[1] The event typically includes special programming for children and teens, panels by best-selling and emerging authors, a literary circus, culturally diverse programs, a poetry venue, exhibitor booths and two food courts.

[2][3] The Festival's mission is to improve literacy rates among children and adults in Southern Arizona.

[4][5] In addition to aiding the fight against illiteracy, the festival also helps the local community tremendously.

In a study by a students at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, the festival was found to pump an estimated $4 million into Tucson’s economy annually.

In 2011, the Founders Award was established to recognize "literary achievement that captivated [the] imagination and whose body of work will be an inspiration to readers, writers, and booklovers".