It takes a multitude of volunteers to put on the literary lawn party known as the Mississippi Book Festival.
Scheduled from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sept. 14 inside and outside of the Mississippi State Capitol and at nearby Galloway United Methodist Church, the festival that is free draws distinguished authors, booksellers and booklovers who unite for the one-day event to celebrate their love of the written word.
Over the last 10 years, the festival has featured 1,000 authors, hosted nearly 50,000 day-of attendees, and reached more than 44,000 students.
About 400 volunteers are expected to play a vital role at the upcoming festival by offering directions and answering questions, helping ensure panels with authors stay on schedule and filling other jobs as they come up.
“Our festival runs on volunteers, and we couldn’t do it without them,” said Rebecca Hardy, volunteer coordinator for the festival that is in its tenth year.
“We plan year-round but the week of the book festival we’re appreciative of the youth and adult volunteers who help make it happen.”
Jennifer Boone of Jackson, a registered nurse, is among faithful volunteers who give their time to make sure the event runs smoothly. In past years, she has helped out in the festival merchandise tent where she’s sold T-shirts and other items commemorating the event.
“I enjoy being part of the excitement and seeing how much the festival has grown,” she said.
This year, Boone will be a volunteer at the tent that will feature authors who are discussion panels. “I’m looking forward to that,” said Boone, who also volunteers with the McCoy House Extended Care for Women and before the global pandemic, used her spare time to read to children in the after school program at Stewpot Community Services, an experience that grew her interest in literacy.
There’s still time to sign up to become a volunteer and a selection of various tasks available for volunteers to do, she said. Volunteer opportunities begin on Sept. 11 and continue through Sept. 15.
The best way to sign up is on the Mississippi Book Festival website (msbookfestival.com), which lists the various tasks for the three-hour shifts. An adult must accompany anyone under age 18 who wants to volunteer.
A volunteer may sign up for one shift and enjoy the rest of the festival after providing service or may choose to work several shifts, Hardy said.
On the day of the festival, each volunteer will receive at the volunteer hub a festival T-shirt and lanyard that gets a volunteer over age 18 in the Hot Fest Cool Down, the post-festival party at Hal & Mal’s in Jackson.
The Book Festival will move into the Capitol on Sept. 9 and opportunities for volunteers to help such as sorting signage and building goodie bags will get under way on Sept. 11.
Volunteers will be needed inside the Capitol to direct festivalgoers to rooms where panel discussions are held, to help ensure the rooms are at maximum capacity and to help keep the festival on schedule, she said.
Volunteers will also be needed at the dining tent, which is on the Capitol grounds and where festivalgoers can sit down, enjoy something to drink or lunch.
“A volunteer may be helping someone whose hands are full, or tidying chairs or picking up a napkin that blows away,” she said. “It’s a good spot for someone who’s friendly.”
The day after the festival there will be a need for volunteers to help take items back to the festival office and to return items that have been borrowed, Hardy said. “Sunday is a clean up day but it’s not a dirty clean up but taking care of final tasks that need to be done,” she said.
The festival celebrates the love of Mississippi, books and writers and volunteers understand its greater good, Hardy said. “They recognize they are part of a community of people who bring together book lovers and support our state in a way that’s unique,” she said.
Authors at this year’s festival will include Kate DiCamillo with “The Puppets of Spelhorst” and Angie Thomas with “Nic Blake and the Remarkables,” their latest books for young readers. Erik Larson will return to Jackson with his forthcoming book, “The Demon of Unrest.”
Sebastian Junger will present his most personal work, “In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face to Face with the Idea of an Afterlife.” Aimee Nezhukumatathil will return with her soon-to-be-published “Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees.”
Poet and novelist Kaveh Akbar will join the festival for the first time with his bestselling debut novel, “Martyr!”. Rachel Khong will feature her newest novel, the generational family saga “Real Americans.” Mississippi Book Festival alum Ron Rash will present his latest novel, “The Caretaker.” Historian and scholar Grace Elizabeth Hale will be at the festival with her most challenging research assignment yet, “In the Pines,” and Maurice Carlos Ruffin will return to the festival with his new historical novel, “The American Daughters.”
Additional authors and more information about the festival can be found on the event website.
Mikayla O. Faulkner of Jackson, who will volunteer for the first time at the festival, said she attended the festival last time and decided she wanted to help. She hopes to catch some contemporary authors speak since she typically reads works by writers such as Edgar Allan Poe.
“I’m interested in any of the writers who will be speaking,” said Faulkner, a music and art teacher.
