Gaithersburg Book Festival turns the page on year 17
More than 120 authors, free workshops and family-friendly activities are set for Saturday at Bohrer Park
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Jacqueline KalilMay 14, 2026 11:33 a.m. | Updated: May 14, 2026 11:40 a.m.
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The Gaithersburg Book Festival returns Saturday to Bohrer Park at Summit Hall Farm with more than 120 authors, writing workshops, family friendly activities – and a pair of 125-year-old underwear.
The latter is a prop that Rockville author and Montgomery County Public Schools teacher Jonathan Roth plans to show when he takes the stage to discuss his children’s book, “Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars.”
“It’s an amazing true story about how the Wright brothers, when they were inventing the airplane, they [used] a role of muslin that became the wing cloth of the flyer,” Roth told Bethesda Today. “… That kind of muslin was usually used to make underwear at the time, like women’s undergarments.”
Roth, 58, who teaches at Ashburton Elementary School in Bethesda, is the author of eight books for young readers including “Beep and Bob: Too Much Space” and “Rover and Speck: This Planet Rocks.”
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He is scheduled to appear at 11:15 a.m. at the Willa Cather Pavilion on a panel about space and life on Earth with former NASA astronaut-turned-writer Leland Melvin and Leonard S. Marcus.
“I go to a lot of book festivals,” Roth said. The Gaithersburg Book Festival is “one of the best ones in the country, for sure.”
The free festival, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., has become one of the region’s premier literary events, drawing nationally recognized authors and readers of all ages for a day of talks, panel discussions and book signings.
Gail Norris, a spokesperson for the festival, said in an email to Bethesda Today, “We’re looking forward to our 17th year, again bringing such a wide variety of award-winning and best-selling authors to Gaithersburg, and inspiring a love of books and the written word among attendees of all ages.”
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Norris noted several authors she is looking forward to seeing, including Rabih Alameddine, recent winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, who will discuss “The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother).” She also said the festival is excited to welcome back children’s author Erin Entrada Kelly, whose book “The Second Life of Ava Rivers” comes from one of only seven authors to have won the Newbery Medal twice in the award’s 103-year history.
Children’s and young adult programming will also feature major names including Newbery Medal-winning author Linda Sue Park, bestselling YA novelist Sarah Dessen, graphic novel creators John Patrick Green and Dave Roman, and author-illustrators Nick Bruel.
Also scheduled to appear is former MCPS teacher Sara Goodman Confino of Rockville, whose latest novel, “Good Grief,” tells the story of two women navigating grief and finding love again set in the 1960s. In a 2024 interview with Bethesda Today, Confino said she’s always drawn from her life when writing her novels, which is why some of her books, including “Behind Every Good Man,” are based in Montgomery County. She is scheduled to speak at 12:15 p.m. at the Gertrude Stein Pavilion.
Another author with Montgomery County ties who will be participating is Jason Green. He will discuss his book “Too Precious to Lose: A Memoir of Family, Community, and Possibility,” which explores themes of faith, race, democracy and public service through his experiences and his family’s history in a once-thriving Black community in Maryland. The author splits his time between Maryland and Dallas and last spoke with Bethesda Today in 2021 for his work as the chair of the Montgomery County Remembrance and Reconciliation Commission. He is scheduled to appear at 3:15 p.m. at the Gertrude Stein Pavilion.
Peter Cozzens will discuss his new book, “Deadwood: Gold, Guns, and Greed in the American West.” The Kensington historian last connected with Bethesda Today in 2009 about his journey with bipolar disorder. He is scheduled to speak at 1:15 p.m. at the James Michener Pavilion.
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While Melanie D.G. Kaplan is not a Montgomery County resident, she is a frequent contributor to Bethesda Magazine. She will present “Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research” at 11:15 a.m. at the Gertrude Stein Pavilion. The nonfiction book follows Kaplan and her rescue beagle, Hammy, as they delve into the world of animal research.
Adults and children can enjoy free writing workshops throughout the day, covering topics from character development and publishing to fantasy world-building and art journaling.
Families also can visit the Children’s Village for literary-themed crafts, story-building activities, zine-making, Braille games and other interactive experiences. Additional attractions include a Montgomery County Public Libraries story walk, a Friends of the Library used book sale, literary vendors and the announcement of the festival’s high school poetry contest winners.
Books by participating authors will be available for purchase through an onsite pop-up bookstore hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore, according to organizers.
Festival organizers encourage attendees to review the interactive schedule and shuttle information on the festival website. Free parking and shuttle service will be available at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, while another free shuttle will run from the Shady Grove Metro station to the festival entrance.
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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine