A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 17, 2025

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Author Archives: Jennie Cottrell

Sign up for our Washington Writers Conference!!

I blanked my first time pitching. Couldn’t remember the how-to tips I read, the secrets that won the pitch competition I attended, nor all the prepping in front of the mirror. I dug into my memory’s filing cabinet to pull… Continue Reading

Have you never been to the Washington Writers Conference? You should join us!

We put it together with all types in mind, from beginners to pros, with attention to business and craft, representing a variety of genre, with agents (and editors this year, brand new!) with whom to sit and chat. We create… Continue Reading

Confessions of a GBF Book-a-holic

by committee member Paul Stankus OK. I have a problem. I admit it. So many books, so few dollars. Not long after the previous year’s festival, we begin planning for the following year. I squeal with silent glee as each… Continue Reading

Women Protagonists

06by exhibiting author Michelle McBeth The death of Ursula K. LeGuin hit me particularly hard in the wake of the discussions about women attaining equal representation in all areas of work. When I was in high school at about the… Continue Reading

Howard Chandler Christy: The Most Famous Painter of the Jazz Age

by Exhibiting Author James Philip Head In the late fall of 1988, as a freshman economics major at the University of Maryland in College Park, I found myself studying one night in the upper stacks of the campus’s Hornbake Library.… Continue Reading

The Gatekeepers of Democracy

by Exhibiting Author Bill Lewers The Gatekeepers of Democracy series came about because I wanted to read a book. A book that it turned out, did not exist. For over two decades, I have served as an election officer in… Continue Reading

Getting to Know Exhibitor Baby Ventures

Baby Ventures™ is a local indie children’s book company and the brainchild of long-time friends, collaborators, and DC-area residents Lisa Hall and Golzar Kheiltash. Both life-long travelers, Lisa and Golzar share a deep reverence for the rich diversity that makes… Continue Reading

Revolutionary Fervor Sweeps Maryland

by committee member Paul Stankus Apparently there’s this musical coming to the Kennedy Center next month. Something about a revolutionary war hero and a scholar, a ten dollar founding father. In honor of its arrival, the Gaithersburg Book Festival has… Continue Reading

Zooming through Space with Dave Roman

by Committee Volunteer Melissa McDonald Dave Roman is one of the most popular children’s book presenters we’ve had crash land at the Gaithersburg Book Festival. His graphic novels are exciting to read, and he has a great way with kids. He “draws”… Continue Reading

Playing Catch with Fred Bowen

by Melissa McDonald Attention sports fans! Have you read books by sports author Fred Bowen ? If you haven’t, you should! He is the author of 22 sports books for kids AND he writes the sports opinion column for The Washington Post‘s KidsPost… Continue Reading