September 30 – November 24, 2021

Nevada Humanities Program Gallery
1017 S. 1st St, #190

Exhibition Discussion via Zoom
Thursday, November 4 at 6 p.m. | Registration link coming soon!

Nevadan’s were invited to submit a handmade Nevada P.S. I Love You Postcard to the Nevada Humanities Exhibition Series in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Las Vegas Book Festival. The postcard project hopes to connect urban and rural communities and people across our state sharing with each other the things we love about Nevada. This project was conceived by artists Candace Garlock (Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno), Bobbie Ann Howell (Nevada Humanities, Las Vegas), and Cindy Whitaker (Cinderella Studio Photography, Winnemucca) as part of the 2019 Nevada Arts Council Basin To Range Cultural Exchange Program.

August 12 – November 4, 2021

The Fruits of Our Labor
An installation by Justin Favela
Las Vegas Book Festival Exhibition

Mayor's Gallery, Historic Fifth Street School
401 S. Fourth St.

Award-winning international artist Justin Favela brings his trademark piñata paper technique to the Mayor's Gallery at the Historic Fifth Street School to kickoff Hispanic Heritage Month and the Las Vegas Book Festival. Inspired by Mexican still life fruit of the 19th Century, and paying homage to "cartoon fruit" and to the Sandra Cisneros vignette "The Monkey Garden" from her award winning book The House on Mango Street, Justin Favela will create piñata-style depictions of fruit objects in both two and three dimensional forms. Presented with support from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Big Read program; NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest.

Monday, October 18, 2021

Watch The 2021 Pre-Events Virtually Here!

8:00 AM
Vanessa Latrice Williams, Poetry reading

10:00 AM
Marita Golden in Conversation
Featuring: Marita Golden and Michelle Petties
Registration Required: Register Here!

Author Marita Golden will read from her works while engaging in a discussion with author Michelle Petties before opening up the discussion for questions from the audience. You must register to attend this event.

6:15 PM
Romance Here, There, and Everywhere
Featuring: Dylan Allen, Xio Axelrod, Tessa Bailey, Robin Covington, Kenya Goree-Bell, Katee Robert, Denise Williams, Sophie Jordan

Popular romance authors discuss settings, tropes, and more, featuring Dylan Allen, Xio Axelrod, Tessa Bailey, Robin Covington, Kenya Goree-Bell, Katee Robert, Denise Williams, Sophie Jordan.

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Watch The 2021 Pre-Events Virtually Here!

8:00 AM
Tyler Chacon, Poetry Reading

10:00 AM
Stories Teens Will Be Captivated By
Featuring Lexi Ryan, Sophie Gonzales, Diana Ma, Tracy Wolff, Stephan Lee

Books that teens won’t be able to put down featuring Lexi Ryan, Sophie Gonzales, Diana Ma, Tracy Wolff, Stephan Lee.

5:00 PM
Paul Stoddard, Poetry Reading

Wednesday, October 20, 2021

Watch The 2021 Pre-Events Virtually Here!

8:00 AM
Elle Hope, Poetry Reading

10:00 AM
Featuring: D.J. MacHale, Jen Calonita, Tracey Baptiste, Varian Johnson, Veeda Bybee, Jess Redman, and Lindsay Currie

From non-fiction to fantasy, and everything in between, featuring authors D.J. MacHale, Jen Calonita, Tracey Baptiste, Varian Johnson, Veeda Bybee, Jess Redman, and Lindsay Currie

5:00 PM
Tomi Simmons, Poetry Reading

Thursday, October 21, 2021

Watch The 2021 Pre-Events Virtually Here!

8:00 AM
Najea Asani, Poetry Reading

5:00 PM
Ms. AyeVee, Poetry Reading

6:15 PM
Love, International Style
Featuring: Amy Davies, Olivia Dade, Farah Heron, Helena Hunting, Jackie Lau, and Niky Moliviatis

Authors from around the world discuss the ins and outs of writing for international readers featuring Amy Davies (Wales), Olivia Dade (American in Sweden), Farah Heron (Canada), Helena Hunting (Canada), Jackie Lau (Canada), Niky Moliviatis (Guatemala)

Friday, October 22, 2021

Watch The 2021 Pre-Events Virtually Here!

