Literary Travel Guide: Kansas City
Literary Travel Guide: Kansas City
A special thank-you to Hilary, my friend and local Kansas City photographer for all of these beautiful photos! Please check out her Facebook Page or on Instagram if you're in the KC area. She's obviously great at taking architectural photos, but she's even better with people!
Literary Destinations:
Writers Place | 3607 Pennsylvania Ave, Kansas City, MO 64111
The Writers Place is a Literary Center that advances and celebrates the craft of writing.
The Kansas City Star | 1729 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108
The Kansas City Star is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. Also, Ernest Hemingway worked here.
Community Bookshelf & Library Parking | 114 W 10th St, Kansas City, MO 64105
The most Instagrammable place in Kansas City for book-lovers.
Explor-a-Storium - The Rabbit Hole | 919 E 14th Ave, Kansas City, MO 64116
COMING SOON! Imagine a place where books live and breathe in a building overflowing with stories... The Rabbit hOle is bringing a national center for children’s literature to Kansas City!
Oz Museum | 511 Lincoln Ave, Wamego, KS 66547
The OZ Museum is dedicated to all things OZ, offering an experience that attracts visitors from around the globe. The OZ Museum is home to exclusive exhibits featuring the unimaginable, from the earliest Baum books and OZ Parker Brothers board games to today's collectibles, which can be purchased from the Official OZ Museum Store. It is an enchanting experience appropriate for all ages.
Kansas City's Best Libraries:
The Kansas City Public Library: Central Library | 14 W 10th St, Kansas City, MO 64105
The Central Library serves as the main resource library for the system. It houses the major library departments, including: Customer Service, Central Reference, Special Collections, Youth Services, Document Delivery, Collection Maintenance, Library Outreach, and all of the Administrative departments.
Kansas City Public Library Irene H. Ruiz Branch | 2017 W Pennway St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Irene H. Ruiz Biblioteca de las Americas features a wide variety of materials in Spanish: books, magazines, fotonovelas, CDs, and DVDs. The library has unique bibliographic and audiovisual resources related to Latin American culture in Spanish and English. Regular staff members are bilingual.
Kansas City Public Library: Plaza Branch | 4801 Main St, Kansas City, MO 64112
The Plaza Branch Library is located near the Country Club Plaza. Free parking is available in the Plaza Branch's parking garage. There are designated children's and teen's service areas, as well as comfortable chairs and tables throughout the branch for customers to read, write, study or visit. Several meeting rooms are available for community or neighborhood meetings. The Plaza Branch has particularly strong collections in children's resources, arts & crafts books, and business materials. It also has large video, compact disc, and audiobook collections.
Kansas City Public Library: Westport Branch | 118 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO 64111
Located in the heart of Westport and only blocks from the Plaza, the historic Westport Branch was the first branch of the Kansas City Public Library, opening its doors to the public in 1898. Today it stands as a prominent landmark in the Midtown community and provides a cozy environment and friendly atmosphere for its many patrons.
Kansas City Public Library: Lucile H. Bluford Branch | 3050 Prospect Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64128
The Bluford Branch Library is located in Kansas City's east side. Along with its strong collections in African American literature it is the first library in the Kansas City Public Library system to host a Health & Wellness Center.
Linda Hall Library | 5109 Cherry St, Kansas City, MO 64110
The Linda Hall Library is the world’s foremost independent research library devoted to science, engineering, and technology. A not-for-profit, privately funded institution, the Library is open to the public free of charge.
Bookish Places to Eat in Kansas City:
Novel | 1927 McGee St, Kansas City, MO 64108
I chose this one for its name. The dining room features a fifty foot long tile mosaic across from an open kitchen. The inviting full service granite bar seats up to eighteen guests with views of the outdoor patio planted with native trees and grasses.
Webster House | 1644 Wyandotte St, Kansas City, MO 64108
Located inside a restored Romanesque-style school next door to the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Webster House offers guests a distinctive shopping experience and remarkable dining. Browse our shop which contains beautiful European antiques, gifts, clothing, jewelry and personal accessories. Dine in our award-winning restaurant with spectacular views of the Liberty Memorial and downtown with seasonal menus focused on ingredients from local producers.
Literary Events in Kansas City:
Midwest Poets Series | Pedro Arrupe Hall, 5351 Forest Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110
Midwest Poets Series, sponsored by The Center for Arts & Letters and the College of Arts and Sciences, enhances the literary and intellectual lives of Rockhurst University, the Kansas City community and the surrounding region.
Longview Literary Festival | 3200 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111
This annual event often features readings, panel discussions and writing workshops as well book sales and autographs. They include a wonderful guest list including authors, a number of small press publishers and writers as well as critique groups.
A Common Sense Reading Series | 1819 Grand Blvd
Kansas City, Missouri
A series of book-related events often held at KCAI Crossroads Gallery: Center for Contemporary Practice.
Kansas City's Independent Bookstores:
Rainy Day Books | 2706 W 53rd St, Fairway, KS 66205
Rainy Day Books is a full-line, full-service bookstore, carrying an array of carefully selected new books for adults and children alike. We produce 300+ Author Events each year. We make accurate personal reading recommendations for individuals and their families & friends. We also carry a wide selection of boxed and individual greeting cards. Among our other personal services: We special order books daily, provide complimentary high quality gift wrapping, and we carefully pack and ship books all over the world.
Prospero's Books | 1800 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111
Used book store in Kansas City, Missouri
Willa's Books | 1734 E 63rd St, Kansas City, MO 64110
Willa's Books specializes in used and rare African-American books, first editions, as. well as the works of a wide variety of authors.
Steel's Used Books | 214 E 18th Ave, North Kansas City, MO 64116
The distinct aroma of vintage books lures you in, reminding you of lazy summers spent trailing fingers along shelves and shelves of books from the libraries of your youth. It calls you to board the magic paper carpet for journeys to places and ideas beyond your day to day routines, or to close yourself in those worded castles of depth and weight and challenge, sitting at the feet of those who’ve traveled before and beyond you.
White Light Bookstore and Crystals | 1801 W 39th St, Kansas City, MO 64111
White Light Bookstore and Crystals is a New Age, Spiritual and Metaphysical Bookstore that is a unique resource to anyone searching for inner knowledge, angelic wisdom and spiritual growth.