• Environment/Nature
• Family Day
• Fiction
• Latinx voices
• Middle Eastern Voices
• Picture Books
• Read Aloud
• Toddlers

Storytime for Littles

Diana Farid, Aida Salazar

Bounce along to lyrical language and festive illustrations in this interactive read aloud for babies and toddlers! Enjoy gentle, rhythmic stories from Diana Farid (Already All the Love) and Aida Salazar (When the Sun Rises and When Moon Blooms) that remind caregivers to enjoy the present moment as they move through the seasonal cycles of life and celebrate everything their young child already is—strong, brave, and in touch with nature!

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage

• Black Voices
• Family Day
• Fiction
• Graphic Novels
• Queer Voices

Pages and Pictures from Early Reader to Middle Grade

Annie Barrows, Nina LaCour, Meggie Ramm, moderated by Lisa Moore Ramee and Cinnamongirl Laila

The only thing better than an awesome story? An awesome story with pictures, perfect for early readers and middle graders! Follow along with Stella & Marigold as they explore secrets involving blankets, a terrible storm, and two brave children in Annie Barrows’ bright new series about a pair of sisters adventuring through their imaginary worlds. Nine-year-old Ella from Nina LaCour’s Ella Josephine: Resident in Charge also knows what it’s like to have secrets in her perfect apartment house on Poppy Hill, which is inhabited by residents who are as much family as they are neighbors. The beloved Batcat graphic novel series returns to cook up something special in Batcat: Cooking Contest by Meggie Ramm, a story celebrating food, friends, found family, and festivities. Author Lisa Moore Ramée and Laila of Cinnamongirl Inc. will moderate the joyful discussion between these authors, whose stories help us figure out the world and our place in it—and who we want by our side.

Book signing information: Eastwind Books, at the venue by the stage

• Activity
• Family Day

Patterns with Kellie Menendez

Kellie Menendez

Join Kellie Menendez in making your own nature-inspired pattern. Simply show up and there will be a collection of leaves, dried flowers, and dry clay for you to create a colorful collage of your own to take home. You can add color by pressing the flowers and leaves into the clay, by stamping leaves onto the clay, or by simply drawing decorative elements around your design with markers. The joy will be in letting your creative mind flourish by creating art using the patterns provided by nature. All materials are provided.

• Asian American Voices
• Black Voices
• Family Day
• Fantasy
• Fiction
• Middle Eastern Voices
• Social Issues
• Trans Voices

Fantastical Worlds and Beings

Zetta Elliott, Gloria Huang, Naseem Jamnia, Avione Lee, moderated by Isis Asare

Close your eyes and dream without limits… What kind of world does your imagination conjure? For Naseem Jamnia, the result is The Glade, a clearing in the woods of a summer camp, where falling asleep means entering one another’s dreams—and nightmares. Then, step through a rainbow-edged door in the sky with Vinny Robinson (a.k.a. “Ma”) from Zetta Elliott’s The Oracle’s Door, prequel to the bestselling Dragons in a Bag series, as she navigates a world filled with dragons and other amazing creatures to save the ones she loves during Chicago’s Red Summer of 1919. When Rim Wickford’s entire school falls to the ground upon hearing him play a musical pipe, he discovers his Pied Piper identity and embarks on a series of magical musical trials within the colorful hidden world of Pipers in Pied by Avione Lee. Secret powers are also revealed to Kaya in Gloria Huang’s Kaya of the Ocean, a coming-of-age fantasy about a thirteen-year-old descendent of the water goddess Mazu who grapples with anxiety, Chinese American identity, and her unruly fledgling powers. Celebrate the mythical, the mystical, and the magical in this wildly imaginative panel, which will be moderated by Isis Asare, CEO and Founder of Sistah SciFi.

