Book Festivals by State

State guide

Missouri

The Unbound Book Festival is the Missouri festival verified here. Its site says the festival brings nationally and internationally known authors to Columbia to talk about their books and lives, and that its mission is to bring readers and writers together and to encourage a lifelong love of books. The page names Terry Tempest Williams as the 2026 keynote speaker and says Pedro Martin and Ellen Oh will headline an Authors in Schools program. The Missouri State Library, in the Secretary of State’s office, is the state agency. It says it develops library service, serves state government, and works so Missourians have equal access to libraries. The page lists 600 West Main Street, Jefferson City.

Checked against official sources on October 11, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.

Try a ZIP like 30303, “Travis County” or “Columbus, OH”
State library or arts office
Missouri State Library
Festivals we verified
Unbound Book Festival
Official program page
Official page →

Unbound’s public face is a Columbia author festival plus school visits. The keynote and the school headliners are the 2026 names the homepage actually printed. This guide stops there instead of copying a full roster that the site may still be updating. The mission statement is about meeting writers and hearing new ideas. Readers should use unboundbookfestival.com for times and rooms in Columbia. When two Missouri pages disagree, use the page that states the date or the service, and ignore an undated repost.

The State Library is in Jefferson City, not Columbia. Its phone and email are on the Secretary of State page, and the site warned that secretary of state sites would be unavailable on Thursday, November 13, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time for maintenance. That outage notice is about government websites, not about whether the festival is on. A research visit and a festival day need different calendars.

No second Missouri book festival was verified in this pass. Use Unbound for the Columbia author day and the State Library for statewide library development and service to government. The festival’s school program is the piece for teachers. The State Library’s equal-access mission is the piece for library service outside that weekend. If Missouri State Library updates hours, a venue, or a deadline, the live page replaces this Missouri summary.

Official resources in Missouri

Unbound Book Festival

Official site for the Columbia festival, including the 2026 keynote note.

Missouri State Library

Secretary of State page for statewide library development and government information service.

State Library contact

The same page lists 600 West Main Street, Jefferson City, and a maintenance window for state sites.

Key facts for Missouri

Verified festivals and programs in Missouri

FestivalcityDetails
Unbound Book FestivalColumbiaAuthor festival in Columbia. The site names Terry Tempest Williams as the 2026 keynote.

* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.

What to do next

  1. Use the Unbound site for Columbia times rather than assuming a Jefferson City stage.
  2. Teachers should read the Authors in Schools note separately from the public keynote.
  3. Do not plan a State Library web search during the posted maintenance window.
  4. Keep festival donations and state-library reference questions on their own sites.

Not seeing your festival or county?

We list a festival only when an official government page publishes its rules. If yours isn't in the table above, it may not publish them online yet. Here's what to use instead, in order:

  1. General Start with the statewide information above. It applies across Missouri, but cities and counties can add their own steps, fees or deadlines.
  2. Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from Missouri's population center, for comparison only):
  3. Call to confirm Ask the official office. They have the current local rule, fee and form.
    Missouri State Library
    Website →
    Phone not shown: use the contact page on the official website above.
    Your city or county office: Local governments →
    Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the Missouri page on USA.gov can point you to the right office.
  4. Know the current info? Tell us and include a link to the official page. We check every tip before it goes up.

Helpful guides

Festival finder →

Do you serve Missouri? Get a featured listing for $30/month, clearly labeled as a paid placement.