The Gaithersburg Book Festival is back in person and will take place May 21 at a new location – Bohrer Park in Gaithersburg.
Dozens of authors, including County Council member Will Jawando, Peter Baker, Daniel Black and John Gallagher, will be in attendance.
Prior to the literary event, the fourth annual poetry competition for high school students is held. More than 185 teenagers sent in their applications.
Finalists include Lucy Collins, an 11th grader from Columbia; Mischa Green, a Grade 12 student from Glen Burnie; Naomi Kaul, a 12th grader from Germantown who attends Northwest High School; Joy Kim, an 11th grader from Oakton, Va.; Anastasia Matveev, a 12th grader from Silver Spring who attends Montgomery Blair High School; Lily Rogers, a 9th grader from Baltimore; Sarah Siskind, a grade 12 student from Annapolis; Eugene Tibbs, an 11th grader from Arlington, Va.; Sophia Toth-Fejel, an 11th grader from Millersville; Jasmin Wu, a 10th grader from Bethesda, who attends Walter Johnson High School; and Allison Xu, a 10th grader from Rockville, who attends Walter Johnson High School.
The first, second and third place winners and fan favorite will be announced on the Festival website on Friday, May 13. Judge Gregory Luce, a local poet, will select the top three entries.
The 12 finalist poems were posted on the Festival website for visitors to read and vote for their favorite. Voting closes May 13 at 11 p.m.
“Once again, I am blown away by the talented young writers and poets in our area,” said Jud Ashman, Festival Founder and Mayor of Gaithersburg. “They took the themes of freedom, community and escape, and created phenomenal poetry. We are so proud to spotlight all these budding artists at the Gaithersburg Book Festival. »
The day-long event includes author appearances, talks, book signings and sales, writing workshops, a children’s village and food. Admission is free, and shuttles depart from Shady Grove Metro and Lakeforest Mall.
Did you miss this news? We’re back baby!! https://t.co/kAS5aovPwU
— Gaithersburg Book Festival (@GburgBookFest) February 23, 2022
We have announced our 12 poetry contest finalists! Find out who made the cut and read their incredible poetry at the link. https://t.co/E3qfk22diK
— Gaithersburg Book Festival (@GburgBookFest) March 15, 2022