Book signing information: Marcus Books, at the venue by the stage

• African Voices
• Asian American Voices
• Black Voices
• Community
• Family Day
• Jewish Voices
• Picture Books
• Queer Voices
• Read Aloud

Moving House, Moving Place, and Opening Our Minds

Adam Chang, J.P. Takahashi, Seina Wedlick, and Stephanie Wildman, emceed by Cinnamongirls Maia and Serena

Join us for this uplifting read aloud featuring beautiful and heartfelt picture books! Take a peek into Miri’s eventful move into a new apartment, where her grandfathers are waiting with surprises, in Adam Chang and Stephanie Wildman’s Miri’s Moving Day. Form new connections and community around the kitchen table with Zainab in Seina Wedlick’s Space for Everyone, and follow Sai and her cousin Avi as they attend a reunion with their Japanese American and African American extended family in J.P. Takahashi’s Waiting for Hanami. Highlighting families from diverse backgrounds, these stories illustrate the beautiful ways in which big changes can inspire connection, community, and lasting foundations. This read aloud will be emceed by Maia and Serena of Cinnamongirl Inc.

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage

• Activity
• Family Day

movement with Justine Villanueva

Justine Villanueva

Justine will be leading a movement activity based on her book Mungan and Lola. We will be exploring a butterfly-inspired dance along with some kulintang beats. Kids and adults are invited to join.

• Asian American Voices
• Family Day
• Fiction
• Middle Eastern Voices
• Panel Discussion
• Queer Voices
• Romance
• South Asian Voices

Love +

Candice Jalili, Ambika Vohra, moderated by Sharon Levin

This kaleidoscopic panel will explore the love stories that blossom within broader contexts. In Finding Famous, a secret celebrity father, a potential soulmate, and a whirlwind of paparazzi take the stage in Candice Jalili’s Iranian-American, reality TV twist on the “rags-to-riches” tale. Ambika Vohra tells the opposite story in The Sticky Note Manifesto of Aisha Agarwal, which follows a valedictorian shoo-in who creates a wall of boundary-pushing dares upon encountering a college admissions prompt about going beyond comfort zones. Moderated by youth literature reviewer Sharon Levin, the irresistible stories of this panel prove that love—existing beyond genre, stereotypes, and our wildest expectations—is anything but a monolith.

Book signing information: Marcus Books, at the venue by the stage

• Activism
• Asian American Voices
• Environment/Nature
• Family Day
• History & Biography
• Native Voices
• Picture Books
• Queer Voices
• Racial Justice
• Read Aloud
• Social Issues

Fighting for What You Love

Traci Huahn, Cheryl Kim, Brook Thompson, emceed by Cinnamongirl Kamiyah and Grace

From education to sports to the environment, we fight for what we love! Learn from three amazing picture books that tell true stories of inspiring people taking a stand against the norm. In Traci Huahn’s Mamie Tape Fights to Go to School, learn about 8-year-old Mamie Tape’s fight to attend a San Francisco public school during the 1880s, when Chinese children weren’t allowed in the “all white” public schools. Japanese-American Wataru Misaka also faced many challenges as the first person of color to play in the NBA, and Cheryl Kim captures his story in her book, Wat Takes His Shot. For Brooke Thompson, who is a part of the Yurok and Karuk Tribes, her community’s fight to protect the habitats of salmon and lampreys along the Klamath River motivated her to pursue environmental science and tell this act of manifest dismantling in I Love Salmon and Lampreys: A Native Story of Resilience. Emceed by the talented Kamiyah and Grace of Cinnamongirl Inc., this event will inspire readers to flip the page, take a stand, and never back down when people in power try to take away the things we love!

