A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 17, 2025

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Author Archives: Jud Ashman

GBF covid-19 Announcement

GBF ANNOUNCEMENT: Friends & supporters, circumstances have reached the point where we have to change gears on our beloved Gaithersburg Book Festival. We will not be coming together – at least face to face – on May 16th for GBF.… Continue Reading

GBF & #GaithersburgREADS coronavirus updates

As all of us deal with the coronavirus pandemic, we at GBF have good news, bad news, and ‘wait and see’ news. Here we go, in reverse order: The ‘Wait and See’ News on the May 16 Gaithersburg Book Festival… Continue Reading

Gaithersburg READS update: our program, the controversy, and Reyna Grande

Dear GBF friends, I first want to make clear who’s writing this: this is Jud Ashman, Mayor of Gaithersburg, Founder & Chair of the Gaithersburg Book Festival. While there may be members of the City Council, City Staff, Book Festival… Continue Reading

Gaithersburg READS: Start your engines!

It starts today. Our first-ever GaithersburgREADS ! “What is #GaithersburgREADS?” you ask. It’s essentially a giant book club that the whole community (i.e. everyone!) is invited to be a part of. We’re all going to read a great book, “American Dirt”… Continue Reading

Gaithersburg Reads: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

We are so excited to invite YOU – and the WHOLE community – to join us in something we’ve never tried before: a community-wide *READ.* In fact, we’re calling it Gaithersburg Reads! Here’s how it will work: We’re all going… Continue Reading

Gaithersburg Book Festival Moves to Bohrer Park for 2020 and 2021

Attention, everyone! We put out this press release this morning. Please take note: new location for GBF on May 16th. See you there! Gaithersburg, Md. – October 1, 2019 – The City of Gaithersburg today announced that the Gaithersburg Book… Continue Reading

An Evening with Jan Brett

An Evening with Author/Illustrator Jan Brett Presented by the Gaithersburg Book Festival and Politics & Prose  Sunday, December 1, 2019  5 p.m. (Doors open at 4:30) Johns Hopkins University, Montgomery County Campus Gilchrist Hall 9601 Medical Center Drive Rockville, MD … Continue Reading

Poetry Contest Winners Announced!

RICHARD MONTGOMERY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR LYDIA WEI TAKES TOP HONOR IN GAITHERSBURG BOOK FESTIVAL HIGH SCHOOL POETRY CONTEST Gaithersburg, Md. – May 20, 2019 – Lydia Wei, a Gaithersburg, Md., resident who is a junior at Richard Montgomery High School, was awarded… Continue Reading

Survey time! How was GBF this year? Win $$$!

Dear 2019 GBF Attendees, Thanks so much for being part of our 10th anniversary Gaithersburg Book Festival! Now we need your feedback. It helps us keep our event fresh, relevant, and as good as it can be. Below is a… Continue Reading

GBF 10th Anniversary Concert

On GBF day, STAY and CELEBRATE with us! We’re having a special 10th anniversary concert by Erin Willett . You may remember Erin as a contestant on Season 2 of The Voice. If you haven’t seen her perform live, you’re in for… Continue Reading