activities · 16
what they do
direct service · 15
- Award literary achievements Literary and Professional Achievement AwardsAwards the annual Founders' Award to authors in recognition of their literary achievements and inspirational bodies of work.
- Awarding Literary Achievements Literary and Professional Achievement AwardsThe organization awards the annual Founders' Award to authors in recognition of their literary achievements and inspirational bodies of work.
- Host an annual book festival Industry Conference & Networking EventsOrganizes and hosts an annual book festival on the University of Arizona campus, featuring over 300 authors, various presentations, and hands-on activities like Science City.
- Host an annual book festival Industry Conference & Networking EventsOrganizes and hosts an annual book festival on the University of Arizona campus, featuring over 300 authors, various presentations, and hands-on science experiences through Science City.
- Managing Festival Access and Seating Arts Ticket Access ProgramsThe organization offers Fast Passes for high-demand author sessions to Friends of the Festival and the general public, reserving a portion of seating for pass holders to ensure better access.
- Offer Fast Passes for author sessions Arts Ticket Access ProgramsProvides free Fast Passes for high-demand author sessions to Friends of the Festival and the general public, reserving a portion of seating to ensure better access and choice of seats.
- Offer Fast Passes for author sessions Arts Ticket Access ProgramsProvides Fast Passes for high-demand author sessions to Friends of the Festival and the general public, reserving a portion of seating for pass holders to ensure better access.
- Operate a writing contest and workshop Writing Contests with Mentorship WorkshopsHosts an annual writing contest for emerging writers in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry, and invites top entrants to a Master's Workshop led by festival authors.
- Operate a writing contest and workshop Writing Contests with Mentorship WorkshopsHosts an annual writing contest for emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and invites top entrants to a Master's Workshop led by festival authors.
- Organizing and Hosting the Annual Tucson Festival of Books Industry Conference & Networking EventsThe organization plans and executes an annual book festival on the University of Arizona campus, featuring over 300 authors, various presentations, and hands-on activities like Science City. This includes managing schedules, author appearances, and providing mobile applications for attendees.
- Provide festival navigation tools Visitor Experience EnhancementOffers mobile applications for iPhone and Android to guide attendees through the festival, providing event times, locations, author profiles, exhibitor lists, and real-time updates.
- Provide festival navigation tools Visitor Experience EnhancementOffers mobile applications for iPhone and Android to guide attendees through the festival, providing event times, locations, author profiles, exhibitor lists, schedule updates, parking maps, and food vendor information.
- Support literacy programs Book Distribution & Reading Space DevelopmentDonates over $2.5 million to support literacy programs in southern Arizona, providing financial assistance to maintain free access to festival programming and local literacy initiatives.
- Support literacy programs Book Distribution & Reading Space DevelopmentDonates over $2.5 million to support literacy programs in southern Arizona, providing financial assistance to maintain free access to festival programming and other literacy initiatives.
- Supporting Literacy Programs Book Distribution & Reading Space DevelopmentThe organization provides financial support to maintain free access to its programming and has donated over $2.5 million to support literacy programs in southern Arizona since 2009.
capacity building · 1
- Operating a Writing Contest and Workshop Writing Contests with Mentorship WorkshopsThe organization hosts an annual writing contest for Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry, and invites the top 50 entrants to a Master's Workshop led by festival authors.
strategies · 13
how they think
Theories of action extracted from this org's own source material. Click any to see the full field of orgs running the same approach.
- Attendee-centered experience design attendee-centered schedulingEmpowers attendees to plan and personalize their participation using published author schedules, fostering autonomy and deeper engagement with the festival’s offerings.
- Author Engagement and Support for Emerging Writers author_engagementThe organization brings award-winning authors to Tucson by covering hosting costs and uses festival-presenting authors as judges to evaluate submissions, thereby supporting emerging writers through professional engagement and mentorship.
- Author Engagement and Support for Emerging Writers author_engagement_and_mentorshipThe organization brings award-winning authors to Tucson by covering hosting costs and facilitates the evaluation of submissions by festival-presenting authors, thereby supporting emerging writers through professional engagement and mentorship.