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage

• Asian American Voices
• Black Voices
• Family Day
• Fiction
• Graphic Novels
• Healing
• Health Care
• Nonfiction
• Panel Discussion
• Poetry
• Policing
• Queer Voices
• Social Issues
• South Asian Voices
• Trans Voices

All Bodies All Selves

Zetta Elliott, Maia Kobabe, Sarah Peitzmeier, Seema Yasmin, moderated by Shia Shabazz Smith and Cinnamongirl Taylor Sky

As we face increasing attacks on our bodily autonomy from our federal and state governments, these books provide essential resources and narratives that approach the topic with acuity and compassion. Award-winning author Zetta Elliott reflects the voices of Black women and girls for whom body policing has long been an issue in Say Her Name, a collection of poems that pays tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists championing the Black Lives Matter cause, revealing the beauty, danger, and magic found at the intersection of race and gender. In Seema Yasmin’s Unbecoming, a near-speculative novel that has predicted our anti-abortion world with terrifying accuracy, two Muslim teens in Texas create an illegal guide to abortion that includes how to secure safe medications and navigate underground networks of clinics that sprung up in response to unfair laws that prohibit the right to choose. Breathe: Journeys to Healthy Binding by bestselling author Maia Kobabe and Public Health Assistant Professor Sarah Peitzmeier, offers a real-life a graphic novel guide to chest binding as gender-affirming care not only for trans and nonbinary folks but also for anyone interested in what it means to be on a journey of expressing one’s gender in ways that are joyful, healthy, and affirming. Screenwriter, poet, and educator Shia Shabazz Smith and Taylor Sky of Cinnamongirl Inc. will moderate this panel, building from the crucial book Our Bodies, Ourselves, that advocates for bodily autonomy for all bodies, all selves.

Book signing information: Eastwind Books, at the venue by the stage

• Activity
• Black Voices
• Family Day

Nkeiruka Oruche (Notable & Notorious Nigerian Women) coloring book

Nkeiruka Oruche & ZioraMmachi

Join the author for a reading from some pages of the Notable & Notorious Nigerian Women Coloring Book, and a mini coloring session.

• Family Day
• Native Voices

Native Story Circle

Theresa Harlan, John Roy Twaddell

Join us for a special Story Time Circle at the library, where these community members share the rich tradition of storytelling in their cultural circles. This unique experience offers children from all walks of life and backgrounds the opportunity to connect with the art of Native storytelling. Through captivating tales, wisdom, and history passed down through generations, children will learn about the beauty and importance of community, culture, and nature. Come sit in a circle and journey across vivid landscapes through the magic of storytelling. All are welcome to this meaningful community gathering led by John Roy Twaddell and Theresa Harlan!

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage

• Asian American Voices
• Black Voices
• Community
• Family Day
• Fiction
• Graphic Novels
• Panel Discussion
• Queer Voices
• South Asian Voices

Finding Your Place in Middle Grade

Katryn Bury, Arree Chung, Lisa Moore Ramee, and Elisa Stone Leahy, moderated by Shanthi Sekaran and Cinnamongirl Talia

How does a middle schooler learn to fit in? In Lisa Moore Ramée’s The Everybody Experiment, Kylie takes a scientific approach to “become mature” by doing what everybody else does, while Ming Lee from Arree Chung’s latest graphic novel, Don’t Cause Trouble, uses middle school as an excuse to get a rebellious fresh start against his father’s wishes. Social chameleon Mallory Marsh, from Mallory in Full Color by Elisa Stone Leahy, finds out just what happens when one disobeys their parents after she faces the consequences of her secret identity as sci-fi webcomic author Dr. BotGirl. Sci-Fi proves to be a uniting factor for UFO enthusiast Sam Kepler Greyson, who sheds his identity as the “cancer kid” after meeting an unexpected friend in We Are Not Alone by Katryn Bury. Join this panel, moderated by Talia of Cinnamongirl Inc. and novelist Shanthi Sekaran, to embrace the awkward, the embarrassing, and the heartwarming moments that show us perhaps there isn’t a solution to fitting in—we can only grow into our true selves with time.

