Tucson Festival of Books

Tucson Festival of Books
The words Tucson Festival of Books in thin white letters over a black background, with the words Arizona Daily Star above the logo and The University of Arizona underneath the logo in black letters in their stylized fonts
Tucson Festival of Books logo
A photo of the University of Arizona mall, mostly empty with green grass and tall red brick buildings on either side of the mall. The sidewalks to either side of the mall are lined with palm trees.
The University of Arizona mall
BeginsMarch 15, 2025
EndsMarch 16, 2025
FrequencyAnnually
VenueUniversity of Arizona
Location(s)Tucson, Arizona
CountryUnited States
Years active2009-present
InauguratedMarch 14, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-03-14)
FoundersBill Viner, Frank Farias, John M. Humenik, Bruce Beach, Brenda Viner
Most recentMarch 10, 2024 (2024-03-10)
Participants130,000 (2024)
Attendance1,635,000 (cumulative)
Organized byThe Tucson Festival of Books Foundation
Filing status501(c)(3) non-profit organization
SponsorsArizona Daily Star (named), University of Arizona (named), Tucson Medical Center (presenting)
Websitetucsonfestivalofbooks.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Tucson Festival of Books is a free annual book fair held in Tucson, Arizona during the second weekend in March. It was established in 2009 by Bill Viner, Frank Farias, John M. Humenik, Bruce Beach, and Brenda Viner. The event is primarily sponsored by the University of Arizona, which hosts the festival, and the Arizona Daily Star.

The first annual festival featured around 450 authors and welcomed over 50,000 regional visitors. The largest Festivals in 2018 and 2019 reached an estimated attendance of 140,000, and the most recent iteration almost returned to pre-pandemic levels with an estimated 130,000 visitors in 2024.[1]

Purpose and history

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The event typically includes special programming for children and teens, panels by best-selling and emerging authors, a literary circus, culturally diverse programs, a poetry venue, exhibitor booths and two food courts.[2][3] The Festival's mission is to improve literacy rates among children and adults in Southern Arizona. Since its creation, the Festival has donated over $1.65 million to agencies that improve literacy in the community such as Reading Seed, Literacy Connects, and University of Arizona Literacy Outreach Programs.[4][5]

In addition to aiding the fight against illiteracy, the festival also helps the local community tremendously. In a study by a students at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, the festival was found to pump an estimated $4 million into Tucson’s economy annually.[6] The festival has also been covered by C-SPAN, with over 120 videos in the C-SPAN Video Library.[7]

The 2020 edition of the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] The event was held virtually in 2021.[9]

Festivals by year

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Each year, the Festival appoints an animal native to the Sonoran Desert as its mascot. In 2011, the Founders Award was established to recognize "literary achievement that captivated [the] imagination and whose body of work will be an inspiration to readers, writers, and booklovers".[1][10]

Year Estimated Attendance Mascot Founders Award
2009 50,000 gila monster not awarded
2010 80,000 hummingbird
2011 100,000 tarantula Elmore Leonard
2012 120,000 Sonoran green toad Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana
2013 120,000 butterfly R. L. Stine
2014 130,000 quail Richard Russo
2015 130,000 bobcat The Rock Bottom Remainders
2016 135,000 jackrabbit J. A. Jance
2017 135,000 roadrunner T. C. Boyle
2018 140,000 coyote Billy Collins
2019 140,000 javelina Luís Alberto Urrea
2020 festival canceled due to COVID-19
2021 unknown (online) owl Lisa See
2022 100,000 prairie dog Annette Gordon-Reed
2023 125,000 raccoon Thomas Perry
2024 130,000 coatimundi T. Jefferson Parker
[edit]
  • 2009 Tucson Festival of Books
    2009 Tucson Festival of Books
  • 2010 Tucson Festival of Books
    2010 Tucson Festival of Books
  • 2010 Tucson Festival of Books Event
    2010 Tucson Festival of Books Event
  • 2013 Tucson Festival of Books
    2013 Tucson Festival of Books
  • PaperWorks Exhibit at 2013 Tucson Festival of Books
    PaperWorks Exhibit at 2013 Tucson Festival of Books
  • 2015 Festival of Books
    2015 Festival of Books

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "About the Tucson Festival of Books". tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  2. ^ "10th Annual Tucson Festival of Books". visittucson.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  3. ^ "Tucson Festival of Books". pw.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  4. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  5. ^ "The 2018 Tucson Festival of Books". authorhouse.com. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  6. ^ "Tucson Festival of Books Is an Economic Powerhouse". tucson.com. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  7. ^ "Tucson Festival of Books". c-span.org. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
  8. ^ Knott, Gloria (March 10, 2020). "Coronavirus fears force cancellation of Tucson Festival of Books". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  9. ^ "Tucson Festival of Books Announces March 2021 All Virtual Festival". tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. Retrieved 2021-02-18.
  10. ^ "About the Tucson Festival of Books". tucsonfestivalofbooks.org. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
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