8:00 AM
Jane Ellsworth Olive, Poetry Reading

10:00 AM
Marita Golden Presents: Write Now! 2021: Creative Writing Intensive
Registration Required: Register Here!

Join author Marita Golden in a 3-hour creative writing intensive, offered online for up to 20 participants. You must register to attend this event.

5:00 PM
Tanna Marie, Poetry Reading

10:00 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading from America, My Love, America, My Heart

10:45 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading Whatever After: Good As Gold

11:30 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading from One Hundred Spaghetti Strings

12:15 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading from XOXO

1:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Illustrator Demonstration

1:45 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading from The Bird and the Whale: A Story of Unlikely Friendship

2:30 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading from the Hockey Penguin collection

3:15 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading from Jackson: The Red Rock Canyon Burro

4:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading from the Little Black Boy and Little Black Girl series

4:45 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Reading from Gold Spun

9:30 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

11:00 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

12:30 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

2:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

10:15 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Will prepare a coconut and plantain a hudut stew.

12:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Will prepare a tetela with heirloom beans, and hoja Santa paired with a squash mole.

1:45 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Will prepare a recipe closely tied to her book One Hundred Spaghetti Strings.

9:30 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Our writing is often a reflection of our lived experience, and while some of us live extraordinary lives, the rest of us do not. So, how do we use our daily lives as inspiration? How do we make our writing exciting enough to grip an audience even if our lived experiences aren’t “extra” anything? In this 1-hour workshop, poet James Norman will guide participants in finding the magic moments in life’s simple encounters, and instruct writers of poetry on how to turn a good story into a better poem.

10:30 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Featuring Tracy Honn and Katie Garth

Tracy Honn and Katie Garth created QPL in response to the loss of shared public space and institutional art access during the ongoing global health crisis. The project uses a one-sheet zine format to make the books easy to print at home, connecting new audiences in over 70 countries to books by more than 150 artists. By provoking joyful interactions with printed artwork, QPL has worked to disrupt pervasive feelings of isolation during the global pandemic.

12:15 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
With Quarantine Public Library

During this drop-in workshop, presenters will demonstrate how to make a book from a single sheet of standard office paper. Participants will use this format to transform titles from Quarantine Public Library into their own mini-book collection, making one or several books to take away. Drop in between 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m.

1:45 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
With Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder

A workshop in which participants will be guided through the process of creating a Cascading Book designed and instructed by Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder.

3:15 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
With Yosimar Reyes

A writing workshop in which students will explore cultural wealth and power. Collectively, students will have an opportunity to take inventory of the rich cultures they come from and build narratives of strength. The goal of this workshop is to honor the powerful legacies we come from and envision futures in which we thrive.

11 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
With Brandie June

Inspired by her retelling of the classic fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin, Gold Spun author Brandie June will instruct this workshop on how to create morally grey characters.

12:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Featuring Judy Polumbaum

Professor Emerita of Journalism & Mass Communication Judy Polumbaum discusses her photographer father Ted Polumbaum's legacy, drawing on a visual treasure trove from the pre-digital age that tracks the evolution of political imagery and protest photography in this country and abroad. She'll share photos from the days of the Kennedys and other politicians, 1964 Freedom Summer, the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign and the movement against the Vietnam War, as well as documentation of life and politics in India, Latin America and China. Ted’s life and work are the subject of Judy’s new book All Available Light (2021).

1:30 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
With Vanessa Riley

Barnes & Noble bestselling romance writer Vanessa Riley instructs this workshop on how to write about the hidden history of women.

9:00 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Keynote: Dr. Oriel María Siu

Dr. Oriel María Siu discusses the colonialism found in children’s literature while introducing her audience to Rebeldita the Fearless in Ogreland, and her newest book, Christopher the Ogre Cologre, It’s Over. Dr. Siu’s presentation will begin at 9:00am and continue until 10:00am when Dr. Siu will conduct a 15-minute book signing.