Book signing information: Marcus Books, at the venue by the stage

• Asian American Voices
• Family Day
• Fiction
• Graphic Novels
• Humor
• Muslim Voices
• Nonfiction
• Panel Discussion
• Queer Voices

Follow Your Heart to Graphic Novels

Wahab Algarmi, Huda Fahmy, Mary Shyne, Gene Luen Yang, moderated by Elaine Tai

Whether in a comic panel or at a panel discussion, these earnest graphic novel stories are here to remind us to stay true to ourselves, our beliefs, and our passions! Follow Huda Fahmy’s exhilarating and chaotic family vacation to Disney World, where self-conscious Huda quickly realizes that her family’s public prayers make them stand out; and while she is proud of her religion and who she is, she sure wishes she could just think: Huda F Cares? Like the people Huda encounters in Florida, the students and teachers at Hassan’s middle school are also particularly uninformed about the traditions of Ramadan in Wahab Algarmi’s Almost Sunset, and Hassan must learn to balance it all during this hectic holy month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. Time plays a mischievous role in You and Me On Repeat by Mary Shyne, a swoony and hilarious rom-com graphic novel about two former friends who are trapped in a time loop that repeats their high school graduation day over and over and over. Written by high school teacher and award-winning graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, Dragon Hoops recounts his life-changing journey following the men’s varsity basketball team as they shoot for their ultimate goal: the California State Championships. Celebrating both the comical and meaningful moments in life, this compelling panel, moderated by librarian and children’s author Elaine Tai, offers an endearing and intimate look into the multidimensional lives of graphic novel protagonists.

Book signing information: Eastwind Books, at the venue by the stage

• Activity
• Family Day
• Writing & Publishing

Bento Children’s Magazine – storytelling workshop

Upasna Kakroo

Peerbagh will share a storytelling experience for kids and families. You will hear a folk story from Upasna Kakroo and then you can create fun endings from your own imagination. Even if you're not a writer or storyteller, you will get an opportunity to be creative using prompts provided during the event. The best stories that are shared may get published in Bento children's magazine and children may win prizes as well!

• Activism
• Environment/Nature
• Family Day
• History & Biography
• Latinx voices
• Native Voices
• Panel Discussion
• Picture Books
• Queer Voices
• Social Issues

Bite-Sized Biographies: Picture Books of Resistance and Resilience

Katie Dorame, Michael Genhart, Kate Hannigan, moderated by Raquel Donoso

Join us in this exciting panel of picture book biographers depicting the lives of influential historical figures whose impacts were anything but bite-sized. Edie for Equality by Michael Genhart narrates the numbers-loving and LGBTQ-rights activist Edie Windsor’s fight for marriage equality against the U.S. Supreme Court, while Katie Dorame tells the fascinating story of Toypurina: Japchivit Leader, Medicine Woman, Tongva Rebel, a leader in Indigenous history we should all know more about who led a revolt against the San-Gabriel Mission in California in 1785. In Kate Hannigan’s STEAM picture book, Rachel Carson's Wonder-Filled World, readers will learn about how scientist and writer Rachel Carson came to be the mother of the modern environmental movement. Moderated by writer and activist Raquel Donoso, this conversation will encourage readers and listeners of all ages to learn from the powerful leaders who have paved the way.

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage

• Black Voices
• Family Day
• Writing & Publishing

I Am the Legacy: Voices of a New Generation

Cinnamongirls Danielle, Noelle, and Itzel, moderated by TBD

I Am the Legacy, the third anthology from Cinnamongirl Inc’s Write Your Story program, showcases eighteen visionary young authors of color who are changing the literary landscape where only 5-7% of published authors are Black. The authors and poets of I Am the Legacy don't just tell stories – they reshape narratives about who gets to be the hero. From ghostly romances to sisters wielding supernatural powers, from princesses discovering uncomfortable truths to daughters processing grief – these stories explore the complexities of family, identity, and coming of age as young women of color. Their words craft worlds where brown girls aren't just included but centered, where characters navigate loss and self-discovery while finding their own strength. Come hear from these extraordinary young authors who remind us that when girls of color are given the space to shine and tell their stories – they change the world.

