About the Arizona Center for the Book

The Arizona Center for the Book at the Arizona State Library sponsors programs that highlight the state's literary heritage and call attention to the importance of books, reading, literacy and libraries.

The Arizona Center for the Book is an affiliate of the National Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Starting in 1984, the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress began to establish affiliate centers in the 50 states. Today, there is a State Center for the Book in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Arizona Center for the Book at the Arizona State Library received its designation on January 2, 2004.

Arizona Center for the Book Programs

Please click on any of the following links to find more information regarding the Arizona Center for the Book programs:

• Arizona Author Series
• Great Reads from Great Places and the National Book Festival
• Southwest Books of the Year
• Writers in Residence in Libraries

Arizona Author Series

The Arizona Author Series takes place January-May. Keep up with all of StARL’s events by visiting our events calendar.

These presentations are recorded and made available on our YouTube channel.

For more information about the Arizona Author Series contact the State of Arizona Research Library.

Great Reads from Great Places and the National Book Festival

2025 Great Reads from Great Places

The Arizona Center for the Book, part of the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, has selected Arizona Friend Trips: Stories from the Road by Lisa Schnebly Heidinger and Julie Morrison, and The Beat I Drum (Life of a Cactus, 3) by Dusti Bowling, to represent Arizona in the Library of Congress Center for the Book’s 2025 Great Reads from Great Places program.

The national Great Reads from Great Places program highlights the literary heritage of all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and Northern Marianas by publicizing a list of titles written by authors from, taking place in or celebrating the culture and heritage of each location. Each state and territorial Center for the Book typically selects one youth and one adult title, which are then promoted at the Library of Congress’s National Book Festival.

Bring the National Book Festival to Arizona!
Discover the Heart of Arizona - Great Reads from Great Places

You are invited to be part of something truly special -- a celebration of Arizona's literary voice on a national stage!

The Arizona Center for the Book has proudly selected two outstanding titles to represent our state in the Library of Congress Center for the Book's 2025 Great Reads from Great Places program:

These titles showcase the people, landscapes, and stories that make Arizona unique -- and they'll be celebrated alongside books from every U.S. state and territory at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

Let's bring the celebration home to Arizona!

How You Can Participate:

• Highlight past and present Arizona Great Reads from Great Places with displays, book clubs, or storytimes.
• Use the 2025 National Book Festival Great Reads from Great Places reading challenge to showcase books from across the U.S., giving your patrons a taste of the National Book Festival experience -- right from their local library.
• Encourage young readers and adult patrons alike to connect with books that reflect our state's heritage, spirit, and creativity.

Great Reads from Great Places Arizona author conversations

• Great Reads from Great Places: Natural World (2021)
• Great Reads from Great Places: Western Region II (2022)
• Great Reads from Great Places: Western 2 Children (2023)
• Great Reads from Great Places: Western 2 Adult (2023)

Writers in Residence in Libraries

The Writers in Residence program promotes writing in communities by connecting local, professional authors to serve as Writers in Residence at public libraries. Writers in Residence spend time at the library during their residency composing new works and providing education for community members.

The following libraries were awarded LSTA funds to host a Writers in Residence program:

• Chandler Public Library
• Glendale Public Library
• Mesa Public Library
• Peoria - Sunrise Mountain
• Pima County Public Library
• Prescott Valley Public Library
• Scottsdale Public Library
• Tempe Public Library
• Yavapai County Free Library District

For more information, contact Donna Throckmorton at [email protected].

Writers in Residence in Libraries is supported by the Arizona State Library, Archives & Public Records, a division of the Secretary of State, with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.