A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 17, 2025

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Author Archives: Jennie Cottrell

From “Where the Wild Things Are” to “Ulysses”…

by Gene Taft I was so excited when I heard about Panned Books Week. I take quite a bit of perverse pleasure in reading bad reviews of what are now considered classic books. Here are some of my favorites: “[A] pointless and confusing story.” Publishers… Continue Reading

The Wrongness Allure of Banned Books

by Paul Stankus I knew it was wrong, but I read it anyway.  The wrongness all the more alluring to a pre-teen mind. While my own parents were supportive of my voracious reading habits, society around me was not—and the… Continue Reading

Our High School Student Short Story Contest Returns… with a Twist

What good story doesn’t include a twist, right? For this year’s high school student short story contest , our “twist” is in what we’re using to help inspire the students’ work. In past years, we’ve had one of the festival’s published authors write three opening lines… Continue Reading

Called to Question the Great Mysteries

By Exhibiting Author Mare Cromwell I have long been interested in spirituality and the path of finding inner peace and connection with the Divine. After being raised Catholic, I spent seven years studying yoga at an ashram, and then in my mid-thirties… Continue Reading

Meet Exhibiting Author Deliah Lawrence

Hello, my name is Deliah Lawrence and I’m an attorney who enjoys creative writing. As an avid reader and a TV junkie of crime dramas and the occasional rom coms, I decided to write “Gotta Let It Go,” a romantic-suspense novel set in Baltimore. With just… Continue Reading

Meet Exhibiting Author Barbara Ann Gareis

by Barbara Ann Gareis I’m your average, ordinary girl. Like everyone else I know, I’ve had my share of trials. The good thing is that I’ve learned (and am still learning) to forgive others, hold onto hope, let go of… Continue Reading

Q&A with Non-fiction author Steve Vogel

Steve Vogel is the author of “Through The Perilous Fight” and “The Pentagon.” He has written extensively about military affairs and the treatment of veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. His reporting about the war in Afghanistan was part of a package of Washington Post stories… Continue Reading

Q&A with Children’s Author Debbie Levy

Debbie Levy is the author of “We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song,” “Imperfect Spiral,” “The Year of Goodbyes” and other books for young people.  “We Shall Overcome” was recently named a 2014 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards Honor Book, and “The Year of Goodbyes” was a Kirkus Best Book of 2010, a Parents’ Choice… Continue Reading

Make a Day of It… Food Options at the GBF

Why yes, there will be lots of yummy food at the festival if you want to make a day of it. Food vendors will be on Summit Avenue in front of City Hall grounds.   This year’s food vendors include:… Continue Reading

Q&A with Nonfiction Author Dan Morse

Dan Morse is the author of “The Yoga Store Murder,” the true crime account of the lululemon athletica killing in Bethesda, Md., in 2011. Dan is a staff writer at The Washington Post, covering criminal justice in Montgomery County. Prior to working for The Washington Post,… Continue Reading