Our story of how it all began…

“Sun, palm trees & NY Times best-selling, award-winning and celebrity authors. What more could you ask for?  As book lovers, we’re nurturing the published-word for the children and adults of Southern Florida.”  

– Lois Cahall, Founder & Creative Director  

The Public wanted it.  The community said it couldn’t be done – not in Palm Beach.   But on April 11th, 2015, our first annual Palm Beach Book Festival made its literary debut…

We welcomed hundreds of reading and writing enthusiasts at the Norton Museum of Art’s auditorium.  We also welcomed a group of disappointed fans who found us SOLD OUT.  Before he hosted the Tony Awards, we honored Alan Cumming as our “Memoir of the Year” for his brave life story, NOT MY FATHER’S SON. Later that evening, James Patterson and Joe Klein talked books at the Colony Hotel.

In April 2016, we grew to two days and a wider range of celebrity authors.  We honored the legend, Burt Reynolds, for his humble memoir, BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME in which he tearfully addressed his life-long regrets as a movie star. He expressed how love and good friends were all that really mattered to him.   The festival’s theme for 2016 was ‘reinvention’ – whether as an author or an artist – in an ever-changing publishing and media climate. The iconic, Gail Sheehy, spoke at length about this subject which Burt simply called “Survival.”

In April 2017 we had a full star-studded lineup that included an audience of students from the Middle/High School of Pahokee who visited the festival to hear Olympic gold-medal winner/Dancing with the Stars winner, Laurie Hernandez talk about her NY Times best-selling memoir I GOT THIS.  The weekend was full, amidst NY Times best-selling, Golden Globe winning, Emmy winning, Award winning, PEN winning and Pulitzer nominees.

Many of the Pahokee’s kids only shot at life – if they don’t get shot in life – is to be drafted to the NFL.  They live in a town only miles from the wealth and privilege of Palm Beach and Mar-a-Lago.  But, books can transport them into a world where their imaginations can run wild and their summers can be occupied by something other than boredom, or worse…crime.

For 2018 our theme was ‘Grace, Dignity and Humanity’ in a time of worldwide crisis.  Dan Rather led the authors with talks on what unites us as a nation, instead of what divides us.  Our ballparks, our museums, our institutions (like our libraries.) I asked children’s school librarians who would be on their wish-list of authors if we could bring in children’s writers.  And we did…

We launched our first “Young Readers of the Palm Beach Book Festival” a Sunday just for kids. Like our adult festival, it too, brings in NY Times best-selling authors for children.  James Patterson helmed kid talks, while poet Kwame Alexander offered up hip-hop rap.  Kwame won the John Newberry Medal for the most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children.  Rounding them out for the younger set – ages 5-9 – was Troy Cummings and his THE NOTEBOOK OF DOOM series.  He was here to celebrate CAN I BE YOUR DOG with interactive games on stage.

And just like that….the Young Readers of the Palm Beach Book Festival was born.

Year five took a major turn with our theme #ConvictionOfTheHeart. Our adult festival merged with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca twith Mitch Albom, Susan Orlean, Ben Bradlee Jr, Ben Fountain, Tayari Jones and many others including James Patterson who reminded me long ago to “take your golden rolodex and do something for kids.”

In 2019 our children’s festival grew from 150 kids to 1,000.  By 2021 we hope to grow to several days in Palm Beach county where Children’s authors can visit and tour around multiple schools.  We strive to have 4,000 children in that kids’ audience by 2021.

Each of our guest authors always provide a unique perspective of life and legacy. They’ve all graciously addressed who we are, what matters, how we got to this place, and what we can do to make our lives and those around us, better. (For a full list of our history of authors please visit our author tab on the blue bar of the home page.)

Let’s keep reading and writing alive for our childrens’ generation.  Let’s start by getting more teachers, students and librarians into more seats in our audience.  Maybe there’s one child out there who needs to feel encouraged and inspired by meeting her favorite author.   Maybe there’s one child out there whose dream falls on a deaf ear at home.  Perhaps there’s one author on that stage who will inspire that child to read more, to write and to someday get published. Perhaps one day that child will be that author on our stage!

According to Amazon, Florida has the highest readership in America. Apparently, we’re America’s darlings when it comes to books, yet ironically our children aren’t curling up with them…

With much gratitude.

– Lois Cahall

Founder & Creative Director