2025 Festival Kickoff: Highlights from The Book Day

Author Ted Meyer reading his latest work at the 2025 Book Day event. Photo by Julie Laflamme.

The 2025 festival’s official activation took place Sunday, May 18 during The Book Day, a special event held at Kitchen in the Desert in collaboration with the Desert Writer’s Guild, Mojave Sage Writers association, Brown Bag Books, Desert General, and Caddis Eye Appliances.

The Book Day brought together over 30 local authors, poets, and book lovers—including Cindy Rinne, Francis Moss, Donna Tomlinson, John Sierpinski, Rose Baldwin, Greg Gilbert, Mike Vail, Cheryl Montelle, Jardine Libaire, Ted Meyer, Brian Townsley, and Ruth Nolan—all of whom will be featured at the festival this fall. Local musical duo Sister John Angela closed out the afternoon with a live set, blending folk, blues, and their signature "desert jazz" sound to a captivated audience.