Books in Bloom Festival Set for Saturday, May 11 at Color Burst Park

Books in Bloom, the multigenerational, multicultural festival presented by Downtown Columbia Partnership and Howard Hughes Holdings, features many events and activities of interest to young people and their families on Saturday, May 11, 11:30-5 p.m., Color Burst Park, Merriweather District, Downtown Columbia. Admission is free.

Among the programs of interest are children’s book author Sue Fliess in conversation with Katie McNally, owner of Queen Takes Book store, and Claire Duarte, creator of The Columbia Mom. Fliess is the author of the “Kid Scientist” series.

Also making a presentation is Emily Barth Isler, a former child actress who graduated from Wilde Lake High School in Columbia and is now writing middle grade books, most recently “The Color of Sound” about a 12-year-old music prodigy. Isler will be interviewed by Howard County Gifted and Talented Resource Teacher Mark Dunbar and Murray Hill Middle School student Cecile Sensei.

Another attraction is Gitanjali Rao, an 18-year-old freshman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she continues her scientific studies and innovative problem solving that has resulted in global recognition. She will be interviewed by Dr. Elizabeth P. Clayborne, an emergency physician, college faculty member, and inventor, and Jennifer Jones, CEO of the Howard County Economic Development Authority.

A Student Showcase will feature Howard County student writers from Navigating the Margins and Our Voice Literary Magazine.

Other featured writers at Books in Bloom include literary novelist Julie Otsuka, journalist and memoirist Natasha S. Alford, book club favorite Helen Simonson, playwright and essayist R. Eric Thomas, and linguist and social critic Amanda Montell.

See the entire schedule and other activities here, including a poetry reading to celebrate the Howard County Poetry and Literature Society’s (HoCoPoLitSo) 50th anniversary.