About The
Amelia Island Book Festival
Vision:
We are dedicated to improving literacy skills in children and adults throughout Northeast Florida.
Mission:
To enhance the overall life skills of Northeast Florida children and adults by generating a lifelong love of books through an appreciation of reading, writing, and authors.
Amelia Island Book Festival engages young people and adults in the joy of reading and writing through a series of public events featuring New York Times best-selling authors, independent publishers, awards programs and workshops. These events attract thousands of people for learning, entertainment, and the excitement of seeing and meeting some of the most remarkable and provocative authors of the times.​
The Events and Festival:
In September, we start the Festival Year with a Kick-off Social where volunteers, members, donors, sponsors and learn more about the upcoming programs Authors.
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We continue in November (National Family Literacy Month) with a Celebrity Author Luncheon, bringing guests together to celebrate literacy with Celebrity special guest Authors that appeal to the whole family.
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Our February Festival is a two-day event for residents and visitors alike that runs in mid-February on a Friday and Saturday. It begins with our award-winning Authors In Schools program where we put a book in the hand of every student in Nassau County, Florida, and also place the book’s author right in front of 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.
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The Festival continues with our Celebrity Author Gala, a chance to celebrate literacy by engaging with New York Times Best-Selling & Award-Winning Authors and helping AIBF raise funds for our literacy programs.
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The Festival continues on Saturday with our Authors' Expo and Readers' Extravaganza, an opportunity for authors to personally engage with readers and showcase their work. Celebrity Authors present during lively breakout sessions to keep visitors engaged throughout a festive day of writing and literature.
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Applications for our Authors in Schools and Authors' Expo and Readers' Extravaganza programs open for registration in July and fill up in the fall. If you are interested in these programs, please visit our site during the Summer and make application to one or both of these programs.
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Leveraging partnerships and community support through fundraising events, AIBF continues to promote and celebrate the wonder of books while promoting literacy throughout the region including our Short Story Writing contest, Scholarship contest, and other community events.​
History:
In 2001, the late Don Parker, his wife Andrea; and Joe and Joani Selement, had a genius idea. Why not combine the lure of books with our spectacular location? As the idea caught on, they gathered supporters and founded a nonprofit organization to launch the first Amelia Book Island Festival.
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