A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 17, 2025

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Author Archives: Jennie Cottrell

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Siobhan Fallon

Siobhan Fallon ’s debut collection of stories, “ You Know When the Men Are Gone ,” was listed as a Best Book of 2011 by The San Francisco Chronicle and Janet Maslin of The New York Times; has been called “the explosive sort of literary triumph that appears only… Continue Reading

GBF Hands-On Workshop: Perfecting the Pitch

Your book’s finished and that dream literary agent’s gotten in the elevator with you, leaving you just 30 seconds to capture their imagination with a great pitch.   ‘Perfecting the Pitch’ puts the essence of your book on paper in the best prose,… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Stewart O’Nan

Stewart O’Nan is the award-winning author of more than a dozen novels, most recently, “The Odds: A Love Story.” His other works include “Snow Angels,” “A Prayer for the Dying,” “Last Night at the Lobster,” and “Emily, Alone.”  Granta named him one of America’s Best Young Novelists. He lives in Pittsburgh.   Where do you find inspiration? Everywhere   What advice do… Continue Reading

GBF Hands-on Workshops: How to Write Realistic Dialogue

Ron Capps knows a thing or two about writing realistic dialogue. As a writing instructor for the National Endowment for the Arts through Operation Homecoming , at Howard Community College, at The Writer’s Center, and at George Washington University, Ron has helped many writers… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Cathy Alter

Cathy Alter’s feature articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in local and national newspapers and magazines including The Washington Post, Washingtonian, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, Self, McSweeney’s, and SMITH Magazine. Her book, “Virgin Territory: Stories from the Road to Womanhood” was released in 2004 and her memoir,… Continue Reading

GBF Children’s Village: A Look at Book Arts

by Heidi Bishop   What is Book Arts?It’s well known that the Gaithersburg Book Festival is a must-attend celebration of books, writers and literary excellence for DC Metro area book fans, but did you know that the festival is unique… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Authors Marvin & Deborah Kalb

Marvin and Deborah Kalb are a father-daughter journalism team who joined forces to write their new book, “Haunting Legacy: Vietnam and the American Presidency from Ford to Obama.” Marvin Kalb’s journalism career covers 30 years of award-winning reporting and commentary for CBS and NBC News, including a stint as host of… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author John “Corey” Whaley

John “Corey” Whaley is the author of “Where Things Come Back,” his highly-acclaimed debut novel for Young Adults.Whaley was named a Spring 2011 Flying Start Author by Publishers Weekly as well as a Top Ten New Voice for Teens by the ABC Children’s Group at ALA and a Summer 2011 Okra Pick from the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance . “Where Things Come Back” has also been nominated for the American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young… Continue Reading

GBF Hands-on Workshops: Short-Short Stories

by Heidi Bishop and Rae Bryant   You’ve heard of short stories, but have you ever heard of the Short-Short story format?   Short-Short refers to stories of fewer than 1,000 words, which are gaining popularity among both web and… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Varley O’Connor

Varley O’Connor is the author of the upcoming novel, “The Master’s Muse.” She is the author of three previous novels, “The Cure,” “A Company of Three,” and “Like China.” Her shorter prose has appeared in The Sun magazine, AWP Writer’s Chronicle, Faultline: A Journal of Art and Literature, Driftwood, Algonkian magazine, and The… Continue Reading