Coming soonAuthor stories
Stories · people · places worth discovering
Good stories live here.
Discover Midwest authors, independent bookstores, bookish events, regional stories, and the people and places shaping literary life across the Midwest.
Read the region
Stories from across the Midwest
Meet the people and places behind the Midwest’s literary life, from author conversations and independent bookstores to road-trip-worthy discoveries.
New storyMidwest Voices · Author interview
Katie Gabbert Downey on writing like you’re opening your underwear drawer
The Blue Springs author talks indie publishing, creative control, Midwest landscapes, and the vulnerable parts of putting your work into the world.
Coming soon
Coming soonOn the road
Bookish places worth the drive
Worth the drive
Some places deserve their own road trip.
We’re mapping the bookstores, author events, literary festivals, bookish businesses, and unexpected stops that turn a weekend drive into a bookish adventure.
Explore the literary MidwestDiscover the literary Midwest
Find your next bookish stop.
Looking for a Midwest author, an independent bookstore, an event worth the drive, or something bookish you did not know existed? Start here and follow the trail.
01AuthorsMeet regional writers →02BookstoresFind independent shops →03Bookish EventsFind something bookish to do →
Explore all discoveryAuthors, bookstores, and the bookish events calendar are live now. More directories and place guides are on the way.
Featured event
Cozy Fest:
A Jane Austen Affair
An afternoon of books, authors, vendors, and Jane Austen-inspired atmosphere at Kansas City’s Alexander Majors House & Barn.
View event details
MBB
About Midwest Book Beat
The Neighbor.
The Storyteller.
We’re the friend who knows the little bookstore two towns over, the Midwest writer you haven’t discovered yet, and the literary event worth putting on your calendar.
“There’s always another story just down the road.”
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Good books. Interesting people. Places worth visiting.
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