The finest members of the Ann Arbor literati will be hitting the brick and cobblestone streets of Kerrytown this Sunday for a day filled with books, high-powered discussion, a touch of mystery and some delicious and belletristic confections. It’s the seventh annual Kerrytown BookFest and, as always, there’s a frenzy of book-related activities planned for the day. The activities, which begin at 11 a.m., are centered at the Farmers’ Market.

Although the program for the book festival changes every year, its focus is always the same: the celebration of reading and Ann Arbor’s thriving book culture. In addition to all the authors and distinguished speakers who flock to the BookFest, at the heart of the festival are those who actually create books. The likes of bookbinders, papermakers, letterpress printers and book artists will be there, some of them showcasing their craft for visitors.

“There’s a big focus on the book arts,” President of the Bookfest Board Robin Agnew, who owns Aunt Agatha’s Mystery Bookshop downtown, said. “It’s a really unusual additional focus for our event.”

"Culinary Michigan" is this year's theme, and events on the topic take up about half of the programming. Drawing in local food connoisseurs along with gastronomes from out of town, the BookFest will have panels headed by culinary celebrities. Take for instance Jane and Michael Stern, the “Roadfood” adventurers from National Public Radio’s “The Splendid Table.” They’ll be participating in a panel called “Local Foods in the World and Global Foods in Michigan” along with Ari Weinzweig, co-owner of Zingerman’s, and Jan Longone, the University of Michigan Clements Library culinary historian. And this panel is only one of many — the rest of the topics are as varied as food blogging in “Eating Online” and gastronomic whodunits in “Mysteries to Cook By.”

The Sterns also have a cake job set up judging the Edible Book Contest. The rules to this contest — which unites food and literature — are simple. Turn your favorite novel, author or character into something edible. Puns are encouraged. For example, “if you had a beer mug with a hot dog in it, that would be Frankenstein,” Agnew explained. The hottest contenders will duke it out for such awards as Most Book-Like, Pun-Intended and Best in Show.

But it’s not all about food at this year’s BookFest. Once they’re full, visitors will find the rest of the programming offers a wide variety of guests and activities. Mystery buffs are lucky this year — headlining is Jeffery Deaver, bestselling writer and author of “The Bone Collector,” who is set to speak at 4 p.m. Continuing along the same hardboiled lines, there will be a true crime panel featuring writers Mardi Link, Patrick Brode, Steve Miller and Andrea Billups. Moderated by writer and blogger Laura James, the panel will focus on true crime writing, both contemporary and historical.

There are still dozens of things to do for those ambivalent about mystery solving. Aspiring journalists and newspaper enthusiasts biting their nails over folding publications might want to check out “The Future of Print Journalism.” Speakers from the Ann Arbor Chronicle, Annarbor.com, The Ann Arbor Observer, The Detroit News and USA Today will address the seemingly grim outlook and share their predictions on what’s to come. There will also be a panel discussion on “Counterculture and Music of the ’60s,” where a biography of Ann Arbor native Bob Seger is one of the featured books.

In addition, Michigan Notable Book Award Winner Mary Ellen Geist will speak about her winning book, “Measure of the Heart,” which details the relationship between a father with Alzheimer’s disease and his daughter.