Book signing information: Cinnamongirl booth on 3rd floor

• Activity
• Black Voices
• Family Day

Tiffany Golden activity

Tiffany "Ms. Tee" Golden

Coming soon

Book signing information: Eastwind Books, at the venue by the stage

• Black Voices
• Family Day
• History
• Middle Eastern Voices
• Muslim Voices
• Palestianian Voices
• Panel Discussion
• Picture Books

Homeland to Home

Mona Damluji, Maysa Odeh, moderated by Khalil Bendib

A sense of place is something we all deserve. For children whose roots lie in lands and cultures that are often under- or even mis-represented, the concept of home can be complex. When the politics of war propaganda and media stereotypes permeate our lives, children’s books offer insight, better understanding, and for some a path home. From Iraq, Palestine, and Iran, three authors share their homeland journeys. Mona Damluji (I Want You to Know) and Maysa Odeh (A Map For Falasteen). Moderated by Khalil Bendib, host of Voices of the Middle East and North Africa on KPFA (94.1 FM).

Book signing information: Eastwind Books, at the venue by the stage

• Asian American Voices
• Family Day
• Latinx voices
• Picture Books
• Queer Voices
• Read Aloud

I’m Awesome, Just the Way I Am

Gabriela Orozco Belt, Meredith Steiner, Mượn Thị Văn, emceed by Cinnamongirl Sophie and Harlem Juliette

No matter who you are, where you’re from, and how you communicate, you are awesome! If you don’t believe us, turn to these wonderful picture books that feel like a big, warm hug. Just. Like. You. by Meredith Steiner is a rhyming story about the qualities that make different kids unique in a joyful celebration of diversity and individuality, while Gabriela Orozco Belt centers the Hispanic American bicultural experience in I Am, Yo Soy, a bilingual English and Spanish story honoring the big and small ways that embracing our heritage can be the key to being exactly who we’re meant to be. For some important people in your life, You Make the World, just like the father in Mượn Thị Văn’s fantastical story, who describes his son's contagious energy and range of strong emotions as having the same intensity and beauty as the natural world. This heartwarming read aloud will be emceed by Sophie and Harlem Juliette of Cinnamongirl Inc., who certainly knows a thing or two about being awesome!

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage

• Activism
• Asian American Voices
• Environment/Nature
• Family Day
• Fiction
• Graphic Novels
• Latinx voices
• Migration
• Native Voices
• Nonfiction
• Panel Discussion
• Picture Books
• Queer Voices
• Social Issues
• Trans Voices

Healing and Resistance

Alex Combs, Andrew Eakett, Maya Gonzalez, Betty C. Tang, Brook Thompson, moderated by Laura Atkins and Cinnamongirl Claire

In the face of direct oppression and attack on vulnerable communities throughout our nation’s history, especially from the current administration, this moment demands all aspects of resistance: self-nourishment, community healing, and defiance through bold and unapologetic forms of expression. The children’s book creators of this panel use powerful storytelling to present these complex ideas to young people. In When a Bully Is President, Maya Gonzalez explores our country’s national history of bullying and models how we can take care of ourselves and each other when confronted with continued bullying, while Betty C. Tang demonstrates caretaking between undocumented young people in Outsider Kids, the second book in her Parachute Kids graphic novel series about a family of Taiwanese immigrants waiting for visa approval in California. Alex Combs and Andrew Eakett turn to nonfiction in their deeply researched graphic novel, Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day, in which illustrated conversations with modern activists, scholars, and creatives explore some of the societal roles played by trans people beginning in ancient times and explain how the science of sexology and the growing acceptance of (and backlash to) gender nonconformity have helped shape what it means to be trans today. We study our past to move forward together, and another story celebrating the fight for a better future, I Love Salmon and Lampreys, tells Brook Thompson’s journey to becoming a scientist, which was inspired by her Yurok and Karuk tribal people who advocated for the removal of dams from habitats belonging to the salmon and lamprey who nurtured her community for generations. This illuminating conversation, moderated by Laura Atkins of the Social Justice Children's Book Fair and Claire of Cinnamongirl Inc, will exemplify why caring communities are the most long-lasting ones.

