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Laredo's First Annual Book Festival

By KGNS News

Story Created: Aug 14, 2011 at 5:26 PM CDT

Story Updated: Aug 15, 2011

"I think it's really great to see the community reading and seeing parents encouraging their kids by bringing them to the library."

P.J. Hoover has been writing books for seven years. She was one of the 28 authors invited to the first annual Laredo book festival. The festival featured panel discussions, writer's workshops, and book signings by authors.

Children were able to meet their favorite author and get some advice on how to follow their dream of one day becoming an author themselves.

"I'm so happy to see how many teens I've seen walking around that are really excited about reading. A lot of people I've talked to want to be authors."

The manager of the Laredo Public Library who organized this event wants to celebrate Texas and local authors and also encourage interest in books and reading. She says she couldn't have asked for a better turnout.

"I've seen people coming in specifically to talk to an author . It's really a celebration of authors and of reading and books."

One of the featured authors brought in for the festival is from Austin and says Laredo has a very strong sense of community and she's enjoying connecting with her fans from the Gateway City.

"As a writer, sometimes I sit in my office and don't get to meet a lot of people so being able to come to events like these and chat and visit is a thrill."

Before the book festival ended, the organizer of the event was already getting asked when the next one will be.

“We're getting some of our clients asking us why don't we do it twice a year, but we'll see if we can do it next year."