Sarah Jessica Parker and mother talk about their love of books at Adelphi University Writers and Readers festival

Long before she was Carrie Bradshaw or Little Orphan Annie, Sarah Jessica Parker was a lover of books.

"There is something about holding a book which commands you. It's sort of like really committing to a relationship in a different kind of way for me," Parker said to a full audience at a panel titled "The Books That Built Our Souls" on Friday.

Parker, 60, her mother Barbara Forste, 86, and award-winning author and playwright Adriana Trigiani, as moderator, spoke to a full room of students, teachers, and creatives about how their lives were impacted by books and the importance of accessible educational programming.

The panel was a part of Adelphi University’s second annual Writers and Readers Festival, a two-day event that features panels and keynotes, professional development workshops, and conversations about the art and business of publishing.

"Sarah Jessica is interested in worlds, worlds populated by characters that we may never meet in time and place," Trigiani said.

Forste, who said she was rewarded with trips to the library by her own mother, said she still remembers the name of the children’s librarian, Mary Peters, who always had a book for her.

"I don’t remember any of the other children, but I remember her saying, ‘Here’s a book you will like.' "

That passion for literature was passed down from Forste to Parker.

As one of eight children, Parker said money wasn’t abundant growing up, but her mother never let that stop them from living the best life possible.

Cincinnati, where Parker lived as a child, funded a variety of art programs, which the family often took advantage of. Parker said Forste also "made it her business" to find affordable tickets and scholarships for her children to take dance lessons, music lessons, and drama lessons.

Forste also always made her children leave the house with a book in case they became bored.

"She just made it her business to make sure that she wrung out every possibility for us," Parker said.

The panel began with an introduction by Adelphi alumna and novelist Alice Hoffman, 73, author of more than 40 works of fiction, including "Practical Magic."

Trigiani asked Parker and Forste a series of questions about formative books they hold dear, such as the first book they remembered reading and owning, comparing "Jane Eyre" to "Wuthering Heights," and whether it’s important for a main character to have a moral compass.

Telling untold perspectives is one thing Parker said she looks for when reading manuscripts for her book imprint SJP Lit with independent publisher Zando Projects. For example, its upcoming April 8 launch of "These Days" by Lucy Caldwell, tells the story of women in Belfast during World War II.

"I think what's most interesting as a reader is being with people that aren't like ourselves, that don't obey the rules by which we choose to live and see what they make of their worlds," Parker said.