winning authors for younger readers, more than 100 exhibitors, food vendors, and a statewide public library and bookmobile roundup.
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In a festival first, all four of the most recent Louisiana Young Readers’ and Teen Readers’ Choice Award winners will be in attendance for a special recognition ceremony and book discussion.
All featured titles will be available for purchase in the festival book tent, run by Cavalier House Books of Denham Springs and Lafayette. T-shirts, mugs, pins, stickers, and other merchandise featuring this year’s festival artwork will be on sale.
Seats still remain for the festival’s WordShops seminars, held this Friday, October 30, at the State Library. These three-hour writing workshops are open to writers of all experience levels, with each session focused on a different topic, from creative writing technique to the business of writing. To learn more, visit the WordShops webpage or call (225) 219-9503.
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