For the second year, the Park City Library will take part in the annual statewide Utah Humanities Book Festival by hosting a full lineup of events this weekend.
The two-day program running Saturday and Sunday is focused on all-ages activities including creative workshops, a puppet show, book signings and author talks.
“Other places may do author talks and that’s it — we’re trying to build it out with hands-on workshops and activities for kids so families can be part of the whole process,” said Flor Santa Maria, the library’s Spanish services librarian.
She noted the library ran a month-long “Create Your Own Book Cover” contest leading into the festival. The results from will be on display at the library over the weekend.
Saturday starts at 9 a.m. with a Pie Breakfast and Banned Books open-mic, when guests can share some of their favorite lines from banned books. “Dive into stories that challenged norms and sparked debate,” the event details read. “It’s a great way to start a literature-inspired day, celebrating the power of words that some tried to silence.”
After last year’s opening event, “Favorite Lines and Pies,” was well received, Adult Services Librarian Riley Broach said the library decided to bring the event back, and this time, it will coincide with the upcoming National Banned Books Week, Oct. 5–11.
Following the open mic will be a slate of drop-in activities: book arts and a rare-books display from the University of Utah, a family craft zone, a local-author meet-and-greet, an intro to zine-making with Grid Zine Fest, a young writers workshop with Becca Lee Gardner and a noon puppet show, called “Moose on the Loose in the Library.”
In the afternoon, comics writer Doug Wagner will lead a “How to Graphic Novel” session at 1 p.m., followed by a 2-3 p.m. keynote with author Kevin Fedarko on his latest book, “A Walk in the Park.” (A 1 p.m. meet-and-greet with Fedarko is reserved for Friends of the Library members and donors.)
Sunday at noon, Torrey House Press, a Salt Lake City-based regional publisher whose authors explore the diversity of human experiences and relationships with place, will host “Publishing 101,” providing an inside look into the publishing process.
At 1 p.m., author Teow Lim Goh will discuss her book “Bitter Creek,” a lyric retelling of the West that confronts the legacy of the 1885 Rock Springs Massacre. At 2 p.m., Goh will join writer Kase Johnstun for “Immigration on the Pages,” a conversation about identity, belonging and the American dream.
“Johnston, who is the author of Castaway, has talked about struggling with the identity of being Latino while not necessarily looking like it or fully speaking the language, and that tension of people telling him he’s not Latino even though he very much is,” Santa Maria said. “His book discusses the American dream — what it looks like and how it’s presented — versus the reality and what society ‘casts away,’ which brings you to the title of his book.”
At 3 p.m, Dolly’s Bookstore will host a signing featuring the panelists’ titles.
The Park City Library’s festival weekend is the local finale to a slate of book events running Oct. 1–5 across Summit and Wasatch counties. Full descriptions and schedules are available on the library’s website and on the Utah Humanities calendar.