A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 17, 2025

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Author Archives: Jennie Cottrell

How I Started Writing and Illustrating Children’s Stories

by Andreia Chavis-Douglas I have always loved reading books and enjoyed the adventures they take me on. This is probably because my mom read to my sisters and me when we were children. One of my favorite stories as a… Continue Reading

Multilingual Storytime Tent: Back by Popular Demand

The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) is returning to the festival this year with its Multilingual Story Time tent. The tent will focus exclusively on stories in multiple languages and will feature stories read by students and educators. The readings… Continue Reading

Meg Waite Clayton Talks Wartime Correspondents and Jane Austen

by Megan Wessell, A Bookish Affair Meg Waite Clayton is the author of the new historical fiction novel, “The Race for Paris.” It’s a riveting tale of female war correspondents during World War II during a time when the war front was anything but permissive for women especially. Inspired by… Continue Reading

Inclusion starts with the simplest action: a smile

by Debbie Sahlin We’ve all experienced that moment when our children first see a person living with a disability and ask, “What’s wrong?” It’s difficult to know how to respond, isn’t it? Do you remember when you were a child… Continue Reading

Lynnette Bosan: From Foster to Freedom

by Lynnette Bosan Many people don’t overcome the odds against them. This was just the opposite of my story. At the age of 8 years old life was wonderful as I thought it should be. Being in the environment of my mother, brother… Continue Reading

F.A.Q. – E.A. Aymar’s Reading at the Gaithersburg Book Festival

I hear you’re not reading directly from your book. What gives? Honestly, I still feel guilty about not reciting passages directly from my book during readings. I used to think that a writer’s prose should be so polished and perfect… Continue Reading

Some Requirements For My Forthcoming Gaithersburg Book Festival Presentation

by Jon Methven Leather chair. Pipe. Candles. Plenty of candles. Roll of duct tape. A monocle. Scale model of the solar system, except in the place of the sun will be the leather chair, where I will be sitting following my entrance.… Continue Reading

An excerpt from “Soccer Tales-Legend of the Shoelace Monster”

Below is an excerpt from “Soccer Tales-Legend of the Shoelace Monster” by Lewis Freimark “Nations come together every four years to play a World Cup of soccer. The United States is thought to be the next great cradle of soccer civilization. So… Continue Reading

A valuable lesson

by Adriana M. Amaro Many moons ago, when I was teaching Spanish to middle school students, I learned many valuable lessons. Today, I want to share one of those lessons with you. On a crisp morning in March, I arrived… Continue Reading

Brief History of the Sleep Enforcement Agency

by Jon Methven “Americans are facing a sleep debt of epidemic proportions, and the nation’s leading doctor is taking notice.” – American Academy of Sleep Medicine “A bigger threat than drugs, assault weapons and ISIS,” the surgeon general warned. “Mister President, America is… Continue Reading