10:45 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Keynote: Sandra Cisneros

Sandra Cisneros will appear virtually as part of the NEA Big Read to discuss her legacy title The House on Mango Street to a live audience for 60 minutes, and will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A. The National Endowment for the Arts Big Read is designed to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. City of Las Vegas’ Office of Cultural Affairs is one of 70+ organizations nationwide to receive a grant to host an NEA Big Read project.

1:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

James Norman will present a 10-minute Keynote Address on his philosophy of art-as-commodity vs. art-as-spontaneous inspiration before presenting his 40-minute documentary film A Map to Nowhere: Or How to Become Poet Laureate of a Truckstop Diner. Norman will conduct a short Q&A after the film, before participating in a signing engagement.

2:30 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by Steve Sebelius; Featuring: Stephen Bates, Jonathan Rauch, and Christina Bellantoni

Advances in communication technology are transforming how journalists do their jobs. But the fundamental challenge to report the news with accuracy, depth and balance is the same today as it has been for decades. Las Vegas Review-Journal political editor Steve Sebelius will moderate a panel discussion featuring UNLV journalism professor Stephen Bates; Brookings Institution senior fellow and Atlantic contributing writer Jonathan Rauch; and University of Southern California Annenberg Media Center Director Christina Bellantoni.

4:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Keynote: Fran Lebowitz in conversation with Dayvid Figler

Fran Lebowitz will appear in conversation with Las Vegas opinion writer and criminal defense attorney Dayvid Figler. Lebowitz will conduct a 30-minute interview before taking to the microphone in a 1-hour audience Q&A in the Historic Fifth Street School Auditorium. Fran Lebowitz will conduct a 15-minute signing after the main event.

9:00 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by: Cyndy DeLeon; Featuring: Axie Oh, Brandie June, Veeda Bybee, Lindsay Leavitt, and Ken Lamug

Authors Axie Oh, Brandie June, Veeda Bybee, Lindsay Leavitt, and illustrator/author Ken Lamug discuss what inspires them to create their teen and young adult books, moderated by Las Vegas-based self-described “bookstagrammer” Cyndy DeLeon.

10:15 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by Sreshtha Sen; Featuring: Faylita Hicks and Mary South

In this live, under-the-tent event, Black Mountain Institute Fellows Faylita Hicks & Mary South sit in conversation about loss, reclamation, expressions of grief and rage, moderated by poet Sreshtha Sen. Faylita Hicks is the author of HoodWitch, winner of the 2020 Lambda Award for Bisexual Poetry and editor of Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review. Short-story stylist Mary South is the author of the award-winning collection, You Will Never Be Forgotten. Sreshtha Sen is a poet from Delhi, India and a founding editor of The Shoreline Review, an online journal for and by South Asian poets.

11:30 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Featuring Kendra Atleework and Victoria Blanco

Keen observers of nature, and engaging storytellers learn about the work and experiences of these two captivating authors. Kendra Atleework is the winner of the Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award, the 2021 Women Writing the West WILLA Literary Award in Creative Nonfiction, and 2021 pick for Nevada’s statewide books club, Nevada Reads. Victoria Blanco is a writer from El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, and is a recipient of a Fulbright Award, the 2018 Roxane Gay Fellowship in Creative Nonfiction for the Jack Jones Literary Arts writers' retreat, as well as a Fellow in the 2019 Culture, Too Conference, hosted by Jack Jones Literary Arts, and a Fellow in the 2017-2018 Loft Mentor Series. Her first book, Out of the Sierra, is forthcoming from Coffee House Press.

1:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by Crystal Perkins; Featuring Priscilla Oliveras, Farrah Rochon, Jayci Lee, and Sonali Dev

Authors will discuss what drew them to the Romance genre, and how to write stories readers connect with. This panel will feature authors Priscilla Oliveras, Farrah Rochon, Jayci Lee, and Sonali Dev, and will be moderated by Crystal Perkins.

2:45 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by Crystal Perkins; Featuring: Vanessa Riley, Jen DeLuca, and Naima Simone

Romance authors will discuss how they weave real-life struggles into their books while still giving their readers—and their characters—the love stories they desire. This panel will feature authors Vanessa Riley, Rachel Van Dyken, Jen DeLuca, and Naima Simone, and will be moderated by Crystal Perkins.

