The steering committee for the upcoming 53rd annual Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book
Festival regretfully informs you that the festival and all associated activities are
cancelled.
Out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of festival participants, the committee
made the decision to cancel the festival due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
No participants have been diagnosed with COVID-19, nor are they showing symptoms;
however, a number of speakers and participants have indicated that they will be unable
to travel to the festival.
We understand this is a major inconvenience to festival-goers and a loss to the City
of Hattiesburg from an economic and tourism standpoint, but the health and safety
of all involved is being prioritized. We hope all of those who are impacted by this
cancellation will understand and respect this decision.
Mark your calendars- the dates for the 53rd Annual Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book
Festival are
April 1-3, 2020. Make plans now to join us to celebrate 2020 Southern Miss Medallion winner
Rita Williams-Garcia! Additional keynotes include
Matthew Cordell,
Michael Fry,
Sonia Manzano,
Megan McDonald,
Daniel José Older,
Jason Reynolds, and Ezra Jack Keats Lecturer
Randy Testa. More announcements soon!
The Festival is proud to host the Ezra Jack Keats Awards and The Magnolia Book Awards.
Be sure to sign up for our listserv for book festival info via email and like the Festival on Facebook to get all the latest Kaigler Festival news.
The conference is held each spring at the Thad Cochran Center on the University of
Southern Mississippi campus in Hattiesburg, MS. Map of the Southern Miss campus.
Each year, more than 400 teachers and librarians from across the nation come to the
University of Southern Mississippi to hear major speakers and participate in concurrent
sessions and workshops as authors, illustrators, and experts in the field share their
knowledge and experience. CEUs are available for Mississippi educators.