One of the awesome things about living at Amelia National Golf & Country Club is the preponderance of fun things to do at home and away, and the Amelia Island Book Festival is one you don’t want to miss.
The annual Amelia Island Book Festival is one of those events. It happens each February in Amelia National’s historic hometown of Fernandina Beach and other Nassau County locations, and Amelia National residents are only minutes from all the literary fun.
Local, regional and best-selling authors in all genres of fiction and nonfiction will visit Amelia Island on Friday, February 23, and Saturday, February 24 have fun with festival attendees. Expect a gala dinner, meet-and-greets and book signings. Many authors also will visit Nassau County schools on Friday to present their books and interact with students.
Read on for more on how to enjoy the Amelia Island Book Festival.
What it is
The Amelia Island Book Festival was founded in 2001 by a quartet of local residents. The organization’s goal then, as now, is to foster literacy and an appreciation of reading for children and adults throughout Nassau County.
Given the beauty of this slice of northeastern Florida, and its reputation as a top resort destinations, Amelia National’s hometown and surrounding environs make it an appealing locale for a special event. Especially one that lures some famous authors!
What happens
The Amelia Island Book Festival kicks off in the fall with a celebrity author luncheon that sets the stage for February’s two-day festival. The most recent celebrity author luncheon featured Orlando resident and New York Times and USA Today best-seller Kristin Harmel.
The festival begins on a February Friday, first with authors visiting Nassau County schools, then with a dinner gala spotlighting those celebrity authors and a live auction that benefits the festival’s Authors in Schools Literary Program. The gala is open to the public; grab tickets here.
On Saturday, the festival’s Authors Expo and Readers’ Extravaganza takes place at Fernandina Beach Middle School. Visit with more than 90 authors in seminars, fun contests, breakout discussion sessions, book fairs and signings, and more.
Can’t attend this year’s Amelia Island Book Festival? Missed it, perhaps? No worries. There are other ways Amelia National residents can support literary endeavors.
Guide the rising Nassau County high school senior(s) you know toward the Amelia Island Book Festival’s annual scholarship program, or short story contest. Support the One Book, One Community Author’s Discussion in April. Or, the year-round guest reader program in Nassau County schools.
Patronize local bookstores throughout Nassau County. And, Amelia National residents can organize their own book clubs right in their community
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