The Northern Arizona Book Festival (NOAZBF) is in town with a kaleidoscope of free events that promise something exciting for everyone. From readings, panels and book discussions to performances, workshops and hands-on activities, there is wide range of cultural and fun events to choose from all around Flagstaff, starting with the Welcome Back Reading event featuring local author Will Cordeiro, followed by a reading series hosted by NAU’s creative writing MFA program.
“The Northern Arizona Book Festival coordinates programming that reflects the literary interests and cultural issues that define life in the Colorado Plateau region,” said Margarita Cruz, administrative service assistant in the Department of Sociology and president of NOAZBF. “This festival combines traditional and non-traditional modes so participants can discover new entry points into the literary arts.”
NOAZBF developed four critical areas of emphasis for this year’s festival: the Indigenous Writers Symposium that focuses on Native sovereignty, applied Indigenous studies and language preservation efforts, among other themes; the Young Reader’s Fest intended to make literature fun, relevant and accessible for youth; the Environmental Humanities Series, which examines the intersection of climate science with humanities disciplines; and Off the Page events, which will bring literature to vivid life for audiences through theater, dance, multimedia, performance and music.
“I think if you don’t make it to any other event, you should absolutely stop by Heritage Square on Saturday, April 12, between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to check out our book fair,” Cruz said. “All of the presses and organizations that come out have amazing, smart people who are so incredibly generous to authors and readers at all stages. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction and slam performances will be rolling every hour in the square, so there’s a chance you’ll run into a reading or event that will catch your ear!”
NOAZBF has celebrated writing and Flagstaff in collaboration with many NAU alumni, faculty and authors since 1997. This year’s host authors lineup includes Kinsale Drake, whose book “The Sky Was Once a Dark Blanket” won the 2023 National Poetry Series; m.s. RedCherries, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation who received an MFA from the Iowa Writer’s Workshop; and Amber McCray, a Diné poet, zinester and board member of NOAZBF who owns a press dedicated to publishing Indigenous voices.
For more information about the NOAZBF, visit www.noazbookfest.org
Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu