Crowds at the Tucson Festival of Books on the UA campus.
The Buzz for March 14, 2025
In recent years, one of the markers of the start of spring has been a blossoming of white tents on the University of Arizona mall.
Those tents are the first sign most Tucsonans see of what eventually culminates in a multi-day event that celebrates literature with more than 130,000 visitors expected, according to Tucson Festival of Books Executive Director Abra McAndrew.
"It's not just about books, although, of course, there's plenty of books for sale and plenty of authors to meet and get your books signed and hear what they have to say about their books and how they came up with their ideas and what it means for our society right now. But there's also the hands-on activities in the children's area, the book giveaway for teens and for children, the Science City interactive activities. And then all the exhibitors. We have 290 something exhibitors this year," she said.
McAndrew said that the authors who appear are picked by a committee of community members, but they do have to meet certain criteria.
"They have to have a book within the last year or so, pretty close to that. Published by one of the publishers that the University of Arizona Campus Store can purchase their books so that we can have them available for the public that weekend so that they can be signed. And they have to just be of interest right to the community. And of course, they have to be willing to come to Tucson. It's a little bit off the beaten path for a lot of these authors. Many of them haven't been here," she said.
One of this year's authors is Adiba Nelson, a longtime Tucsonan and an occasional contributor to AZPM's Arizona Spotlight. She said she regularly attends TFOB and this is her second time taking part as an author.
She plans to bring plenty of water when she does her panel and will make sure she's familiar with the other author's books. One thing she will not do is over-prepare what she will say in response to the pre-written questions she has been sent.
"For me, I never like to walk into these things pre-rehearsed. I can't give you my authentic self. So I might flub things, I might say things and be like, wait what? I'll fix it later. But for me, it's really about getting ready to connect with an audience, that give and take, the back and forth with the energy. It's just preparing yourself for that," she said.
Nelson said the book she will be talking about, "Oshún and Me: A Story of Love and Braids," feels relevant today because it is about understanding other cultures.
"That is so important nowadays, especially in this day and time that we're living in, to know as much as we can about the people that live next door to us, about the people in the country next door to us. You know, at some point everything is going to touch us. So why not be educated? Why not learn as much as you can? Why not see the humanity in your neighbor? And if that comes through a children's book, so be it."
Among those in the crowds that flock to the speaking events will be Holly Bonassi, a Phoenix-area school administrator who travels down for the event every year. She finds it entertaining to see the connection between an author and their work.
"I feel like the authors that I've met and listened to and have read their books, it's very fitting that that's what they've done. I think about the fact that you kind of lose part of yourself into your books. I'd be fascinated to find that author who is so different from what they write. But I haven't really seen that yet, because it's like, you listen to him, like, 'Yep, I can see why, why you wrote the way you wrote, or why you wrote what you wrote.'"
Bonassi, who previously taught high school English, said her trips to the festival are an escape from her work life, though it does creep in.
"I don't necessarily see it as professional. It's definitely an escape for me. But there's always an element that I'm always hyper-analyzing everything, just like I always taught my kids. And I'm always looking at conflict and setting and tone and theme and illusion, every single literary element."
The event brings plenty of concerns about traffic and parking. While the event is free to the public, the University of Arizona charges for parking in its garages, though surface lots are open and free of charge.
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