For the ninth year, Books in Bloom will return to Columbia with bibliophiles of all ages able to come together and enjoy the free festival on May 10.
The event, held by the Downtown Columbia Partnership and Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. in the Merriweather District’s Color Burst Park, features a lineup of various authors and activities for individuals from around the region to enjoy between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. To help build the area as a center of culture, the festival is meant to attract people downtown as it undergoes redevelopment.
New to the festival this year is a session with storytelling about motherhood from local female writers called “Spilled Milk.” The event also features Eric Puchner, a Baltimore-based author who recently received Oprah’s March 2025 Book Club selection for his book “Dream State.”
“So just that community tie in when you have these incredible authors, and then also showcasing our local talent of all ages, really excites me and I love hearing people share their stories,” Casey Jones, vice president of marketing for Howard Hughes Holdings Inc. said.
As new businesses come to the area, getting the community to come out for an event helps residents see the growing amenities, Jones said. The festival represents the important values Howard Hughes has, such as collaboration, learning and community, as it works as the developer to bring the vision of the Merriweather District in the Downtown Columbia Plan to life, she said.
“And I think programs like Books in Bloom and the partnerships that are formed bringing those events to the community are just integral in creating that active kind of urban core,” Jones said. “We want everyone from our bookworms to people just looking for something to do, to come and enjoy and see what Merriweather District is all about.”
Headlining the event is Kwame Alexander, a New York Times Bestselling Author, winner of several awards, a poet and author of 40 books, among a list of other achievements. He wrote his latest published work “Why Fathers Cry at Night” as well as wrote and produced “The Crossover” on Disney+ and is the executive producer and host of “America’s Next Great Author.” During the festival, he’ll be interviewed and participate in a conversation and poetry reading with other authors in “This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets,” which he edited.
Other authors in the lineup include children’s authors Sue Fliess and Ann Marie Stephens, and Columbia native Laurie Frankel. Both the Howard County Poet Laureate Truth Thomas and the Maryland Poet Laureate Lady Brion are also featured in the lineup.
Even student authors are included as writers for the Howard County Public School System’s Navigating the Margins program and “Our Voice” magazine will present.
“I love how we combine nationally known authors with our young people, so the fact that we have high school and middle school students who are authors who are able to share that stage with these nationally known authors is what excites me,” said Phillip Dodge, executive director of the Downtown Columbia Partnership.
Andy Shallal, founder of Busboys and Poets, which has a location across from Color Burst Park in the Merriweather District, will discuss his memoir “A Seat at the Table.” Busboys and Poets will also host an outdoor bookstore at the festival.
While not connecting with esteemed authors, attendees of the festival can indulge in food sold at neighboring restaurants, grab a drink at the wine bar, make flower arrangements, participate in a book swap or receive a new look with face painting. Watching the event’s growth over the years has been exciting, Dodge said, and he hopes to continue fostering thoughtful growth as a welcoming space.
“I don’t want anyone who’s not an avid reader to feel out of place because there really is something for everyone,” Dodge said.
Those interested in attending the event can RSVP online.
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