Festival Newsletter: October 2017

Are the next festival’s dates on your calendar yet? April 28-29, 2018! We’ve gone through some dark times recently in the Bay Area, the skies literally darkening, and so many people have faced devastation. We want to offer some solace…

Festival Newsletter: November 2017

Dear Friend of the Festival, We do it “to live twice,” as Anais Nin wrote. Her paramour Henry Miller recommended it “to give our souls a chance to luxuriate.” Gustave Flaubert called it “a perpetual orgy.” Ian McEwan said…

Festival Newsletter: December 2017

Dear Friend of the Festival, In last month’s newsletter, we asked you why you read. And you — you wonderfully curious, insatiable, driven people — answered that you read, above all else, to expand your minds with new ideas. How…

Festival Newsletter: September 2017

Next Festival: April 28-29, 2018! Hello! We know you’ve been staring longingly at your 2017 Bay Area Book Festival program since June. We appreciate the love, but we’re here to tell you to snap out of it because we’re back…

Speaker Spotlight: Viv Albertine

Viv Albertine made a name for herself as the guitarist of punk rock band The Slits in the late 1970s. She made history as a member of an all-female band when the music industry was dominated by men. Throughout her life, she has worked as a musician,…

Holding Corporations Accountable, with Authors Andrew Behar and Clair Brown

Interested in putting your money where your heart is, and making financial decisions that are in line with your values? On Sunday, June 4, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from two leading authors on the topic — Andy Behar and Clair…

Out now: “The Line Becomes a River” by Francisco Cantú

Former border patrol agent and 2018 Festival speaker Francisco Cantú’s new book came out earlier this month, and it is already making waves. In “The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border,” Cantú shares his unique and dynamic…

Third Annual Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley to Highlight the Power of Literature for Social Change

With 200 authors, 100 literary events, a film and literature series, and 200 exhibitors, including children’s activities, the 2017 Bay Area Book Festival returns to Berkeley the weekend of June 3-4. As the official announcement notes, the…

Session Spotlight: What Makes a Family?

“That's what people do who love you. They put their arms around you and love you when you're not so lovable.” ― Deb Caletti “One day you will do things for me that you hate. That is what it means to be family.” ― Jonathan Safran…

Former Chez Panisse Chef with New Cookbook to Appear at the Festival

Writer Samin Nosrat worked for several years at Chez Panisse, and Alice Waters described her as “America’s next great cooking teacher.” Now Nosrat has published Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, combining…