Book festival celebrates printed word in downtown Las Vegas
October 21, 2018 - 12:39 am

Author Renée Watson reads from her book “Harlem’s Little Blackbird” during the Las Vegas Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. 4th St. in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Author Elly Swartz is shown at the “Middle Matters: Middle Grade Stories for Everyone” panel discussion during the Las Vegas Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. 4th St. in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Madison Greenstein, 15, of Henderson checks out the inner workings of a 1940s-era Royal typewriter through a window on its side as author Sean Hoade works on a haiku during the Las Vegas Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. 4th St. in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Author Sean Hoade works on a haiku on a 1940s-era Royal typewriter during the Las Vegas Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. 4th St. in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Evelyn Lee, 8, and her mother Linda draw in the Nevada Humanities tent at the Las Vegas Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. 4th St. in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb performs during the Las Vegas Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. 4th St. in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Arta Russell, 3, and her mother Melissa of Las Vegas watch singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb perform at the Las Vegas Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. 4th St. in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal

Author Renée Watson, left, talks with Rene Knott, a librarian at Marc Kahre Elementary School, during the Las Vegas Book Festival at the Historic Fifth Street School at 401 S. 4th St. in Las Vegas on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018. Bill Hughes/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Book lovers of all ages flocked to the 17th annual Las Vegas Book Festival in downtown Las Vegas to celebrate the printed word on Saturday.
The festival offered a variety of workshops, panel discussions, children’s activities, music performances and keynote speakers Colson Whitehead, Sara Shepard and Luis J. Rodriguez. Workshops and discussions covered a variety of topics, including immigration, illustration, a lyrics workshop, young adult sci-fi and fantasy, writing about place, poetry, young adult fiction and Sin City moguls.
It also featured its annual Spark! poetry competition for Clark County high school students, and honored UNLV creative writing professor Douglas Unger.
For information, visit lasvegasbookfestival.org.