News

Recap: Richland Library hosts Read Freely Fest

Lyra Pinner, Editor • April 1, 2025

Books at the RNHS library. This past weekend, the Richland County Public Library hosted the Read Freely Festival, attended by book lovers of all ages.

This past weekend, the Richland County Public Library hosted its inaugural Read Freely Fest. The event hosted discussion panels as well as vendors and organizational representatives on the floor of the main entrance.

In partnership with the festival, the Richland Library Friends and Foundation hosted an outdoor book sale on Saturday and Sunday. As part of a foundation fundraiser, buyers could fill a large tote bag with as many used books as they wanted for $35. The titles available varied from day to day.

Inside the main building, books by local authors were on sale for full price. Participants could buy a book and attend a panel featuring that author. The topics discussed at each ranged from Jewish cooking to mystery fiction to book banning. Featured authors included historical writer Abbott Kahler, poet Ray McManus, novelist Nathan Ballingrud, novelist David Joy, and suspense novelist Carla Damron, among others.

The festival featured food trucks on-site and opportunities for all ages.

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About the Contributor

Lyra Pinner, Staff Editor

Lyra Pinner is a junior at Richland Northeast and an editor for the online newspaper, the Saber. She’s active in the Book Club as well as the Horizon magnet program. She is currently in Journalism 3 and plans on being an active member through her senior year. Lyra enjoys listening to music, reading, and writing and puts her literary skills to use on the Saber as well as in the yearbook. After graduation, she plans on majoring in English in college and pursuing a career as an author in her adult life.