Oklahoma Book Festival Cancelled

The 2020 Oklahoma Book Festival, scheduled for November 14, has been cancelled by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL) and festival organizers due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

Connie Armstrong, executive director of ODL’s Oklahoma Center for the Book, and Vicki Mohr, administrator of ODL’s Office of Library Development, made the announcement in a joint statement:

“This was a difficult decision but we believe it is in the best interest of Oklahoma book lovers. It is simply too risky to have any type of in-person event right now, even with safety precautions. Additionally, we do not feel a completely virtual book festival would garner enough audience participation to warrant the costs necessary to put on such programming. The pandemic is also making fundraising and partner recruitment more difficult for non-profits and community events at this time. We are disappointed, but remain enthusiastic about the future of the Oklahoma Book Festival program. Please look for information in the coming months on a 2021 festival.”