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Kentucky Book Festival kicks off in Lexington

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Some of the most renowned figures of the literary world will converge on Lexington this week for the annual Kentucky Book Festival.

Mayor Linda Gorton and LEX 18's own Jill Szwed helped kick off the festivities on Sunday at Arts Place in downtown Lexington.

After a ribbon cutting ceremony, kids gathered around for story time with Jill, and families were treated to a visit from animals with the Newport Aquarium.

The rest of the week will feature appearances from prominent authors and journalists.

Organizers say they hope to spark kids' interest in reading.

“It helps them use their imagination, you know, it can open a lot of doors for them. It's really cool to see kids who don't know that you can be an author or illustrator and then they meet an author/illustrator, and they're like 'wow, this is a job!' So I encourage every kid to try that,” said Kentucky Book Festival Director Sara Volpi.

The festival runs through November 16th.