The Lehigh Valley Book Festival returns for its 6th year March, 2025!

The Lehigh Valley Book Festival is a celebration of books and the strong connections they forge – bringing published authors, illustrators, and readers together, through thoughtful, approachable, and inclusive programming. Founded and produced by Let’s Play Books Bookstore and sister store, The End: a bookstore. This year’s theme is Words Worth Sharing, with education surrounding media literacy and our democratic values of free expression and open access to knowledge. There will be a variety of creative and informative programs around that theme – including activities for all ages – in and around the Lehigh Valley. 

Cedar Crest College, Tompkins College Center 10:30 – 6:30pm

10:30 am – Opening Program – Let’s Talk, Samuels Theatre. Mayor Matthew Tuerk & Lehigh Valley
Book Festival Executive Committee will open the day followed by two back-to-back sessions

Let’s Talk: Edgar Award winning author Eliot Pattison and WLVR journalist Bradley
Klein discuss Freedom’s Ghost, a fast-paced, complex historical mystery set in the years leading up
to the American Revolution.

Let’s Talk Too: Author Kurt B. Dowdle and legacy Lehigh Valley Public Radio veteran Christine
Dempsey discuss Dream Monster, a memoir of murder and meltdown in the shadow of Three Mile
Island in 1979.

12:15pm Author Signing Eliot Pattison & Kurt B. Dowdle Samuels Theatre

10:30am – 1:30pm – A Wicked Family Fest! Children’s Author & illustrator meet & greets, art activities,
and story times. Author & illustrator activity tables with Donna Gephart, Kay Healy, Dana Kramaroff,
Deborah C. Mortimer, Terry LaBan Matt Phelan and more! Little Golden Books characters Glinda &
Elphaba will come to life with A Storybook Party. (Times vary)

12:45pm The Art of the Story: Bringing the Words to Life Samuels Theatre. How do you capture the
attention of tweens – and keep them captivated – in the era of video games, TikTok and other distractions? These authors will discuss why storytelling is so vital and how they’ve been meeting the
unique needs of modern middle-grade readers. Author panel: Donna Gephart, Terry LaBan, Matt Phelan,
Kay Healy moderated by local author Dana Kramaroff.

1:45 pm It’s a Mix Tape: A Love Story to the Reader Samuels Theatre. A heart-wrenching memoir. A
uniquely sweet short story in verse. A spicy fairy tale romance. These titles explore some of the countless
ways to say, “I love you.” A look at love in all its forms, this panel has something for everyone. Author
panel: Kareem Rosser, Timothy Janovsky, and Robin Gow, moderated by Theresa Hegel, Executive Editor
for Special Projects & Sustainability, ASI.

1:45 pm Picture Book Palooza: A Panel Discussion Amory Soisson Center. A picture is worth a thousand words, but this panel of picture book authors is priceless. Find out what it takes to create a story that really resonates with young minds and what makes picture books different than other types of writing. Author panel: Julie Fortenberry, Janet Lord, and Alliah L. Agostini, moderated by Dr. Melissa Kamyab, Director of the Graduate Program in Education, Cedar Crest College.

2:30 pm – 3:15 pm

Author Signing Session – Donna Gephart, Terry Laban, Matt Phelan, Kay Healy, Dana Kramaroff, Kareem Rosser, Timothy Janovsky, Robin Gow, Julie Fortenberry, Janet Lord, and Alliah L. Agostini.

Local author spotlight: Dr. Diana Sorrentino, Paul & Meghan Kita, and Sarah Dennehy.

3:15pm Who Can You Trust? It’s a Mystery! Samuels Theatre. Whether it’s a lamplit adventure through Victorian London with a trailblazing female medical examiner and skeptical Scotland Yard investigator or an edge-of-your-seat take on the classic conman chase novel, these titles will keep you guessing – and turning the page for more. Author panel: Elizabeth M. Keenan, Greg Wands, and Patrice McDonough moderated by local author Megan Angelo.

3:15 How Women Write – Let Us Count the Ways – Amory Soisson Center
There are so many ways to write – and publish – in today’s digital landscape. These genre-spanning
authors will discuss their paths to publishing and give invaluable tips to aspiring authors in this
illuminating conversation. Author panel: Dana Kramaroff, Deborah C. Mortimer, and Shonda Moralis,
moderated by local author Suzanne Baltsar. Signing, directly following the session.

4:15pm Thrilling Fiction: Is This the End? Samuels Theatre. Packed with twists and turns, these
suspenseful stories are guaranteed to keep your heart racing. What happens when a former ballet dancer
turned psychotherapist who writes with “boldness and grace,” the “master of the suburban scandal,” and
the “Frank Lloyd Wright of horror” all end up in the same room? You’ll have to join us to find out. Author
panel: Aggie Blum Thompson, Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, and Chuck Wendig, moderated by local author
Paul Acampora.

5:00 – 5:30pm Author Signing Session: Paul Acampora, Megan Angelo, Elizabeth M. Keenan, and
Patrice McDonough, Lisa Williamson Rosenberg, Aggie Blum Thompson, Greg Wands, and Chuck Wendig

5:30pm Closing Conversation – Let’s Talk and Listen Samuels Theatre

Dr. Judith Giesberg, Last Seen: The Enduring Search by Formerly Enslaved People to Find Their Lost
Families,Simon & Schuster 2/2025, in conversation with Jess Denke, Community Engagement Librarian,
Muhlenberg College. Signing to follow.