Since 2016, Poudre Libraries and local businesses have come together to host the Fort Collins Book Fest. Book Fest brings together community members of all ages to celebrate literature and literary arts. The 2025 Book Fest kicked off Feb. 7.
Book Fest is a two-weeklong program that includes many events, activities and authors, including Colorado State University English Professor Sasha Steensen. Some of these events include a poetry competition, panels of authors and book bingo.
“One of the best goals of Book Fest is celebrating stories and community,” said Katie Auman, the communications and development director for Poudre Libraries.
“The opening night party is really fun because it brings everybody right here together in the same room.” -Jessica MacMaster, The Story Bakers performer
The first event of the Book Fest was a kick-off party hosted at Old Town Library. People meandered from activity to activity, which included a photo booth, Mad Libs, a free snack bar and drinks and a special performance from The Story Bakers — a family-friendly educational improv group dedicated to bringing their audience’s stories to life.
“The opening night party is really fun because it brings everybody right here together in the same room,” said Jessica MacMaster, a performer with The Story Bakers.
The kick-off party definitely accomplished the goal of bringing everyone together. People from all walks of life attended the kick-off party, ready to partake in a celebration and reading.
The following day, The Lyric hosted many panels of authors of various genres.
“I really enjoy a lot of the panel discussions,” Auman said. “There’s been some really great conversations that have come out of that.”
One of the panels was on the genre of romantasy, otherwise known as romantic fantasy. The two authors who held this panel were Amalie Howard, author of “The Starlight Heir,” and Vanessa Rasanen, author of “Until the Stars Fall.”
Howard’s books follow a raunchier story and have appeared on lists from Oprah Daily and Cosmopolitan. Rasanen writes stories that each come with their own spice rack, enabling readers to skip scenes or come back to them.
Together, these authors were very comedic and provided a wealth of knowledge. They discussed the difficulties of knowing when a story is too romance-heavy, how to build a fantasy world and how to balance writing smut while honoring their religions.
Another panel hosted on the same day focused on the horror genre, featuring authors Lindsay King-Miller, Devon A. Mihesuah and Stephen Graham Jones. Despite writing under the same genre, each of these authors wrote strikingly different books and had very different experiences to pull from.
Mihesuah is a member of the Choctaw Nation and writes stories that focus on Native American history and mythology. King-Miller writes about human sexuality and her experiences as a queer person. Jones has written over 30 novels, was named a New York Times bestselling author and covers many styles and subgenres of horror.
These three authors each shared their perspectives on the genre and the wisdom they’ve picked up throughout their career. They covered topics such as determining how much gore to include and how to properly build suspense.
At the end of the prepared questions in both panels, the authors answered audience questions and hosted a book signing. The Lyric also sold copies of the authors’ books.
The Fort Collins Book Fest is, first and foremost, a celebration of literature and community. By having activities and events geared toward all sorts of people, the Book Fest ensures that as many people as possible have an opportunity to explore the book scene in Fort Collins. These book-related events promote reading in all ages and encourage everyone to rediscover the joy of books.
Reach Audrey Weishaar at life@collegian.com or on Twitter @CSUCollegian.
