Stanley Nelson is a Pulitzer Prize finalist who serves as the current editor for the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, Louisiana.
LIVINGSTON -- A Pulitzer Prize finalist, a local jazz band, a retired homicide detective and police sketch artist, and a storytelling folk singer are just a few of the headliners for this weekend’s Livingston Parish Book Festival.
First held in 2013, the Livingston Parish Library’s annual celebration of literacy and arts will return to the Town of Livingston for its sixth run, scheduled for 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The festival will be held inside and outside the Main Branch, located at 20390 Iowa Street in Livingston. All other LPL branches will be closed that day as LPL employees assist with the festival.
During the day-long event, visitors will have a chance to peruse thousands of titles ranging from children’s books to young adult novels to classics and everything in between.
They’ll also be treated to a full slate of author discussions, book signings, and live musical entertainment.
Headlining the authors will be Stanley Nelson, a Pulitzer Prize finalist who serves as the current editor for the Concordia Sentinel in Ferriday, Louisiana.
For 10 years, Nelson investigated a string of Civil Rights-era murders committed by the Ku Klux Klan in southwest Mississippi and northeastern Louisiana. Nelson’s work led to the identification of members of the Silver Dollar Group, the most secretive Klan cell known in America.
His work later became the basis of a blockbuster trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles. On Saturday, Nelson will read excerpts from his book “Devil’s Walking” and detail findings from his investigation during a special author discussion.
In addition, a reading tent will be located inside the library near the computer lab, giving children a storytelling treat from more than a half-dozen local authors.
Live music will come from Elvis Presley tribute artist Jayson Alfano (11 a.m.) and the West Baton Rouge Oasis Jazz Band (1 p.m.).
Below is the full schedule of author discussions and storytelling times. For more information about the Livingston Parish Book Festival, visit www.mylpl.info/bookfestival.
Stanley Nelson - 11:30 a.m. (meeting room)
All attendees will receive an LPL book light and will be entered into a drawing for a signed book by the author.
Ariane O’Pry Trammell - 11:30 a.m. (storytelling tent)
Trammell’s titles include “Cicada’s Song,” “Mon Cher Bebe: A Parent’s Prayer,” and “Run! Boudin, Run!”
Jasper Price - 12 p.m. (storytelling tent)
Price’s titles include “Zombie Asockalypse” (picture book), “Double Bogey Goes Way, Way Off Course” (picture book), and “The Incredible Shrinking Boy” (middle grade novel).
J. Steven Spires - 12:30 p.m. (storytelling tent)
Spires’ titles include “Three Little Shrimp” (River Road Press, 2017), “Three Little Shrimp Activity and Coloring Book” (Inspired Books, 2014), “The Oak Tree” (Inspired Books, 2015), and “Project: The Oak Tree Activity and Coloring Book” (Inspired Books, 2018).
Michael Verrett - 1 p.m. (storytelling tent)
Artist/author/illustrator Michael Verrett grew-up in St Mary Parish blocks away from sugar cane fields and the unhurried Bayou Teche. A retired homicide detective and police sketch artist, he constructed more than 150 sketches for local, state, and federal law enforcement.
While serving in the war, his cartoon strip, Army Life, appeared in The Desert Voice Magazine and was featured in Stars and Stripes. He has written and illustrated more than four dozen books, published a dozen photo books, and contributed artwork to two dozen books by other authors. He lives in Denham Springs with his wife Melissa Garbarino Verrett.
Verrett’s titles include the “Wherever the Wind May Blow” series.
Rickey Pittman - 1:30 p.m. (storytelling tent)
Rickey E. Pittman, the Bard of the South, is a storyteller, author, and folksinger. He was the Grand Prize Winner of the 1998 Ernest Hemingway Short Story Competition and is originally from Dallas, Texas.
Pittman presents his stories, music, and programs at schools, libraries, organizations, museums, historical reenactments, restaurants, banquets, and Celtic festivals throughout the South. An adjunct college English instructor with an M.A. from Abilene Christian University, he has fourteen published books, four music CDs and several single releases.
Sherry T. Broussard - 2 p.m. (storytelling tent)
Broussard’s titles include “Louisiana’s Zydeco” and “The Birthday Box.”
Melinda Falgoust - 2:30 p.m. (storytelling tent)
Melinda Taliancich Falgoust is an author, illustrator, elementary educator, and working actor on both stage and screen. She often reaches into her actor’s “bag-of-tricks” to introduce a cast of colorful and quirky characters who help bring her books and presentations to life.
Falgoust’s titles include “Ten Little Crawfish,” “Lousy Liver,” “Footprints,” and “Eye of the Storm.”
