Lee County Library System will be bringing in more than two dozen authors for the 28th Annual Southwest Florida Reading Festival this March. A diverse lineup of authors will come to Fort Myers to showcase their books and meet fans 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday, March 6, 2027. The free event will be held on the outdoor campus of the Fort Myers Regional Library, 2450 First St., downtown Fort Myers.
The Southwest Florida Reading Festival is a time-honored tradition in the community, with attendees coming back year after year to hear author presentations and have their books signed. This outdoor celebration gives fans the opportunity to meet and greet best-selling authors, participate in arts and crafts and discover the latest books and digital resources offered by the library. There will also be food truck vendors, storytelling programs, youth writing award presentations and a free book given away for every child and teen attending the event.
“The Lee County Library System is excited to continue sharing the joy of reading with our community,” Festival coordinator Vikki Brown said. “We are looking forward a fun day of authors, books and more.”
The line-up of award-winning talent includes a mix of authors from multiple genres, including crime thrillers, mysteries, cozy fantasy and romance. Youth authors will feature teen fantasy, thrillers and rom-coms, along with picture books, easy readers, chapter books and nonfiction.
These are just a few of the highly anticipated writers that will be a part of the event:
Adult Authors:
Originally from West Virginia, New York Times bestselling author Craig Johnson fell in love with Wyoming where he built his entire ranch including log cabin, guest house and outbuildings with his own hands. Johnson spent his early life driving trucks, working construction and cowboying before he purchased an old mechanical typewriter and began to plot out his first western mystery. Twenty-two novels, short stories and a TV adaptation of his well-known Longmire series later, Craig lives with his wife Judy in Ucross (population 26). When not writing he enjoys tinkering on old cars, motorcycles and trucks.
J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels of psychological suspense including the Taylor Jackson and Dr. Samantha Owens series. She also writes contemporary fantasy under the name Joss Walker. Before writing about crime, she worked in high-stakes politics as a Presidential Appointee in the White House for the Department of Defense and spent time as a financial analyst and marketing director for aerospace and defense contractors. She now lives in Nashville with her husband and two kittens, one of whom she swears is a ghost, where she is always chasing the next twist in suspense and fantasy.
Pam Jenoff: After obtaining an International Affairs degree from George Washington University and a master’s in history from Cambridge, Pam Jenoff accepted an appointment as special assistant to the Secretary of the Army. Following her work at the Pentagon, she moved to the State Department and worked at the US Consulate in Poland. She then left the foreign service to obtain her JD from UPenn and worked as a labor and employment attorney. The September 11th attacks served as a wakeup call that it was finally time to purse her dream as an author. Now, she is the New York Times best-selling author of more than 16 titles including “Code Name Sapphire,” “The Lost Girls of Paris,” “The Orphan’s Tale,” and the upcoming release, “The Society of Forgotten Wives.” These meticulously researched historical novels are inspired by the true, untold stories of female survival. Jenoff currently teaches as an Associate Professor of Law at Rutgers and lives with her husband, three children, dog, two cats, lizard and bird outside of Philadelphia.
Youth Authors:
Maggie Tokuda-Hall has an MFA in creative writing from USF and a BA in art from Scripps College. She’s the author of numerous award winning, best-selling children’s and young adult books including “Love in the Library,” “The Mermaid, the Witch and The Sea” duology, “Squad” and “The Worst Ronin.” She has been called “… one of the most unflinching voices in contemporary genre literature.”
Maggie is a founding member and national leader of Authors Against Book Bans. She is the co-host of the Failure to Adapt podcast. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, children, and objectively perfect dog. Visit prettyokmaggie.com
Kasie West is the author of over 15 (and counting) young adult novels. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, Junior Library Guild Selections, and ALA-YALSA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages. Kasie is also the author of two adult novels: “We Met Like This,” her debut adult rom-com and “Stranger Things Have Happened.” When she’s not writing, she’s visiting her now-grown children, devouring books, binge-watching television, or taking care of her growing collection of houseplants. Kasie lives in Central California with her husband.
The full list of authors will be available soon on the festival’s website at http://www.ReadFest.org. Stay tuned for more information regarding all Southwest Florida Reading Festival information and our mobile app, “SWFL Reads.”
Attendees who want more exclusive access to meet and mingle with this year’s festival authors can do so at “An Evening with the Authors,” a fundraising dinner scheduled to take place at the waterfront Burroughs Home and Gardens on the evening of Friday, March 5. Tickets will be available by mid-November on the festival website.
The Lee County Library System has 13 branches to serve Lee County residents. Library programs are always free and open to the public. For more information about other library services and programs offered, visit http://www.leelibrary.net or call 239-479-4636.
