Where Readers & Authors Meet
Deep Valley
book festival
Celebrating Authors & Books
DVBF 2021
6th Edition Live
Sat., October 2, 2021
9:30 am - 3 pm
Reception to follow
Program Schedule
Loose Moose Saloon & Conference Center
Mankato, MN
The Deep Valley Book Festival is FREE to attend, however two programs
require tickets. For more information and to order tickets, click here.
Please order tickets in advance as space is limited.
Largest literary festival of its kind in Southern Minnesota!
2021 DVBF 6th Edition Keynote Author
Award Winning Author
Will grew up on a farm in northern Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Minnesota and Stanford University. His debut novel, Red Earth, White Earth, was published by Simon & Schuster, and was produced as a CBS television movie. A Gravestone Made of Wheat & Other Stories won the Minnesota Book Award for Fiction. The New York Times Book Review called it "…a graceful collection, one that views America's heartland with a candid but charitable eye.”
Several of his stories have been produced by National Public Radio and other arts groups. The title story, A Gravestone Made of Wheat was adapted into the film Sweet Land, starring Alan Cumming and Ned Beatty. In 2017 Sweet Land was produced as a musical by the History Theatre of Saint Paul.
A versatile writer, Will Weaver's several novels for young adults include Memory Boy and Striking Out (HarperCollins). Chosen as a teen “top ten” book by the American Library Association, Memory Boy was a 2016 production of the Minnesota Opera, Youth Division. His nonfiction work includes The Last Hunter, Barns of Minnesota, and the introduction to Libraries of Minnesota.
A recent judge for the National Book Awards and a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, he is currently finishing new novel for adults, plus editing a recently discovered memoir of childhood by the late Minnesota author Jon Hassler.
Weaver will present "The Writer's Life: Just When You Think You've Done It All" at the festival. This is a special ticketed program at 11:30 am: Lunch with Will Weaver. Space is limited, please order your tickets in advance.
For more information and to order tickets, click here.
See all DVBF authors, illustrators, publishers and literary organizations in the Author Directory
Young Writer & Artist Competition
Deadline for entries was June 30, 2021.
Entry for 2021 is now CLOSED.
Awards presented at the 6th Edition DVBF on October 2, 2021.
Sponsors & Festival Friends
Your contribution helps ensure this family-oriented literary event can be offered free-of-charge to the public. Your gift helps make the Deep Valley Book Festival possible.
For more information on becoming a sponsor or the benefits of becoming a Festival Friend here.
