A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 17, 2025

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Author Archives: Jennie Cottrell

I’m Thankful for Books: Part 3

The third installment in our series about what books our committee members are thankful for this year and throughout their lives. Comment below on the books that make you thankful. (Don’t forget to check out Part 1 and Part 2 .)   Continue Reading

I’m Thankful for Books: Part 2

Part 2 of our series about what books we’re thankful for this Thanksgiving… We hope you’ll share what books you’re thankful for in the comments below. (You can read Part 1 here.)     “My Friends, The Wild Chimpanzees” by Baroness Jane Van Lawick-Goodall and Hugo… Continue Reading

I’m Thankful for Books: Part 1

In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we asked some of our committee members what books they’re thankful for this year. The responses were, not surprisingly, extremely varied. And many highlighted books that made an impact on them when they… Continue Reading

What I’m Thankful for this Year is…

by Robin Ferrier, Vice Chair, Gaithersburg Book Festival This year, I’m thankful for the Gaithersburg Book Festival. Maybe to you, dear reader, that statement sounds self-serving coming from a committee member who puts a LOT of time into this endeavor.… Continue Reading

Festival Launches Fourth Annual Short Story Contest for Md, Va, and DC High School Students

What happens when you ask a satirist to write the opening lines for a short story contest? You end up with themes that involve psychics, fish-eyeball pizzas and pirates. The Gaithersburg Book Festival today is launching its fourth annual short… Continue Reading

Did You Know We’re Part of Children’s Book Week?

It’s true. This year, we’re an official Children’s Book Week event. What does that mean for you? It means we were able to recruit children’s authors like the beloved Walter Dean Myers , who is the U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. It means great… Continue Reading

Planning Your Day: GBF Author Schedule.. and More

With so many great authors, we know many of you want the opportunity to put together your gameplan in advance. Which is why we’ve created a one-page schedule of author speaking times . This schedule at a glance will allow you to see what authors are… Continue Reading

Q&A with Barbara Glickman

Barbara Glickman , author of “Capital Splendor: Gardens and Parks of Washington, D.C.,” has been an avid and active member of the D.C. gardening community for many years. Her extensive travels have taken her to gardens around the country and the world. She holds a Bachelors degree in English from… Continue Reading

Q&A with Sheila Turnage

Sheila Turnage ’s first novel for children, “Three Times Lucky,” is a Newbery Honor Award winner. She has written nonfiction for adults, “Haunted Inns of the Southeast” and “Compass American Guides: North Carolina,” and one picture book, “Trout the Magnificent,” illustrated by Janet Stevens. Sheila is from eastern North Carolina.       What are the best books… Continue Reading

Q&A with Elizabeth Winder

Elizabeth Winder is the author of the biography “Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953″ and one poetry collection. Her work also has appeared in the Chicago Review, the Antioch Review, American Letters, and other publications. She is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and earned… Continue Reading