In addition to hosting a book festival, Friends of the Written Word continues to seek other ways to promote literacy, celebrate books, and highlight Texas authors. As an example, the nonprofit organization sponsored a short story contest in 2025.

History

Under the umbrella of Friends of the Written Word, a grassroots group of community volunteers got together to organize the first Fredericksburg Book Festive in January 2024. The organizing committee attracted members who had a variety of legal, planning, marketing, financial, writing, and social media skills. This dedicated core group of about 15 volunteers met every two weeks to organize the initial book festival. 

They patterned it after successful book festivals such as the Texas Book Festival in Austin and the San Antonio Book Festival. The goal of the book festival organizers was to encourage reading among children and adults while attracting more patrons to the Pioneer Memorial Library located in Fredericksburg’s historic district. They agreed to feature only Texas authors.

The first Fredericksburg Book Festival was held on January 18, 2025. The event featured presentations by a dozen authors, book sales and signings, children’s activities, and a trolley transporting festival attendees to three venues. Approximately 700 people attended the 2025 book festival, which facilitated connections between authors and readers and shined a spotlight on the Pioneer Memorial Library. The festival also demonstrated that Fredericksburg, which has a rich history of community gatherings, would support a literary event.