Las Vegas Book Festival celebrates 16th year

Las Vegas Review-Journal

8 years ago

Dashka Slater, dressed as her snail hero, reads from “Escargot” at the Las Vegas Book Festival in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday. (Ginger Meurer/Special to Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Matt de la Peña reads from his Newbery Award-winning book “Last Stop on Market Street” at the Las Vegas Book Festival in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday. (Ginger Meurer/Special to Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Judy Schacher, left, listens as Lin Oliver reads from the Fantastic Frame book “Danger! Tiger Crossing” at the Las Vegas Book Festival in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday. (Ginger Meurer/Special to Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Ridley Pearson works the crowd at the Las Vegas Book Festival in downtown Las Vegas on Saturday. (Ginger Meurer/Special to Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Clark County high school students present original poems Saturday during the 16th annual Las Vegas Book Festival in downtown Las Vegas. Rachel Crosby @rachelacrosby

A Las Vegas Book Festival exhibit showcased a mini printing press. (Rachel Crosby @rachelacrosby)

The Las Vegas Book Festival wrapped up its 16th annual event Saturday in downtown Las Vegas.

The festival, held at the Historic Fifth Street School, offered panels and presentations in a variety of genres, children’s activities, vendor booths and displays.

Among the events Saturday was the Spark! Youth Poetry and Recitation Competition, during which finalists presented original poems.

In addition to its long list of participating writers, the festival also featured keynote speakers fiction writer Daniel Handler, also known for the best-selling “A Series of Unfortunate Events” written under his pen name Lemony Snicket, and Sharon Draper, a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Literary Awards and a New York Times best-selling author of “Out of My Mind.”