If you are reading this news website, there is  a good chance you also like to read books.

If that is you, you are going to love this event.

More than 100 authors from across the country will gather at Bayview Park on March 28 for the annual Books By the Bay festival, offering readers a free day of literary events, stage performances and family-friendly activities against the backdrop of Pensacola Bay.

Festival goers can meet authors, hear live readings, explore exhibitor booths, and enjoy performances, all in a day-long celebration of books and storytelling. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bayview Park, 2001 E. Lloyd St.

The Readers Showcase, a highlight of the festival, features authors selected through a competitive application process. This year’s lineup includes two young adult authors, seven children’s book writers, and 12 authors representing genres such as mystery, satire, romantic comedy, poetry, creative nonfiction, crime and historical fiction. Participants hail from Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Indiana.

“We have authors joining us from across the United States,” said Tonya Dalhaus, event director, in a news release for the event. “I’m incredibly proud of the national recognition the festival is receiving. It’s inspiring to see best-selling authors traveling from near and far to be part of this event.”

Pensacola-based author and educator Anne Brooks MacDonald will read from her young adult novel, "The Blood Inside Me," a story co-created with her third-grade students.

“My reading offers something truly special for festival goers because it blends storytelling with real classroom collaboration. This YA fantasy was written alongside my third-grade students, so audiences will get to experience a story shaped by the imagination, humor and honesty of young writers,” MacDonald said.

Other featured readers include James D. Brewer of Davenport, Florida, reading from "Blood at the Whistlestop: Murder on Florida’s Peace River," a historical mystery-adventure following a half-Choctaw railroad detective in the Gilded Age, and Fort Lauderdale poet Marc Frazier, an Illinois Arts Council Award recipient, reading from "If It Comes to That." Additional readers include Jo Taylor and Matt Nagin, Alabama; Ryan Null, Indiana; Kristen Alger, Lora Bunch Carr, Nic Schuck, and Melani Udaeta, Pensacola; Kate Hendrickson and Jeannie Zokan, Gulf Breeze; and Tom McAuliffe and Mark Zeid, Fort Walton Beach.

The children’s area will feature story times and readings from local authors and illustrators, including Sarah Rhea, who will present her picture book "Rosie the Lovie." Rhea, an advanced graphic design teacher at Pensacola State, said her work combines writing and visual storytelling to immerse young readers in rich, imaginative worlds. Other children’s readers include Jen Day, Spanish Fort, "Captain Steve’s Adventures: Jubilee!! @ Bayfront Park"; Mike Thomin and Nicole Grinnan, Pensacola, "Luna the Cat"; Shannon Yelton, Milton, "Magic Waiting Fingers"; Renee Marie Hamilton, McDonough, Georgia, "The Misadventures of Miles and Maya: The Great Pancake Disaster"; Jacquelyn Broadus, Valparaiso, "Cody’s Tale: A Story About Being Confident"; and Tonya Dalhaus, Beulah, "Botl and Hattie Make Believe!"

On the main stage, California bestselling author Kyla Zhao will read from her young adult novel "May the Best Player Win," named a “Best New Book to Read This Spring” by Oprah Daily. Historian and educator Forest Issac Jones, now based in Virginia, will share excerpts from "Good Trouble: The Selma, Alabama and Derry, Northern Ireland Connection 1963-1972," a work previously featured at the Columbus Book Festival, George Mason University’s Fall for the Book Festival, and the MLK Library in Washington, DC.

The main stage will also host performances by the African American Heritage Readers’ Ensemble, theatre students from Pensacola High School, a haiku slam, and a writing showdown between creative writing students from Pensacola State College and the University of West Florida.

All exhibit spaces have sold out, but authors may still reserve a seat on Authors’ Row at www.booksbythebay.info/exhibitor-applications.

Books By the Bay is the largest literary event in Northwest Florida. It is free and open to the public, sponsored by the all-volunteer nonprofit Emerald Coast Writers. Funding is provided by a grant from Florida Humanities with support from the Jacarlene Foundation. The views and conclusions expressed in the program do not necessarily reflect those of Florida Humanities or the Jacarlene Foundation.