Bill Nelson giving a presentation on a brightly lit stage in front of a large screen displaying Earth from space. — Former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, also previously a NASA administrator, speaks at an event on September 24, 2024. Credit: Lev Radin / Shutterstock

This year’s Florida Studies Program Book Festival takes readers to the swamps, space, prison and more through the pages of its authors.

The program at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg hosts its annual festival this weekend, led by program director Chris Mindl. The lineup of a dozen writers includes Hilary Fowler, who recently published “The Kite and the Snail,” and “The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook” author Dalia Colón.

Former U.S Sen. Bill Nelson, who was also a NASA astronaut, joins Gary Mormino in a lunchtime discussion. The Miami-native and former astronaut wrote about his out-of-this-world experience in his 1988 book “Mission: An American Congressman’s Voyage to Space.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King will discuss his 2025 book, “Bone Valley,” a true-crime podcast turned nonfiction pageturner about a man wrongfully convicted for his wife’s 1987 murder.

There is no cover (RSVP requested) for the Florida Studies Book Festival, happening Saturday, April 11, in St. Petersburg.