Authors Angela LaCarruba, Nadja Springer and JoAnn Jackvino will be reading their books during the Children’s Reading Hour at the New Providence Book Festival on Saturday, September 18th at 10 AM.

Angela LaCarruba will read from Dancing with the Truth. Jake LoSanto is making his professional ballet debut with the Imperial Dance Company in New York City. This is an exceptional accomplishment for a ten-year-old boy, but he tells no one outside his family as he fears that he will be bullied for his ballet dancing. Jake finds that hiding the truth leads him to other lies that turn him into a person he doesn’t like. In protecting himself from the possibility of bullying, he loses who he really is and finds he has the ability to hurt others.

Nadja Springer will read from The Big Adventures of a Little Tree. If no tree has ever tried to set out and explore – is it even possible at all? In a world, where everyone dreams about possibilities, Tree gets up and lives them. Tree’s curiosity about the unknown, the power of friendship and love, and an open heart come together to make the impossible possible! An adventure awaits in this story of a little tree who changes its mindset and shows how kindness, inclusion and an open heart will make all the difference. 

JoAnn Jackovino will The Tale of Benjamin Bulldog: Be a Buddy, Not a Bully. This is a charming tale about a small, friendly bulldog named Benjamin, who is secretly bullied by his next-door-neighbor, Duke Bulldog. With the help of his friends, Prince Bulldog, and Humphrey the Magic Frog, Benjamin learns how to end the bullying, and Duke learns the importance of being kind to others.

In addition to our Children’s Reading Hour, we will have other speakers, 15  authors signing their books, a bake sale and free tours of the Salt Box Museum.

Due to the uncertainty of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the New Providence Book Festival is cancelled for 2020.  We hope to return  stronger and better than ever in 2021.

There has been some discussion of having a virtual book festival, but no definite plans have been set. Check back and keep reading!

Once again we will be having the New Providence Book Festival for book lovers of all types. The festival will be on Saturday, September 19, 2020, 9 AM – 3 PM, on the grounds of the Salt Box Museum.

This will be the fourth year the festival will be held. This event will include speakers, author signings and refreshments. More details will appear on this website in the coming months.

We are looking for authors, sponsors and other supporters.

Our roster of exciting author talks for Sunday, September 22nd have been locked in.

12:00 Noon – Lisa Romeo
Lisa will read from her book, Starting With Goodbye: A Daughter’s Memoir of Love after Loss, and give tips and advice for writing memoir.

1:00 PM – Elissa Matthews
Where do Writers Get Their Ideas?
Our favorite writers are always coming up with new and intriguing ideas, whether it’s an intriguing mystery that just doesn’t turn out the way you expected, to a wonderful new twist on an old fairy tale. In this talk I will review some of the responses that different authors have given to this question (“a post office box in Schenectady”), and what those answers all have in common.

2:00 PM – David Watts
From ‘Just the Facts, Ma’am’ to Author
Real-life private investigator David Watts will chronicle his journey from being a Plainfield policeman and detective to writing a memoir, and then two novels.

In addition to our three speakers, 13 other authors will be available to sign their books and speak with readers, including Bert Abbazia, J.R. Bale, Linda Barth, Robert Ciampi, Michael Stephen Daigle, Reyna Favis, Vivian Fransen, Kerry Gans, Kristina Garlick, Laura Kaighn,  Bob Mayers and Jenn Stroud Rossmann.

UPDATE: This year’s author lineup includes a range of authors and genres, fiction and non-fiction: Bert Abbazia, J.R. Bale, Linda Barth, Michael Stephen Daigle, Reyna Favis, Vivian Fransen, Kerry Gans, Kristina Garlick, Laura Kaighn, Elissa Matthews, Bob Mayers, Lisa Romeo, Jenn Stroud Rossmann and David Watts. We expect a few more authors to be added to the list, so please check back here for addition announcements.

We are also pleased to announce Lantern Hill has agreed to be our Platinum Level Sponsor. And we so appreciate their support of the community. Two Gold Level sponsorships remain available.

The date of the third annual New Providence Book Festival has been set for Sunday, September 22, 2019. The festival will once again be hosted by the Salt Box Museum, at 1350 Springfield Avenue, New Providence, NJ. Stop by again soon for updates.

The author/speakers for the New Providence Book Festival on September 22, 2018 has been finalized and can be viewed below:

10:00 – Ginger Pate, reading from her book, Would You Invite a Skunk to Your Wedding?

10:30 – Laura Kaighn, reading from her book, Rabbit’s Tale and Other Rites of Passage

11:00 – Reyna Favis “Search & Rescue Dogs and How It Lead to a Supernatural Thriller” (A search & rescue demonstration will be included.)

12:00 – Amy M. Reade “Location, Location, Location: Setting the Stage for an Exciting Novel”

1:00 – Bob Mayers on his recent book, Revolutionary New Jersey: Forgotten: Towns and Crossroads of the American Revolution

2:00 – Authors Roundtable: “We Love Books!”
with Vivian Fransen, Michael Stephen Daigle, and Linda Raedisch

Participating Authors

Based on the success of last year’s event, a second New Providence Book Festival has been scheduled for Saturday, September 22, 2018. We plan to have even more authors this year. The festival will once again take place on the grounds of the Salt Box Museum at 1350 Springfield Avenue in New Providence. The rain date is September 29th.

So far, scheduled authors include J.R. Bale, Linda Barth, Michael Stephen Daigle, Reyna Favis, Vivian Fransen, Kristina Garlick, Laura Kaighn, Bob Mayers, Brian McKinley, Ginger Pate, Bill Powers, Linda Raedisch and Amy Reade. Some of these authors are new to the festival. Others are familiar names  bringing their newest works. Either way, it’s going to be an exciting festival.

We’ve received wonderful feedback from many of you about the festival. See comments below.

“The New Providence Book Festival is a new and exciting event!  I had no idea that there are so many amazing published authors in our area.  This was a great event to meet writers, learn about the writing process and buy early holiday gifts!”

— Jamie Baer Peterson, visitor

“The New Providence Book Festival was the perfect combination of reading, community and friendship.  The panel events were engaging and the sales were great.  The event was top notch!”

— Mary Carlomagno, author
marycarlomagno.com

“From my perspective as a local author, the New Providence Book Fair that was held Sept 16, 2017 at the Salt Box Museum was a smashing success. The location was perfect for a small book fair, as there was a constant flow of foot traffic and most important a constant flow of readers and book lovers. If there is a repeat next year – I’m in!”

— Bill Powers, author
authorbillpowers.com

“The New Providence Book Festival was a fabulous event, attracting many residents. The authors enjoyed meeting visitors and talking about their books in a lovely outdoor setting.”

— Linda J. Barth, author
www.lindajbarth.com

“What a delight! The New Providence Book Festival had something for everyone. A diverse collection of literary genres from authors with fresh, new voices.”

— Reyna Favis, author
www.reynafavis.com

“It was great to get to meet actual authors and ask them questions.”

— Michael Baldwin, visitor

The final phase of preparations are underway. The banners are ready, the furniture delivered. Baked goods with amazing aromas are coming out of the oven. People are getting excited.

Are you a book lover? Do you like talking to authors. Do you love  good historical museum? If so, see you at the Salt Box Museum tomorrow!