Book signing information: Marcus Books, at the venue by the stage

• Asian American Voices
• Family Day
• History & Biography
• Latinx voices
• Nonfiction
• Picture Books
• Read Aloud

Play with Your Food!

Charlotte Cheng, Sara Fajardo, and Laura Lee emceed by Cinnamongirls Funmilayo and Nia

Whether at the kitchen table or reading circle, these delectably charming picture books are sure to make you smile! Savor the joyful celebration of Asian cultures in SOY SAUCE! by Laura Lee (which was painted with real soy sauce!), cool down with Agong’s Taiwanese ice pop company in Icy Fruit: How My Grandfather Spread the Joy of Ice Pops Across Taiwan by Charlotte Cheng, and play an epic conservation game of potato hide-and-seek in Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru's Famed Scientist and Potato Expert by Sara Fajardo! To make things even sweeter, this read aloud will be emceed by Funmilayo and Nia of Cinnamongirl Inc.

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage

• Black Voices
• Family Day
• Fiction
• Health Care
• Latinx voices
• Local Interest
• Panel Discussion
• Policing
• Social Issues

Coming of Age in an Unsteady World

Carolina Ixta, J.R. Rice, and Rhonda Roumani moderated by Xochtil Larios

In a country that tries to erase our troubled history of the oppressive treatment of certain groups, today’s youth are forced to find their footing in an increasingly unsteady world that rejects their exploration of different identities and experiences. Join Oakland writers Carolina Ixta (Shut Up, This is Serious) and J.R. Rice (Broken Pencils) for an impactful panel discussion focused on teen mental health and the difficult choices that young people face as they come of age. Cognizant of the unique struggles that come with growing up in diverse Bay Area communities, these novels present adolescence in a brutally honest and heart-wrenching light, touching on topics like teen pregnancy, drugs, and sexual harassment, while treating readers with both tenderness and tough love in a way that teaches us to demand respect for ourselves, no matter our origins. Joining them will be Rhonda Roumani (Tagging Freedom) whose book follows Kareem Haddad, a young graffiti artist from war-torn Damascus, is inspired to use his art to protest the violence around him, while his cousin Samira in the United States grapples with fitting in and standing up for what’s right. As Kareem’s secret messages spark a movement, both teens must confront the power of activism and the personal choices they must make in the face of war and societal pressure. Moderated by social justice advocate and community leader Xochtil Larios, whose social reform work has earned her the California Endowment 2018 Youth Award and a Soros Youth Justice Fellowship, this discussion will resonate with both teens and adults, offering insight into the universal experience of finding one's way through the maze of mental health, difficult choices, family, and identity.

Book signing information: Eastwind Books, at the venue by the stage

• African Voices
• Black Voices
• Community
• Family
• Family Day
• Picture Books
• Read Aloud
• South Asian Voices

Quiet Voices, Loud Feelings

Nidhi Chanani, Sonali Patodia, and Crystel Patterson, emceed by Peter Limata.

What do we do when words aren’t enough to express our big emotions? Nidhi Chanani’s Quiet Karima shows kids how to find music in our surroundings instead and listen attentively until they find their own voices. Our bodies can help us communicate too, as we see in Kobe’s Special Handshake by Crystel Patterson, a story about how a single handshake can have multiple meanings that inspire hope and reignite joy for kids going through tough times. Self-consciousness can become a loud voice in our head when we compare ourselves to others, but as Krishna from Sonali Patodia’s You’re Truly One of a Kind walks down a long, winding road with his best friend, the diverse beauty surrounding them makes them think, think, and think some more about how he can find his rainbow of confidence! This read aloud, emceed by public school elementary educator Peter Limata, will teach kids to embrace their individuality in all aspects of their lives, from how they look to how they communicate with themselves and others.

