ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Kerrytown Bookfest may be canceled this year but that doesn’t mean you have to give up celebrating Ann Arbor’s book-loving culture.
Typically held in September, the annual festival draws large crowds, vendors, bibliophiles, and locally and nationally known authors to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market.
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This year, organizers canceled the Kerrytown Bookfest for the third year in a row. In 2021 and 2020, the festival was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It was on hiatus in 2019 due to financial pressures and a lack of volunteers.
Here are four ways bibliophiles can still celebrate:
TAKE A BOOKSTORE TOUR
There’s nothing quite like the smell of old books. Spend a day visiting all of Tree Town’s indie bookstores. Browse used books, antique collections, shelves of comins or new publications at stores all around the city.
Not sure where to go? Ann Arbor Book Society has put together a map of A2′s indie bookstores. Check it out here.
Read: Ann Arbor Book Society hopes to turn Ann Arbor into a bibliophiles paradise!
BUY LOCAL
While touring the bookstores, snatch up a couple of novels for your personal library. Ask for personalized recommendations, chat with other book lovers and discover what others are reading.
Like other businesses, A2′s bookstores were hit hard by the ongoing pandemic. Through buying at indie stores, you support an Ann Arbor business and the local economy. Most shops offer ways for patrons to safety shop in-person or online.
Read: Ann Arbor’s Dawn Treader Book Shop uses GoFundMe to keep 45-year-old store afloat
READ ABOUT A2
Want to know more about Tree Town? Visit Ann Arbor through the pages of books exploring its history, crime, people and food.
Borrow these books from the Ann Arbor District Library:
- Iconic Restaurants of Ann Arbor by Jon Milan
- Wicked Ann Arbor by James Thomas Mann
- Ann Arbor Area Ghosts by Mimi Uptergrove
- Legendary Locals of Ann Arbor, Michigan by Susan L Nenadic
- The Book of Ann Arbor: an Extremely Serious History Book by Rich Retyi
- Ann Arbor Beer: a Hoppy History of Tree Town Brewing by David Bardallis
- Ann Arbor in the 20th Century: a Photographic History by Grace Shackman
ATTEND AN AUTHOR EVENT
Whether in-person or online, Ann Arbor’s independent bookstores always have a schedule of author’s events ready for local bibliophiles. Watch an author talk through Literati’s online Literati At Home series, which has hosted over 350 authors, or check out a schedule of virtual events at Nicola’s Books.