On Friday, August 19, three of the Mississippi Book Festival’s visiting authors – Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell, and Matt de la Pena – spoke to more than 23,500 students, either with in-person presentations at Thalia Mara Hall and the Galloway Methodist Church sanctuary, or who were live streamed to hundreds of classrooms all over the state.
At the conclusion of the in-person sessions, every student was given a free book from the authors. Also, each school that participated virtually received a free book for their school library.