The Amelia Island Book Festival, held this year from February 28 to March 1, is a two-day event that welcomes book lovers from all over the country to share their lifelong love of books through an appreciation of reading and writing. But the festival has also become a strong force and presence on Amelia Island over the last 24 years, providing books, workshops, author talks, and other events throughout the year.
In 2001, the late Don Parker and his wife, Andrea, along with Joe and Joani Selement, had a genius idea. Why not combine the lure of books with Amelia Island’s spectacular location? As the idea caught on, they gathered supporters and founded a nonprofit organization to launch the first Amelia Island Book Festival.
Leveraging partnerships and community support through fundraising events, the festival continues to promote and celebrate the wonder of books while promoting literacy throughout the region, especially by providing books to young people in Nassau County. The festival is celebrating its 24th season, and this year is certain to be the best ever!
In September, the AIBF begins the festival year with a social event, where volunteers, members, donors, and sponsors learn more about the upcoming programs authors. They continue in November, which is National Family Literacy Month, with its Fall Literary Luncheon, bringing guests together to celebrate literacy with celebrity special guest authors that appeal to the whole family.
The Amelia Island Book Festival’s main event in February is a two-day happening for residents and visitors alike. It begins Friday, February 28 with their award-winning Authors In Schools program, in which they place a book in the hand of every student in Nassau County and invite the book’s author to visit with students in their own classroom or school auditorium. Authors are selected by the schools and include New York Times best-selling authors and award-winning authors of note. Each year, authors present to more than 13,000 students at Nassau County public and private schools.
The festival continues Friday at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island with their Featured Author Gala, which provides an opportunity to celebrate literacy by engaging with New York Times best-selling and award-winning authors while helping AIBF raise funds for their literacy programs. Previous featured authors have included John Grisham, David Baldacci, James Ponti, James Spooner, Kate Quinn, Scott Turow, and Jeanette Walls. The fun continues Saturday with an opportunity for authors to personally engage with readers and showcase their work. Authors offer lively breakout sessions to keep visitors engaged throughout a festive day of writing and literature.
NEW AIBF HONORARY CHAIRMAN KEVIN POWERS TAKES THE HELM FOR 2025
This year, the Amelia Island Book Festival is pleased to announce that award-winning author Kevin Powers has been chosen to be their Honorary Chairman. Powers, an American fiction writer, poet, and Iraq War veteran, penned the riveting novel The Yellow Birds in 2012, which drew on his experiences as a soldier serving in Iraq. His novel won the PEN/Hemmingway Award for Debut Novel and the Guardian First Book Award. The Yellow Birds was also shortlisted for the National Book Award and named one of the New York Times Magazine’s 10 favorite books of 2012.
“I was thrilled to be selected as the Honorary Chairman for this year’s Amelia Island Book Festival,” says Powers. “David Baldacci left big shoes to fill, but I was excited by the opportunity to help shape the list of featured authors and to contribute in a small way to the wonderful community we have on the island. We were able to bring an incredible group of best-selling and award-winning writers to the festival this year. I hope people are as excited as I am to meet them at the Gala dinner, and to hear them talk about their work and get their books signed at the festival on Saturday.”
Powers is joined by his wife, Kelly Powers, who is serving as Board President for 2025. The couple moved to Amelia Island because it reminded Kelly of her childhood in Westport, Connecticut, and they were eager to provide their twin daughters, Pauline and Louise, an environment similar to the one where she grew up. Kelly was first introduced to the AIBF when Kevin was featured as one of the celebrity authors in 2024, allowing them to experience the organization’s powerful impact in Nassau County firsthand.
While Kelly enjoys a rewarding career as a real estate agent with ONE Sotheby’s International Realty on Amelia Island, she remains passionate about supporting the arts and feels a responsibility to contribute to the strong sense of community she and her husband found on Amelia Island.
“With our own daughters now in third grade, we realize how crucial literacy is in predicting academic success,” says Kelly. “A child’s reading ability by the end of third grade can significantly influence their likelihood of graduating high school. This has made my involvement in the AIBF even more personal and meaningful.”
