¡Gente! Let’s Go to the Tucson Festival of Books 2026!

Happy Tucson Festival of Books Eve!

As you might know, I love books. I love reading and writing, and now I have a cool new job that pretty much involves what I love most. I usually write about bookish events, but now — dear reader — I no longer live in the DMV area. I’m back in Phoenix, Arizona, and today I’m here to talk to you about the Tucson Festival of Books.

Courtesy of Nuestras Raíces

Thousands of readers and book lovers have gathered every year since March 2009 on the University of Arizona campus. Dozens of events take place, but I can’t talk about all of them here. You can see the full schedule here.

I’m here to talk to you about the Latinx part of the festival, more specifically the Nuestras Raíces Stage and Tent. The idea of gathering Hispanic writers and artists in the same place actually started even before the festival began in Tucson.

I talked with Mary Pastrana, the Manager of Latinx Services at Pima County Public Library and Samantha Neville, a Latinx Services Librarian at Pima County Public Library and a lifelong Tucsonan, to learn more about the history of the celebration.

Samantha Neville & Mary Pastrana

Pastrana mentioned that the initiative began in the early 1970s as the Spanish Services Committee, which advocated for equitable access to resources and services for Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities in Pima County through translation, cultural programming, and community outreach. In 2004, two Latina librarians (Anna Sanchez & Helen/Elena Gutierrez) from the committee visited the Border Book Festival in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where they were inspired by the celebration of Latinx and Indigenous voices. They brought that same spirit back to Tucson, helping inspire similar cultural programming there.

“With the support of the friends of the library and their colleagues, they were able to bring the vision to life here, and the festival took place in the Jácome Plaza, over the span of three days, which included literature, arts, and cinema. And it was named Nuestras Raíces,” says Pastrana. In 2009 it transitioned over to the Tucson Festival of Books.

This year, the Nuestras Raíces Stage will feature 10 panels with 28 authors, including many of my favorite fiction writers and poets. See the full schedule here:

Luis Alberto Urrea, author of The Devil’s Highway, was a featured author back in 2004, and he is back at the Nuestras Raíces Stage!

Pastrana and Neville are really passionate about their work and are ready to celebrate our cultura with all of you. Neville mentioned, “I grew up here. And it has always been one of my favorite events in Tucson, every year. I think it’s really special to be able to participate in this event that’s free for the public.”

The whole festival will feature about 350 authors, and 39 of them are Hispanic. Over the next two days, more than 100,000 people are expected, with the help of 1,500 volunteers.

Will you be there?

The Bilingual Press | Editorial Bilingüe will be giving away books, posters, and DVDs. Come and join us!