Invitation to Join “Read the Mountain, Read Ourselves: Khao Yai Book Fest”

Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, is not only a world-class destination for nature-based tourism, but also a “home” to many writers, artists, and intellectuals who live here and continue to create their work. Yet as both a tourism town and a large community, Pak Chong has very few concrete spaces that actively promote reading.

So Good ’N Green Bookstore, the only independent bookstore in the area, located on Thanarat Road—the gateway to Khao Yai—believes that a “bookstore” must be more than a place that sells books. It should also be a “third place” that brings people together. We therefore hope to serve as a central force in strengthening the local reading ecosystem by drawing together partners from community networks, helping turn Khao Yai into a sustainable space for learning.

This project has received support from Thailand Knowledge Park, or TK Park, under the project “Strengthening the Book and Reading Ecosystem in the Regions.” It is also joined by local networks, including the Khao Yai Tourism Association, Hug Khao Yai Club, Pak Chong Restaurant Entrepreneurs Association, Penlaos Restaurant, On Art Creation Co., Ltd., and Khaoyai Connect, an important local media platform.

Participating publishers and bookstores

YF Culture, ISOPOD, Natahaek, Jongsawang, On Art, Barefoot Banana, Plan for Kids, and Kled Thai Distributor

Main Activities

June 19

“Stargazing and Drawing Stars in Khao Yai”

Workshop: “Drawing a Star Map” by Chon Wichaidit, author of The Fa, which won an Outstanding Book Award in the nonfiction category from the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) in 2025. Participants will learn the basics of astronomy and observe the stars through a large telescope.

Host: Chomphunut Nampha

Time: 4:00–9:00 p.m.

Highlight: Launch of a stargazing course that invites participants to learn from nature and record it with their eyes, pens, and hearts at Rai Khao Noi Suwana, one of Khao Yai’s dark-sky areas.

June 20

“Khao Yai, Home of Writers”

Talk: “The Lives and Homes of Writers in Khao Yai” by Professor Emerita Dr. Chariya Rattanarat Brockelman, author of Tales of the Gibbons, winner of an Outstanding Book Award from the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) in the children’s fiction category for ages 6–11 in 2024, and A Fun Walk in the Forest: Love at First Hike. The session will also open the floor for fellow writers attending the event to share their experiences and impressions of Khao Yai.

Host: Khamhom Srinok

Target audience: Readers from Khao Yai, Pak Chong, and other provinces

Time: 3:00–8:00 p.m.

Highlight: A gathering of writers, book people, and art lovers in Khao Yai for a writers’ gathering.

June 21

“Seedlings of Reading”

The festival’s closing activity invites children and families into the world of reading through storytelling, art, and cartoons.

Storytelling by Prida Panyachan, along with a session on the art of writing children’s stories. A multi-award-winning writer and illustrator from Pak Chong, Prida is also the creator of The Moon Wants a Friend, whose rights were recently purchased for adaptation into a stage play in Taiwan.

Workshop: “Simple Storytelling Through Three-Panel Cartoons” by Thawisak Yaimueang, a cartoonist affiliated with Matichon Group who has long put down roots in Khao Yai. How does one think and write cartoons so they are concise, quick to communicate, direct to the point, and capable of making readers both laugh and cry?

Host: Panlop Samsi

Time: 3:00–7:00 p.m.

Highlight: Planting the “seeds of reading” from childhood through picture books and cartoons.

Side Activities

Secondhand Book Market

A space for book lovers to circulate books back into new hands, with an Open Call for 10 vendors, open to the general public.

Blind Date With a Book

Bring along one of your favorite books—and don’t forget to wrap the cover completely. We want the recipient to be truly surprised. Simply write a brief description on a Post-it note, attach it to the wrapped book, and exchange it for another book someone else has brought. Let’s see which book you take home to read, and where your own book will travel next.

Pak Chong Astronomy Club

The Pak Chong astronomy team will help create a fun atmosphere while teaching local children about stargazing, dark-sky areas, and smartphone astrophotography.

Matchstick Foundation

Hard-to-find experts in the art of play will bring fun activities for young people to enjoy across the event grounds, in the cool atmosphere of Khao Yai. The foundation will also accept book donations.

Foundation for Environment and Society

The K9 team, led by “Si Nuan,” a star of Thailand’s search-and-rescue dog circle whose home is in Khao Yai, will meet fans along with his friends.

Influencer Campaign

Review the event on your own social media channels for a chance to win vouchers from the Khao Yai Tourism Association.

Press Like and Share to receive a special event-only sticker set or notebook.

Workshop: Recycling Bottle Caps into Art

Don’t throw away plastic bottle caps; they can be transformed into mobiles or works of art.

Come be part of a shared space for reading, learning, and connection among book lovers in Khao Yai.

Follow Khaoyai Connect and So Good ’N Green for more event updates, and join us at “Read the Mountain, Read Ourselves: Khao Yai Book Fest” from June 19–21.

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