BookFest Links

BookFest Celebrates Reading And Writing

BookFest is an annual celebration of reading and writing that brings hundreds of middle school students and teachers to the NKU campus every spring. During the one-day event, students get the opportunity to:

• Meet an author
• Discuss books they have read
• Participate in workshops with experts on literary themes
• Win awards and receive recognition for their accomplishments in reading and writing

Bookfest exists because of the vision and generosity of Dr. Robert Collier, Professor Emeritus of English at NKU. He has donated thousands of dollars to fund the annual event as a memorial to his wife, Barbara M. Collier.

BookFest was born in 2001 when a group of middle school and high school language arts teachers in Northern Kentucky, along with college English professors, decided to create a special day for middle school students to celebrate reading and writing.

The NKU English Department now co-sponsors the event in conjunction with the Journalism Division of the Communication Department.

Students are required to read selected books before attending BookFest. When they come to the NKU campus, the students participate in competitions and workshops about their readings to win prizes and, most of all, have fun while learning.

BookFest winners are determined by:

• Ability to recall information from the books on the required list
• Ability to write on deadline
• Level of writing skills
• Creative imagination shown through their writing