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage

• Activism
• Asian American Voices
• Black Voices
• Family Day
• Graphic Novels
• History
• Latinx voices
• Middle Eastern Voices
• Panel Discussion
• Social Issues

Creators’ Collective Action

Robert Liu-Trujillo, Rhonda Roumani, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Maria van Lieshout, moderated by Tomas Moniz

Amidst current challenges like book bans in schools and libraries across the country, record numbers of legal restrictions on the human rights of immigrants and trans people, especially trans youth, in our community, creators play a crucial role when they come together in a unified voice of resistance. We have many models of people who resisted under the most repressive circumstances, including Maria van Lieshout’s Song of a Blackbird, a historical graphic novel based on a true story about a collective of artists in the Dutch Resistance during WWII who used their creativity to save children and to support community resistance in heavily oppressive times.There are also many organizations pushing back now, today, demonstrating the pivotal role of the creative spirit in highlighting problems, providing possible solutions, and bringing us together to lift us up. Hear from Maggie Tokuda-Hall of Authors Against Book Bans, Rhonda Roumani of Story Sunbirds, and Robert Liu-Trujillo of the Social Justice Children’s Book Fair on how they are pushing back against book bans, fighting for children in the face of war, and uplifting social justice children’s books in their community. For everyone and anyone who cares about young humans, this panel, moderated by author and professor Tomas Moniz, will invite creatives and organizers to share what gives them hope, what they do, and how we can all get involved.

Book signing information: Eastwind Books, at the venue by the stage

• Asian American Voices
• Climate
• Environment/Nature
• Family Day
• Fantasy
• Native Voices
• Panel Discussion
• Queer Voices
• Romantasy
• South Asian Voices
• Trans Voices

The End of the (Fantastical) World: Complicated Relationships in Dystopia

Angela Montoya, Aimee Phan, Nikhil Prabala, Andrea L. Rogers, moderated by Charlie Jane Anders

If the world was ending, we’d want to be next to these dystopian reads that also warm the heart! The Art Thieves, a work of Cherokee Futurismby Andrea L. Rogers, begins amidst a climate crisis in 2052, when a high-school museum employee becomes entangled in a mission to save the world around her from imminent implosion. A different kind of darkness permeates the vampire-plagued pueblos in Angela Montoya’s A Cruel Thirst, in which headstrong Carolina Fuentes rejects settling down with a husband to join her family in hunting down bloodthirsty monsters. Blood is thicker than water, as high school sophomores Jolie and Huong realize when they discover that they are the reincarnates of the Trung Sisters, legendary queens and goddesses of ancient Vietnam, in Aimee Phan’s The Lost Queen. Another series debut featuring royalty is The Duchess of Kokora by Nikhil Prabala, where long-brewing political tensions simmer beneath the surface of a marriage competition in the fantasy kingdom of Ryene. Though they hail from different realms, the protagonists in this delightfully dreadful panel, moderated byauthor and columnist Charlie Jane Anders, share one thing in common: they would do anything it takes to save their fantastical worlds.

Book signing information: Marcus Books, at the venue by the stage

• Activity
• Family Day

Drawing with Shawn Harris (cancelled)

Shawn Harris

Unfortunately this speaker can no longer attend the Bay Area Book Festival.   Peek behind the scenes of children’s book illustration with award-winning artist and musician Shawn Harris, whose silly picture book, Let’s Be Bees, tells the story of a father and child who become buzzing bees through the power of make-believe. Stretch your imagination and join Shawn in a fun drawing activity that is sure to make both kids and adults buzz with excitement!

Book signing information: Medicine for Nightmares, at the venue by the stage