Melissa Hanson  Asst. News Editor

The Boston Book Festival (BBF) was held on Oct. 27 in Copley Square.  The event, sponsored by 90.9 WBUR, among others, had over 40 events spread over 13 venues for Bostonians of all ages, ranging from book discussions, to poetry, to nonfiction, and participatory seminars.

“The BBF team and I are proud to present to you the fourth edition of the Boston Book Festival, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have delighted in putting it together,” said Deborah Porter, the founder and executive director of the event.

There were two keynote speakers in this year’s festival.  For children, Lemony Snicket, the author of the Series of Unfortunate Events series, and for adults, Richard Ford, known for both his novels and short stories.

Other speakers for the BBF events included authors, professors, and experienced presenters.  Although the events filled up quickly throughout the day, only a few were ticketed events open to a limited number of guests.  There were also musical performances throughout the day on the Berklee Festival Stage.

“Once again, we have assembled a diverse team group of authors and thought leaders,both established names and up-and-comers, to inspire, provoke, stimulate, and entertain festivalgoers of all ages and interests,” said Porter.

Copley Square was lined with booths from various sponsors.  Many book stores and publishing companies were selling books, and some even had authors present to sign copies.  Emerson College and Simmons College also had booths with representatives present.  There were also food from Cupcakory, Momogoose, the Clover Food Truck, and Ravi’s Restaurant.

The partnering bookstores included the Harvard Book Store, among others, and could be found in the event venues with copies of books pertaining to the discussions for purchase.

Marlene Perez is a Suffolk University senior who was an intern for BBF.  She produced the ‘Why Picture Books Matter’ panel, which meant that she was responsible for overseeing that the panel went smoothly and escorting the authors to the venue.  During the day she was behind the scenes helping alongside volunteers instead of working any of the booths.

“Everyone seemed overall pleased with the festival, and nobody was shy about telling us whatever didn’t work,” said Perez.

She thinks that the Lemony Snicket book signing was the most popular event of the day, noting that the line ran from Copley Square to the Tannery.

Perez also believes the festival was less busy compared to previous years due to Hurricane Sandy.

BBF is said to be a “celebration of the power of words,” and that message was clear throughout the day.