Chef Jose Andres Headlines Books in Bloom at Merriweather June 2

Acclaimed chef/restaurateur Jose Andres will headline the third annual Books in Bloom book festival, hosted by the Downtown Columbia Partnership, Sunday, June 2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Andres is the author of the New York Times bestseller, We Fed An Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time, a chronicle of his humanitarian efforts after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island.

The festival features more than 20 of the country’s best and brightest authors and includes readings, panel discussions, culinary offerings, a Rose‘ and Beer Garden, live music and a Busboys & Poets pop-up bookstore.

In addition to Andres, award-winning chefs Kwame Onwuachi, author of Notes from a Young Black Chef: A Memoir and Edward Lee, author of Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef's Journey to Discover America's New Melting-Pot Cuisine, will be telling their stories during the thematic conversation, “From Knife to Pen.”

Other panel discussions include “Rising Up + Speaking Out: Black Feminism Today” with Feminista Jones and Brittney Cooper , “Looking for the Rainbow: Celebrating Pride 50 Years After Stonewall” with Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown and Charles Kaiser, “And You Don’t Stop: The Birth and Rise of Hip-Hop” with Vikki Tobak and Geoff Edgers, “Documenting Immigration: Sharing Perspective with the Next Generation” with Laura Wides-Munoz and Nadia Hashmi, and “Graphic Memoirs + POC Voices: The Surprising New Narrative” with Malaka Gharib and Mira Jacob.

Featured authors also include Bob Yule, author of Spirits, Sugar, water, Bitters: How the Cocktail Conquered the World, Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, authors of The Hill to Die On: The Battle for Congress and the future of Trump’s America, Maurice Jackson, author of DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC, Scott Crawford, author of Images and Stories from the 1980s Washington, DC Punk Scene, and Abby Maslin, author of A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love. Novelist Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek, and memorist Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know, will also read from their works.

Young Adult writers include Carmen Rorigues, author of The Universal Laws of Marco, Kathy MacMillan, author of Dagger and Coin, and Jessica Spotswood, author of The Last Summer of the Garrett Girls. Children’s activities include face painting, puppet shows, glitter tatoos, story time and more.

The festival is free and open to the public of all ages. More information and the developing author lineup is available at http://www.dtcpartnership.com/booksinbloom/ . Registration is requested at http://www.booksinbloom.eventbrite.com .