Mississippi Book Festival 2024: First list of authors announced. See who here

Mary Boyte, Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Listen up, literary lovers: the Mississippi Book Festival, an annual Jackson event, returns on Sept. 14 and already promises an impressive roster of author appearances.

This year's festival marks the 10th annual Mississippi Book Festival. During those 10 years, the festival has hosted approximately 1,000 authors and offered unique experiences to nearly 50,000 attendees.

On Wednesday, Executive Director of the Mississippi Book Festival Ellen Daniels made the first announcement of authors set to appear at the 2024 festival.

Authors at this year's festival include:

  • Kate DiCamillo, "The Puppets of Spelhorst"

  • Angie Thomas, "Nic Blake and the Remarkables"

  • Erik Larson, "The Demon of Unrest"

  • Sebastian Junger, "In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife"

  • Aimee Nezhukumatathil, "Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees"

  • Kaveh Akbar, "Martyr!"

  • Rachel Khong, "Real Americans"

  • Ron Rash, "The Caretaker"

  • Grace Elizabeth Hale, "In the Pines"

  • Maurice Carlos Ruffin, "The American Daughters"

The group of authors and poets is only the first group to be announced. The Mississippi Book Festival will announce more names leading up to the September festival.

In a press release Wednesday, Daniels expressed gratitude to people who have supported the festival over the past decade.

"This event is massively important to not only our city but our entire state, and to see how it's grown and expanded through the years has been incredible," Daniels said.

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The Mississippi Legislature supports the festival through funding and allowing the use of the Capitol building and green space.

Speaking at the author announcement Wednesday, Sen. Briggs Hopson said it is a honor to host the festival at the Capitol.

"It's inspiring to see what we can do when we as state leadership partner with organizations in our community to make a difference in our state," Hopson said. "That is what we have seen happen through the book festival. We celebrate a decade of its success and hope to see it continue to thrive for many years to come."

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Jane Alexander, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Mississippi, expressed similar sentiments.

"Seeing thousands of all kinds of people of all ages flock to the capitol green thrills me every time I see it," Alexander said. "The ripple effects of the festival will be felt and seen for years all over our state."

The festival promises entertainment for all ages, including panel discussions with the authors, food, live music and children's activities.

If you go:

  • When: Sept. 14

  • Where: Mississippi State Capitol and Galloway United Methodist Church

Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Book Festival 2024: First list of authors announced.

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