Local Literary Partners and Libraries Announce Inaugural Cleveland Book Fest

CLEVELAND, OH – This September, Cleveland Book Fest will transform Cleveland into one of the nation’s most literary cities through a series of literary events across the Greater Cleveland region.  

Since 2016, local organizations have come together to present a series of coordinated literary events historically called Cleveland Book Week. Key events have included the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards presented by the Cleveland Foundation, the Great Lakes African American Writers Conference (GLAAWC), Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference, and events with the Cleveland Public Library, Cuyahoga County Public Library, the City Club of Cleveland, and more.  

Now these partners and more have come together to expand and rebrand the celebration as Cleveland Book Fest, a month-long showcase of literary excellence in Northeast Ohio. This year’s festival is slated to draw in thousands of book lovers, writers, and residents through author talks, poetic-inspired exhibits, dynamic readings, writing workshops, and publishing panels. 

“We aspire for every single resident across Greater Cleveland to encounter a book in the month of September,” said Kortney Morrow, program director of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards at the Cleveland Foundation, which has served as convener of the Book Fest partners. “What if each encounter created this quiet ripple effect, activating literacy and literature in the hearts and minds of Cleveland residents for generations to come? We’ve come together to find out.” 

Official Cleveland Book Fest partners include:  

• Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards 

• The City Club of Cleveland 

• Cleveland Public Library 

• Cuyahoga County Public Library 

• Great Lakes African American Writers Conference (GLAAWC) 

• Lake Erie Ink 

• Literary Cleveland 

• Writers in Residence 

Each partner has an established record of social justice programming, artistic excellence, and community engagement, and events are coordinated to enhance and amplify each other for greater impact. This year’s extraordinary events will take place across the city and span genres and age groups. Activations range in price with many events free of charge. 

Confirmed events – which will be updated by partners throughout the next couple months – are available at www.clevelandbookfest.com. Please check out this video of several partners previewing this year’s Book Fest. 

If you’re interested in getting involved or having your literary event listed as a Cleveland Book Fest event, send an email to info@anisfield-wolf.org.