Here's what readers will find Sept. 16 at the 12th annual Kansas Book Festival in Topeka

Whether it be a graphic novel, fiction, nonfiction, autobiography or any other genre, there's sure to be a page-turner for you at this festival.

The Kansas Book Festival, an all-ages event, will start at 9 a.m. Sept. 16 with all-day literature events for adults and children to enjoy at the Mabee Library of Washburn University, 1800 S.W. 19th St.

This year's celebration will be the 12th year. Event organizer Tim Bascom said there's something for everyone.

"People who come will get several different things," Bascom said. "They get to go to panel sessions and hear authors talk about specific shared interests, and they get to go through a tent area with exhibitors of 35 of those.

"Some of them are local or authors. Some are presses from the Kansas area or nonprofits who are doing literacy work."

Authors at Book Festival have a connection to Kansas

Children's Youth Events, such as a "Hands on Youth Activity" hosted by Paper June Bookstore, will take place, along with bookmark making and a "Curious George" Meet & Greet that will begin at 10:45 a.m.

In addition to the multiple children's events, more than 10 different panel discussions with authors will take place with authors who have a connection to Kansas.

"Readers don't always know the rich trove of authors that are connected to Kansas," Bascom said, "and we always make that an important part of this. We look for authors who have some connection to this state, even if they're now living somewhere else."

This year's keynote speaker will be author Ling Ma, who wrote "Severance" (2018) and the short story collection "Bliss Montage" (2022). Ling Ma spent her teenage years in Topeka and went to Washburn Rural High School. After graduating in 2001, Ma attended the University of Chicago.

"Severance" won a Young Lions Fiction award and the Kirkus Prize in 2018. In March 2020, Ma received a Whiting Award, a literary honor given to emerging writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama. She was one of a select group to receive the award.

Ling Ma said she hopes she says something someone can be inspired by as she talks about the creative process of her books.

"Sometimes when you're working on something really personal to you, you don't always want to consider that wow, there's a ton of readers here just waiting," Ling Ma told The Capital-Journal. "I think it's really nice to feel like someone's reading and paying attention.

"I think that's maybe the dream, but you also toggle back and forth between I guess that and just wanting the privacy to do your own work."

Along with Ling Ma will be such other authors as Mike Ciccotello, Clancy Martin, Kate Benz, Annie Klier Newcomer, Jericho M. Hockett and more.

Kansas Book Festival schedule can be found on website

For a full schedule of the Kansas Book Festival, visit KansasBookFestival.com

Six different band performances will take place, book art exhibitions can be found, and books will be available for purchase all day. Three different food trucks will also be present so attendees can have a bite to eat.

Bascom said he loves to see the event grow as he knows how it important it is for authors and readers.

"I know how hard it is to actually connect with audiences," he said, "and this is for the authors, a wonderful opportunity to share not just their book, but the ideas behind it, the things that they're trying to help others think about."

Keishera Lately is the business reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. She can be reached at klately@cjonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lately_KT.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 12th Kansas Book Festival is Sept. 16 at Topeka's Washburn University