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Literature Programs
Our Literature Programs commemorate and promote appreciation for our state’s rich literary heritage and engage Missourians in literature and reading. By creating learning opportunities that bring greater awareness to authors and literature from Missouri and beyond, we encourage reading for pleasure among Missourians of all ages to foster communities where literature thrives.
Missouri Center for the Book
The Missouri Center for the Book is a program of Missouri Humanities and the state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. Our mission is to commemorate and promote appreciation for and greater awareness of Missouri’s rich literary heritage. This includes hosting an annual regional Book Festival and selecting two books to represent the state at the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. every year. These titles are added to the Great Reads from Great Places book list. The list features books and authors representing the literary heritage of all 50 states and U.S. territories.
Since receiving Affiliate Center status in 2021, our work is guided by input from numerous literary and literacy-based organizations, authors, and educators from across the state of Missouri who serve on the Missouri Center for the Book (MOCFTB) Planning Team.
The Heartland Book Festival Returns!
Missouri Humanities, the Kansas City Public Library, the Missouri Center for the Book, and our newest partner, Mid-Continent Public Library, are proud to present the third annual Heartland Book Festival on October 10–11, 2025.
This celebration of the written word draws the region together through the power of story. Join us for a weekend filled with author talks, workshops, book signings, vendors, and more—there’s something for readers and writers of all ages to enjoy!
Missouri's Great Reads From Great Places
For Young Readers
Bijan Always Wins
by Adib Khorram
For Adult Readers
Mark Twain
by Ron Chernow
Meet the Missouri Center for the Book Planning Team
Nelson Appell. Director, Washington Public Library
Daniel R. Biegelson. Associate Editor, The Laurel Review, Director of the Visiting Writers Series, and Senior Instructor of Literature and Writing, Northwest Missouri State University
John Brenner. Managing Editor, The State Historical Society of Missouri
Nicole Clawson. Manager Youth Services, St. Louis County Library
Andrew Davidson. Editor in Chief, University of Missouri Press
Kristin Droege. Executive Director, Turn the Page KC
Tina Casagrand Foss. Founder and Executive Director of The New Territory Magazine
Lisa Greening. Executive Director, Turn the Page STL
Savannah Hartje. Youth Services Librarian, Springfield–Greene County Library
Dawn Kitchell. Owner, Neighborhood Reads Bookstore, and Chair of the Community Literacy Foundation
Hannah Komasinski. Collection Development Librarian, Juvenile/Teen Books, St. Louis County Library
Maya Kucij. Director, Children’s Literature Festival, Assistant University and Special Collections Librarian, James C. Kirkpatrick Library, University of Central Missouri
Kenzie Leverton. Reference Associate, Springfield-Green County Library
Phong Vu Nguyen. Miler Family Endowed Chair in Literature and Writing, Professor, University of Missouri, and Author
Lauren Olson. Director of Community Programming, Turn the Page KC
Robin Rennison. Marketing Manager, University of Missouri Press
Virginia Sanders. Special Initiatives Coordinator, Missouri Arts Council
Alicia Starr. Educator and Missouri Humanities Board Member
Kaite Stover. Director of Reader’s Services, Kansas City Public Library
Maryfrances Wagner. Missouri State Poet Laureate (2021-2023)
Wryn Engelmeyer. Program Specialist, Missouri Arts Council
"I am overjoyed to have my story recognized by Missouri Humanities and the Missouri Center for the Book. Missouri has been my home longer than any other place I’ve ever lived. Its rich storytelling traditions have shaped me into the writer that I’ve become. Thank you, Missouri!"
– Pedro Martín
Missouri Pen
Missouri Pen (MO Pen) is a creative writing program that brings instructors into Missouri state prisons to offer writing workshops for incarcerated individuals. Rooted in the belief that everyone has a voice—and that voice deserves to be heard—MO Pen provides a space for self-expression, reflection, and growth through storytelling.
Read from the Start
Children who grow up hearing stories and looking at books will fall in love with language. Read from the Start, MHC’s family reading initiative, is offered free of charge and empowers parents and caregivers to read to their young children.
