Due to inclement weather, the New Providence Book Festival will take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, 10 AM – 4 PM. Revised details to come.

Saturday, September 26th:

11:00 AM – Robert Desando, “New Jersey-Titanic Connection”
When the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic in 1912, it was one of the deadliest
maritime disasters in history. Historian Robert Desando, author of A Titanic Loss
For New Jersey will share how this catastrophe had terrible consequences, both
personal and economic, for New Jersey.

12:00 Noon – “Ask the Authors” Panel

● Leonard Apa, author of Introducing the Scarlet Scrapper
● Susen Edwards, author of What a Trip, Lookin’ for Love, and Forgiveness
● Suzanne Trauth, author of the Dodie O’Dell mystery series
● Carol Van Den Hende, author of the Goodbye, Orchid series

1:00 PM – Spoken Word Open Mic Event
Any attendee may read their written work, including fi ction, poetry, or essays. All
readings must be “family friendly,” with a time limit of six minutes. Interested
“readers” may sign up on the day of the event on a first-come, fi rst-served basis

The New Providence Book Festival will be on Saturday, September 26, 2026, which will once again be on the grounds of the Salt Box Museum at 1350 Springfield Avenue in New Providence, NJ 07974. The rain date is October 3rd.

Our objective is to make this year’s festival reach new heights! We’re going to include an “open mike” event, where people may sign up to read their own writing, whether published or not. So, many volunteers will be needed. If you are interested in volunteering, please go to our Contact page.

The Salt Box Museum, the site of the festival, is operated by the New Providence Historical Society and will be open for tours, free of charge. Refreshments will be available on the grounds.

The festival opens at 9 AM, with author signings throughout the day.

10:00 AM – Children’s Storytime

• Sue Steinhardt, Imperfect Phil
• Danielle Willmott, Sampson the Square

11:00 AM – Susen Edwards, “Turning Your Memoir into Fiction”

Does your memoir needs a little “pizzazz”? Concerned with protecting the
identities of real people? Or are you faced with the challenge of reliving a past
trauma? Get ideas on how to transform your memoir into fiction by adapting
real-life experiences while maintaining the essence of the original story.

12:00 Noon – “Ask the Authors” Panel

• D.M. Barr, author of several suspense novels
• Ted DelGrosso, author of the Ted’s Tales series of anthologies
• Michael Penncavige, author of various short stories and novels

1:00 PM – Spoken Word Open Mic Event

Any attendee may read their written work, including fiction, poetry, or essays. All
readings must be “family friendly,” with a time limit of six minutes. Interested
“readers” may sign up on the day of the event on a first-come, first-served basis

We hope you all have a great time. See you there!

• At 10:00 AM, during the children’s storytime, Sue Steinhardt will read from her children’s series, ImperfectPhil is a Friend.

• At 11:00 AM, Pamela Hegarty will talk about “Finding Your Inner Hero” and read from and discuss her new novel Jo Moonstone and the Atlantis Diamond.

• At 12:00 Noon, novelist Michelle Cameron will lead an “Ask the Author” Panel. Joining her will be Susen Edwards, Michael Stephen Daigle and J.M. Adams.

• At 1:00 PM, Dr. Peter Lubrecht will share the history of Carl Schurz, the German immigrant who became a reformer, ambassador, Civil War general, US senator and Secretary of the Interior. As a newspaper editorial writer, Schurz was instrumental in abolishing slavery.

The date of September 21, 2024 has been set for the sixth New Providence Book Festival, which will once again be on the grounds of the Salt Box Museum at 1350 Springfield Avenue in New Providence, NJ 07974.

Our objective is to make this this year’s festival reach new heights! So, many volunteers will be needed. If you are interested in volunteering, please go to our Contact page.

• Book Signings
• Author Talks & Readings
• Free Museum Tours
• Bake Sale Goodies

Due to inclement weather, the New Providence Book Festival is being postponed to it rain date of Sunday, October 1st. (We’re importing some sunshine.) Please check back with this website to see any other changes. We thank all participants for their patience.

Below are the authors set to speak at the New Providence Book Festival on the grounds of the Salt Box Museum on Sunday, October 1, 2023:

10:00 AM – Children’s Story Hour
● Susen Edwards, Dr. Whisper and Nurse Willow
● Patricia Paradiso, Iggy’s Second Chance

11:00 AM – Mally Becker
“Bringing the Past to Life One Spy, Mystery and Murder at a Time”

12:00 Noon – Elissa Matthews
“Three Kinds of Historical Fiction – Which One Calls to You?”

1:00 PM – Susen Edwards
“Writing Your Own Memoir”

2:00 PM – J.R. Bale
“Turning the Voices in My Head into Novels”