9:30 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by Scott Dickensheets; Featuring: Nicholas Russell, Summer Thomad, Soni Brown, and Jennifer Battisti

Journalists and other authors who attempt to write about Las Vegas in any elevated way tend to fall back on longstanding tropes: “city of second chances,” “city of bright lights.” This panel of talented emerging writers will explore new lenses through which to view the city. Participants are Nicholas Russell (Gawker), Summer Thomad (NPR’s Code Switch), Soni Brown (Black Mountain Radio), and Jennifer Battisti (the memoir Off Boulder Highway). Moderated by Scott Dickensheets.

10:45 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Featuring: Daniel Oppenheimer and David L. Ulin

Art critic and essayist Dave Hickey has been a controversial figure in the art world for 20 years — including a memorable tenure in Las Vegas. With a new critical study of his work and life, Far from Respectable, now in bookstores, its author, Daniel Oppenheimer, talks with prominent Los Angeles Times book critic David L. Ulin about Hickey’s influence and impact.

12:15 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by Geoff Schumacher; Featuring: Ken Layne, Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder, Teri Vela, and Krystal Ramirez

The Mojave Desert, the driest region of the United States, has long been a subject of inspiration for writers and artists. This panel discussion features an eclectic mix of creative individuals, led by Ken Layne, author of Desert Oracle, a collection of articles exploring Mojave places and people.

1:45 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Featuring: Yosimar Reyes

Mixing performance and personal narratives, Reyes takes us on a journey showcasing the complexities and joys of being an undocumented immigrant.

3:15 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder; Featuring: Sarah Maker, Mark Sarigianis, and Levi Sherman

Book artist and podcaster Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder will moderate a panel discussion including members of the book arts community that brings their niche conceptual works to an audience. The panel will include Sarah Maker, Mark Sarigianis, and Levi Sherman.

9:15 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderator: Ms. AyeVee
Poets: Smokey Tone, Petit Monstre, Wynter Storm, and Vanessa Latrice Williams

Blurring the lines between page and stage, Beyond the Neon features poems that were presented from spoken word artists during the exciting 2020 Beyond the Neon Poetry Slam season.

10:30 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Featuring: Jennifer Battisti and Heather Lang-Cassera

Join Las Vegas authors Jennifer Battisti and Heather Lang-Cassera as they read from their new books, Off Boulder Highway and Gathering Broken Light. This session will include a discussion on breaking free from conventional narrative forms to tell stories of grief, trauma, and collective experience.

11:45 AM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by Scott Dickensheets and Kathleen Kuo; Featuring: Angela M. Brommel, Rodney Lee, and Elizabeth Quiñones-Zaldaña

A lively discussion about the elements of this unique guidebook that was created to bring together poetry, art, science, reflection, and discoveries from engaging in the outdoor experience that is Nevada. Copies of the guide will be handed out as part of this discussion on a first come basis, while supplies last. Moderated by editors Scott Dickensheets and Kathleen Kuo with readings from: Angela M. Brommel, Rodney Lee, and Elizabeth Quiñones-Zaldaña.

1:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Moderated by: Maryjane Dorofachuk

High School students who live in Clark County, NV were invited to submit three original poems for the Spark! Youth Poetry Competition. The students will recite their poems in three rounds judged a panel of poets and educators to determine first, second, and third place. Awards will be presented after the final round.

5:00 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Author and podcaster Ken Layne will read from Desert Oracle Vol. 1, a compilation volume of his field guides to the American southwestern landscape featuring tales of murder, mystery, and monsters compiled from the first 5 years of the famed chronicle of the dirt wasteland

5:15 PM
Historic Fifth Street School
401 S 4th St, Las Vegas, NV 89101

Author, librarian and chef, Jen Nails joins 8th grade students from her writing club in an exhibition of reading that will culminate in a conversation with the writers regarding why they write, what inspires them, how a writing club works, why it is important to seek critique opportunities and how we can better understand the world and our place in it by sharing our writing.