ASTORIA — A free outdoor festival on Sunday will celebrate Queens' writing scene with talks and readings from more than 100 authors.
The inaugural Queens Book Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Kaufman Astoria Studios' backlot, on 36th Street and 35th Avenue, aiming to promote children's literacy and highlight the writers who call Queens home, director Johanne Civil said.
"We have so many talented writers here, it's incredible," said Civil, who's been organizing reading series and literary events for kids in the borough for the last several years.
"This is something that will enrich the entire community, the entire borough."
The festival was first slated to take place at Citi Field, but moved to the smaller venue due to a lack of funding. However, Civil said the schedule will be just as jam-packed as organizers originally planned.
It will feature more than a dozen workshops and panel discussions, including talks on censorship, publishing, the future of comics, and on the representation of different cultures and LGBTQ communities in literature.
Separate stages will be set up for panels relating to the young adult genre as well as culinary writing, plus a separate tent for kids featuring storytelling, face painting, crafts and music activities from the Little Orchestra Society.
Other events include a poetry open mic from 2 to 5 p.m., food vendors, booksellers and "giveaways like crazy," Civil said.
A full schedule of events and a list of participating authors can be found on the Queens Book Festival website.
Civil hopes to host the event again next year, but said it will depend on whether or not organizers will be able to raise enough funds through donations from the community.
"Fundraising has been very difficult for us," she said. "We're hoping that once everyone has an opportunity to experience and see the first festival, they'll understand the purpose and they’ll start stepping up."
