Today, Amelia Island Book Festival (AIBF) organizers made several key announcements, paving the way for 2020. The 19th annual AIBF begins on Thursday, February 13 and runs through Saturday, February 15, 2020. Planning is underway for numerous events at several venues to give adult and young readers the opportunity to meet authors.
The upcoming book festival will be led by the 2019-2020 Board of Directors, including first-time Honorary Chair David Baldacci.
“It is a great privilege to be the Honorary Chair of the 2020 Amelia Island Book Festival. I think readers and writers who have attended in the past would be in universal agreement that this is one of the premier book festivals in the country. Taking over from Steve Berry was a daunting task, but he laid a terrific foundation for the festival going forward. For the 2020 Festival, I hope to keep up the high standard he has set,” Baldacci said.
Mr. Baldacci was a headline author at the 2019 AIBF and is, of course, known for compelling mysteries and thrillers. His 38 novels for adults all have been national and international bestsellers, with several, adapted for film and television. His novels are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 130 million worldwide sales. He has also published seven novels for younger readers. Mr. Baldacci is the co-founder, along with his wife Michelle, of the Wish You Well Foundation®, which is dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the United States. The Baldaccis live in Virginia.
The festival’s 2020 events will include the popular kickoff luncheon, gala dinner, and writers’ workshop. Organizers also announced that the application process opens in mid to late July for authors who wish to be considered as presenters in the AIBF’s annual Authors in Schools Literacy Program. And, registration opens for authors to reserve exhibitor space at the Saturday Authors Expo/Readers Extravaganza at Fernandina Beach Middle School. Please visit www.ameliaislandbookfestival.org for applications and the latest information.
On Friday, February 14, 2020, during Authors in Schools Day, AIBF will once again bring celebrated authors into every Nassau County, Florida school, and give each student a book by the author they meet.
Central to AIBF’s mission, Authors in Schools connects students, authors, and books for lifelong learning. At AIBF 2019, 27 award-winning authors, including New York Times bestsellers, met with more than 12,000 students at 16 Nassau County public schools, five volunteer pre-kindergarten programs, and one private school. Each student received a book, thanks to proceeds from event ticket sales and the generosity of sponsors, donors, and members. Authors in Schools is grateful for the support of school representatives, authors, contributors, and volunteers.
The 2019-2020 AIBF Directors are all local residents, and several are authors as well. They are President Larry Williams, Vice President Bill Amos, Secretary Paige Cosgrove, Treasurer Betsy Odom, Paul Andrews, Nancy Blanton, Estelle Conover, Joelle Crahay, Merrin Donahue, Mary Elwell, Brant Kelch, Kim Sartor, Lea Scott, Fran Shea, and Crawford Ward.
Also, several long-time AIBF supporters who are dedicated to AIBF’s mission of promoting literacy have been named to the newly formed Board of Ambassadors. They are Raffaela Marie Fenn, Mark Fenn, Pam Park, Terry Ramsay, Kristi Simpkins, and Jim Weinsier.
AIBF is a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 corporation that seeks to open the world through books. For information about AIBF, please visit our website www.ameliaislandbookfestival.org and our Facebook page and look for updates on Instagram.
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