Name: 100 Years of Gatsby
Start: 2025-10-18T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-10-18T20:30:00-04:00
Location: Midtown Scholar Bookstore

One hundred years ago, on April 10, 1925, Charles Scribner's Sons published The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Today, we celebrate.
About this Event

One hundred years ago, on April 10, 1925, Charles Scribner's Sons published The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. After its initial publication, reviews were mixed; the book was considered a commercial failure, and it wasn't until after World War II that the novel earned widespread critical and popular acclaim. Today, it is considered one of the greatest novels in American history.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Great Gatsby, the Harrisburg Book Festival will host an evening of live music, dramatic readings, a panel conversation, Gatsby-themed beverages and hors d’oeuvres, and more. Dressing up in your favorite 1920's era vintage attire is highly encouraged.

The evening's main event will feature a panel conversation on the legacy of The Great Gatsby with award-winning authors Michael Farris Smith (author of Nick) and K.M. Fajardo (author of Local Heavens), moderated by Princeton University rare book librarian, Emma Sarconi. Hors d'oeuvres provided by cookbook author, Becky Diamond (The Gilded Age Cookbook).

This is a ticketed event. Doors will open at 6:00pm. Every ticket includes general admission entry and a $10 credit towards any of the featured author's books. Seating is limited, and is available on a first come, first served basis. Early arrival is encouraged.

About the Book:

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published by Scribner in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

About the Panelists:

K. M. Fajardo is a second-generation Filipino-Canadian speculative fiction writer from Ontario, Canada. She graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Global Business and Digital Arts before working in the tech industry. Her short fiction has previously been published in Canadian publications, Augur and Ricepaper Magazine. She now writes full-time in Toronto and is currently working on her second book, a fantasy work inspired by Filipino culture and myth.

Michael Farris Smithis the author ofBlackwood,The Fighter,Desperation Road, Rivers, andThe Hands of Strangers.His novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists inEsquire,Southern Living,Book Riot,and numerous other outlets, and have been named Indie Next, Barnes & Noble Discover, and Amazon Best of the Month selections. He has been a finalist for the Southern Book Prize, the Gold Dagger Awardin the UK, and the Grand Prix des Lectricesin France, and his essays have appeared intheNew York Times,theBitter Southerner,Garden & Gun,and more. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi, with his wife and two daughters.

Emma M. Sarconi is a rare book librarian and book historian specializing in the printed book after 1800. As the Reference and Outreach Specialist for Special Collections at Princeton University, Sarconi is continuing her public service work in a rare book library setting through reference, involvement in the Teach With Collections initiative, library projects and events, while also working on projects aimed at telling stories of the women represented in the objects found in Princeton’s Special Collections.