The 2025 Utah Humanities Book Festival has been described as a resounding success, marking 28 years of strengthening Utah communities through reading, literature, and conversations with authors. As Utah’s oldest and only statewide book festival, the event has become a signature literary celebration for the state.
The festival, held during October’s National Book Month, offers both virtual and in-person events. It utilizes regional partnerships to highlight local interests across many Utah communities. The event has expanded from its 1998 origins as a one-day event at Westminster College into a multi-week celebration that serves upwards of 12,000 Utahns.
Regional programming for the festival includes several specific windows of time: the Wasatch Back from October 1-5, the Boulder Book Festival from October 2-4, Southern Utah from October 2-9, Salt Lake County from October 4-12, and Northern Utah from October 9-20. Other scheduled activities include the Utah Book Award Reading and Celebration on October 10, Moab events from October 23-25, and Utah County programming from October 20-25. Additionally, Utah Horror Day is scheduled for October 25.
Featured writers for the 2025 festival include Sy Montgomery, Daniel Miyares, Ellen Hopkins, Lyla Sage, Ally Condie, Andrea Bartz, Lauren Ling Brown, Chris LaTray, Stephen Graham Jones, and Philip Fracassi. Events are hosted at various locations including the Folklore Bookshop in Midway, Treehouse Museum in Ogden, Salt Lake City Library, Weber County Pleasant Valley Branch, Ogden Union Station, Grand County Library, and the Utah Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley City. Readings by Utah Book Award honorees are also scheduled for October 28 at the University of Utah Tanner Humanities Center.
Utah Humanities is committed to ensuring all people have equal and full access to their programs regardless of ability. For those requiring accommodations, requests can be submitted to Kase Johnstun at johnstun@utahhumanities.org.
