WATERVILLE, Maine (WABI) – Sunny weather on Saturday provided the perfect backdrop for the first day of the Maine Book Fest in Waterville.
Dozens of vendors, local authors, artists and more have set up booths at Head of Falls Park to promote their books and sell their products.
Attendees could even try crafts like screen printing in workshops, immerse themselves in live performances, and speak with authors from across the state and New England.
The Maine Book Fest, founded by online bookseller Maddie Smith, is intended to be a platform to bring authors, bookworms and the larger community together, she says.
Smith describes her motivation for the event: “There is no event, no big event like this where all the booksellers can come and all the book lovers can attend. So I noticed a certain disparity between book markets and book events in Maine and wanted to bring that to life!”
The weekend-long festival not only creates contacts between authors and readers beyond the paper, but also gives creatives the chance to make contacts within the author and publishing industry.
This is what GB Reese, a Clinton author, wrote Voices in the blood and the sequel Voices 2 Bloodfound on their first day of celebration.
“Even other authors and publishers have sat down at the table and people have just been talking to each other and saying, ‘Hey, yeah, I’ll take a card,'” Reese comments. “So it’s wonderful that everyone wants to help each other, and it also encourages people to read.”
If you missed the festivities on Saturday, no need to worry!
The Maine Book Fest continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Head of Falls Park in Waterville.
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