The Bay Area Book Fest began in 2015 as a family-friendly literary weekend that’s walkable, spanning ten square blocks in the arts district (between Shattuck & Milvia) + about a dozen indoor venues (like the David Brower Center) and outdoor areas including Civic Center Park adorned with giant inflated trees + stages for kid & teen events.

Lacuna

One outstanding feature of this book fest is Lacuna (a blank space or missing part) – a giant piece of functional installation art designed by Flux Foundation: an outdoor library erected entirely from 50,000 books (albeit some are tatty old library discards) that any of the 50,000 bookworms sauntering past can take for free! It’s a Bay Area book-free-for-all.

Writer’s Row & Maker’s Lane

Maxine Hong Kingston (The Woman Warrior and China Men), young-adult author Judy Blume (fame for titles like menstruation and masturbation) and Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) have all been featured keynote guests. Panels & presentations range from the legacy of naturalist John Muir to the do’s and don’ts of cookbook writing, plus a bit about the perks of self-publishing for Writer’s Row & Maker’s Lane fans.

Edible Brainfood

Hungry bookworms can snack on edible brain-food, including Californian vegetarian treats, from stalls & trucks that line the streets, or sit & sip and read at the summer Beer & Wine Gardens in sunny Berkeley California.

BABF is a weekend Bay Area Book Free-for-all for bookworms in Berkeley!