BANGOR – A downtown book festival will feature 30 Maine authors who will read their work, hold panel discussions and sign books Friday through Sunday, Oct. 5 to 7.

“We’re looking forward to an exiting time that celebrates a love of books and writing,” said Bud Knickerbocker, head of the Book Festival committee, which has been planning the event since January. “It’s going to be fun for the whole family.”

The three-day event will showcase the city’s independent booksellers and unique shops and eateries. For information and participation opportunities visit www.bangorbookfest.org.

Friday, Oct. 5

. 3:15-3:45 p.m. and 4-4:45 p.m., Kevin Hawkes and Michelle Knudsen, Maine Discovery Museum.

. 7-10 p.m., Poetry Stroll, downtown.

. 7-7:45 p.m., Poetry, Annaliese Jakimides and Christian Barter, Bloom Bakery.

. 8-8:45 p.m., Poetry, Elizabeth Garber and Ted Bookey, Lippincott Books.

. 9-10 p.m., Poetry and book signing, Kathleen Ellis, Robin Merrill and Jay Franzel, Bangor Public Library.

Saturday, Oct. 6

. 10-11 a.m., Storytelling, Ashley Bryan, Penobscot Theatre.

. 11 a.m., Readings, “Family on the Page,” Martha Tod Dudman and Annaliese Jakimides, Hammond Street Seniors.

. 11:15 a.m., Melissa Sweet, Briar Patch.

. 11:15 a.m.-noon, Reading, Hank Garfield, BookMarc’s.

. 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m., Reading, “Writing Through a Cultural Lens,” Allen Sockabasin and Rhea Cote Robbins, Bangor Public Library.

. Noon-1 p.m., Reading, Ardeana Hamlin and Gerry Boyle, Penobscot Theatre.

. 12:30-1 p.m., Reading, Ed Rice, BookMarc’s.

. 1 p.m., Panel, Ashley Bryan, Melissa Sweet and Gail Page, Maine Discovery Museum.

. 1-2 p.m., “Maine Through Southern Eyes,” Anne Rivers Siddons, Bloom Bakery.

. 1:30-2:30 p.m., “Twisted Path to Science Writing,” Hannah Holmes, Hammond Street Senior Center.

. 2-3 p.m., Reading, L.A. Meyer, Briar Patch.

. 2-3 p.m., Reading, Maine fiction, Sanford Phippen and Cynthia Thayer, BookMarc’s.

. 2:30-3:30 p.m., Panel, “Censorship in Youth Literature,” Cynthia Voigt, Hank Garfield and Nancy Garden, Bangor Public Library.

. 2:30-3:30 p.m., “The Gardening Family,” Sharon Lovejoy, Bloom Bakery.

. 3-3:45 p.m., Michelle Knudsen, Maine Discovery Museum.

. 3:30-4:30 p.m., Panel, “Blurring the Lines: Balancing Fact and Fiction,” Martha Tod Dudman, Gerry Boyle and Sanford Phippen, Penobscot Theatre.

. 4-4:45 p.m., Talk, reading, “Dragons and Why We Love Them,” Sarah Thomson, Briar Patch.

. 4:30-5:30, Readings, fantasy, Kristen Britain and James Hetley, Bangor Public Library.

. 4:30-5:30, Readings, Maine fiction, Eleanor Lincoln Morse and Chris Fahy, Bloom Bakery.

Sunday, Oct. 7

. 11 a.m., Panel “The Writing Life: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” Sharon Lovejoy, Hannah Holmes, Cynthia Thayer and Chris Fahy, Bloom Bakery.

. 12:30-1:15 p.m., Panel discussion, “Native American Lives,” Allen Sockabasin and Ed Rice, Bloom Bakery.

. 12:30-1:15 p.m., Reading, “Writing Romance,” Janet Chapman, Hammond Street Senior Center.