Calling all bookworms: 25th annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival is March 2

A local family-favorite tradition is just the turn of a page away.

The 25th annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival is coming to the Fort Myers Regional Library downtown Saturday, March 2.

“There will be food, there will be drinks, there will be authors and book signings and it’s just like, you know, it’s a whole day of fun and I’m thrilled that it’s right around the corner to share with everyone,” said Melissa Baker, the festival’s coordinator since 2018.

Avid and casual readers alike will have the opportunity to meet, listen to lectures from and have books signed by some of the 28 authors in attendance. Just about all genres will be represented.

“If you’re into rom-coms, we’ve got that covered,” Baker said. “If you’re into thrillers, we’ve got those. Horror is not my thing, but we’ve got some of that too. We try to have a good variety and a good mix.”

Popular authors include suspense writers Jeffery Deaver, Heather Graham, Matthew Quirk and Charles Todd, sportswriter Joe Posnanski and festival frequenter Mary Kay Andrews.

The Lee County Public Library System encourages kids to attend too. Every child and teen in attendance will receive a free book ― a festival tradition for all 25 years.

Kids can also enjoy story-time sessions, a Little Readers Zone, and even an appearance by stilt-walking balloon artist Too Tall Torrie. Sunshine State Award winning authors such as Karina Yan Glaser, Laura Martin, Joe McGee and Karen Kilpatrick will be present, alongside other popular children’s and teens’ authors and illustrators including Michael Buckley, Lynn Painter and Dan Yaccarino.

Yaccarino ― author and illustrator of more than 50 children's books including “City Under the City” and “Every Friday,” creator and producer of “Doug Unplugs,” “Oswald” and “Willa’s Wild Life,” and character designer for the beloved series “The Backyardigans” ― will be making his third appearance at the event.

“The last time I participated in the festival it was just so much fun,” Yaccarino said. “With authors and illustrators, you know, we don’t sort of see each other that often as a community of people… It’s something that the general public doesn’t realize but it’s also sort of an opportunity for us to get together and catch up.”

Yaccarino’s favorite part about meeting fans is seeing how readers take his books and animated series and make them their own.

“Once you let something out into the world it has a life of its own,” he said.

Yaccarino will participate in panel discussions and book signings too.

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“Stop by and say hi,” he said. “I really do enjoy meeting the fans… I’m as excited and happy to be there as they are.”

The festival is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 2, on the library’s downtown outdoor campus at 2450 First St. Admission is free. For more information, call (239) 533-4832, go to ReadFest.org or download the SWFL ReadFest app.

Select presentations will be livestreamed throughout the day and available on the library’s YouTube channel.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Southwest Florida Reading Festival marks 25 years March 2