- Author-supported programming author_engagementBrings award-winning authors to Tucson by covering hosting costs, including sessions and dinner events, to enrich public programming and elevate literary engagement.
- Community Engagement for Educational Enrichment community_engagementThe festival actively engages non-profit participants and event sponsors to deliver presentations and activities that "bring science to life," enriching the community's educational experience.
- Community engagement through partner collaboration community engagementCollaborates with non-profits and sponsors to co-create dynamic, interactive experiences—such as science demonstrations—that bring diverse fields to life for the public.
- Donor-Funded Literacy Programs donor_funded_literacy_supportThe organization leverages donor support from book lovers to fund and implement literacy programs specifically in southern Arizona.
- Donor-funded literacy and access model donor-funded literacy support,donor-supported free access modelRelies on donor support from book lovers to sustain free public access to all festival programming while simultaneously funding regional literacy programs in southern Arizona.
- Free Public Access through Donor Support donor_supported_free_accessThe organization ensures that all festival programming is offered free of charge to the community, making it accessible to everyone. This model is sustained through donor funding, which also supports regional literacy initiatives.
- Interactive Community Engagement for STEM Education interactive_stem_engagementThe organization actively involves non-profit participants and event sponsors to create presentations and activities that "bring science to life," fostering community engagement in STEM education.
- Peer review by publishing professionals peer_review_by_professionalsThe festival uses established, festival-presenting authors as judges to evaluate submissions, creating a professional development pathway for emerging writers through direct engagement with experienced literary figures.
- Volunteer-Dependent Operations volunteer_dependent_operationsThe festival's organization and operation are fundamentally reliant on volunteer labor, which is a core component of its ability to function.
- Volunteer-powered operations volunteer-dependent operationsDeploys volunteer labor as a foundational element in the planning, organization, and execution of the festival, enabling large-scale community programming with lean staffing.
named programs · 1
what they call their work
Literary Award Contest
Annual writing contest that recognizes emerging writers, judged by authors participating in the festival.
relationships · 53
who they work with
- Arizona Appliance and Home Funder — Key Sponsor
- Arizona Daily Star Funder — Named Sponsor
- Arizona Eye Consultants Funder — Participating Sponsor
- Arizona Party Rental Companies Funder — Key Sponsor
- BASIS Charter Schools Funder — Participating Sponsor
- Bath Fitter Southern Arizona Funder — Participating Sponsor
- Beach Fleischman Funder — Contributing Sponsor
- Best Western InnSuites Tucson Foothills Funder — Participating Sponsor
- Bookmans Entertainment Exchange Funder — Signature Sponsor
- Bourn Companies Funder — Supporting Sponsor
- Busey Bank Funder — Participating Sponsor
- City of Tucson Funder — Supporting Sponsor
- Desert Diamond Casinos Funder — Supporting Sponsor
- HarperCollins Children's Books Funder — Contributing Sponsor
- Health Insurance for Arizona Seniors Funder — Participating Sponsor
- Helios Education Foundation Funder — Contributing Sponsor
- Hudson Group Funder — Supporting Sponsor
- Hughes Federal Credit Union Funder — Supporting Sponsor
- ICCU Funder — Participating Sponsor
- InkFox Publicity Funder — Participating Sponsor
- Literacy Connects Partner — Supported literacy program in Southern Arizona
- Long Realty Funder — Signature Sponsor
- Make Way for Books Partner — Supported early childhood literacy organization
- Marshall Foundation Funder — Key Sponsor
- Meg Files Partner — Volunteer who leads the annual writing contest for the Tucson Festival of Books.
- Mesch Clark Rothschild Funder — Participating Sponsor
- Pepper Viner Homes Funder — Contributing Sponsor
- Pi Beta Phi Fraternity - Arizona Alpha Chapter Funder — Contributing Sponsor
- Pima County Public Library Funder — Major Sponsor
- Pima Foundation Funder — Supporting Sponsor
+ 23 more