AUTHORS IN SCHOOLS PROGRAM RETURNS ON FEBRUARY 28
The AIBF’s Authors in Schools event will be held on February 28, after the program was paused for the 2023-24 school year. “We are excited to restart the AIBF Authors in Schools program in Nassau County this year,” says Agnes Lyden, Authors in Schools Committee Chair. “The festival committee has had the chance to redesign it to be more individualized for each school. In the past, the program has provided one book per student and the opportunity to participate in an interactive presentation with the author. With the redesign of the program, taking in feedback from the schools, district, and authors, we have adapted the program to make it more meaningful for the students and reduced program costs and excess. Both public and private schools are invited to participate in the program and we have expanded to offer a program to homeschooled students.”
“We selected 27 authors and 40 books to be read in the Nassau public schools, along with the secondary students at Faith Christian Academy, and our homeschooled students,” says Lyden. “We are thrilled to welcome back a few favorite authors, such as Robin Newman, Heather Macht, Sophia Gholz, Jane Wood, Elizabeth Randall, and Muriel Pritchett, and introduce new authors to the program.”
Some of the new authors participating this year are Melissa Dassori, Bethany Gano, JC Kato, Charles Jackson, Rosanne Kurstedt, and Shawn Henry.
FEATURED AUTHORS GALA AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, AMELIA ISLAND ON FEBRUARY 28
On Friday evening, February 28, the iconic AIBF Featured Authors Gala will be held at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island. The festival will feature nine renowned New York Times best-selling and award-winning authors, including Elliot Ackerman, Alafair Burke, S.A. Cosby, Loni Crittenden, Abbott Kahler, Angie Kim, Michael Koryta, George Pelecanos, and Shelley Read. David Baldacci will also attend the Saturday event, participating on a panel and signing books.
These authors will offer something for every reader, from young adult sci-fi to some of the best crime and mystery writers working today. Also featured are writers of powerful literary fiction, fascinating non-fiction, and gripping thrillers. The Gala will commence at 6 p.m. with an open bar cocktail reception with the authors and a Silent Auction, followed by a seated dinner and Live Auction. Following dinner will be an Author Discussion between Kevin Powers and George Pelecanos with audience Q&A. The evening will finish with an author Book Signing.
AUTHORS’ EXPO AND READERS’ EXTRAVAGANZA ON MARCH 1
The festival continues on Saturday, March 1 with the Authors’ Expo and Readers’ Extravaganza at Fernandina Beach Middle School from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a free event and the most prominent way for guests to take part in the festival, offering opportunities to engage with authors in an up-close and personal way as over 100 authors showcase and sell their books. In addition, Author Break-Out Sessions and Panel Discussions will be held throughout the day with the ten featured authors.
The Kids Zone will be expanded this year with a bounce house, Kona Ice snow cones, a reading rug, yard scrabble, story time, face painting, games, and prizes. In addition, local Olympian Poe Pinson and her dad, Kenny Pinson, will share their children’s book, Poey and Click, along with local author Lizzette Harris and her children’s book, Marcus Finds Fantastic Flavors. This is a family-friendly event and the AIBF encourages children of all ages to come out.
2025 AIBF SCHOLARSHIP AND SHORT STORY CONTEST
The festival closes with the Amelia Island Book Festival Scholarship and Short Story Contest. AIBF is proud to be able to offer three scholarships this year, The Betsy Odom Scholarship for $5,000, and two AIBF Scholarships, one for $3,000 and one for $2,000.
The Short Story Contest rewards cash prizes to the top three winners and honorable mentions. The top stories submitted will be published, and the student authors will receive copies of their published book. The Short Story Contest is open to both middle and high school Nassau County students.
Over the past 23 years, the AIBF has made a significant impact in Nassau County. They have invested over $2 million in Northeast Florida literacy; brought over 1,500 authors and over 100 New York Times best-selling authors to Amelia Island; distributed over 120,000 books to Nassau County students; reviewed over 1,400 student short story and scholarship submissions; published over 400 short stories; and awarded annual college scholarships.
The AIBF’s Marketing Director, Nicole York, was pleased to join the AIBF organization staff for another year. “We have many new board members this year, and it’s exciting to hear new ideas and concepts to help move our festival forward,” says York. “This year, we’re working to build alliances with other literary-based organizations who share our commitment to literacy. We’re making the festival more community-oriented and accessible to everyone.”
Leveraging partnerships and community support through fundraising events, AIBF continues to promote and celebrate the wonder of books while promoting literacy throughout the region. For more information about the weekend events, to learn more about the authors, for volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, and to purchase tickets to the Gala, visit www.ameliaislandbookfestival.org.