Words on War: Readings by Writers from the Former USSR
Writers and journalists who've lived and worked in the former USSR will join prominent Ukrainian writer Andrei Kurkov in sharing work that relates to the war in Ukraine. Hear from Katya Cengel (From Chernobyl With Love), Simon Shuster (The Fight…
Chokepoint Capitalism
Renowned sci-fi author and activist Cory Doctorow has come to the festival to tell a story that we sure wish was science fiction or fantasy. Do you know what the royalties are for the authors with books at this festival, or how much musicians…
Adam Hochschild on American Midnight and Democracy’s Crises
In American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis, award-winning historian and journalist Adam Hochschild brings alive the horrifying yet inspiring four years following the U.S. entry into the First World…
We Were Once a Family: Journalists Investigating Child Welfare
On March 26, 2018, an SUV carrying two married white women and their six adopted Black children was found at the bottom of a 100-foot cliff in Mendocino County. Officials quickly ruled the incident a murder-suicide, which was shocking enough—but…
Reforming Cop Culture: In Oakland and Nationwide
Oakland is the edge case in American law enforcement and a microcosm of much that is wrong with cop culture nationwide. In The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-up in Oakland the Polk Award–winning investigative duo…
What Has Oakland Taught Us?: A History of Disruptive Development and New Visions for Urban Planning
Displacement, gentrification, the soaring cost of living, reckless development: in the past several years, these issues have ravaged cities across America, including right here in the Bay. Frequently, misguided city planning plays a role. We…
America in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth: Sam Quinones’s Chronicle of a Crisis
Fentanyl and meth: they cut a devastating swath through our communities, claiming record numbers of lives and exacerbating our country’s worst humanitarian crises, from homelessness to severe mental illness. Journalist Sam Quinones, who unforgettably…
Not All Is Lost: New Visions for Conservation
With a never-ending escalation of climate catastrophes and dire forecasts, is it foolish to believe the world can still be saved? These three authors say there’s still hope to turn things around, and they’re going to tell us why—and how.…
Revolution and Resilience: Global Politics in Fiction
Three supremely talented writers with a global perspective will open our eyes to historical and contemporary cycles of oppression and resistance as only the best fiction writers can. NoViolet Bulawayo was a National Book Foundation “5 under…
World as Lover, World as Self: Joanna Macy on Hope, Healing, and Connection in a Suffering World
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, Joanna Macy will not be able to join us this year. All current ticket holders for this session have been refunded.
At 93 years old eco-philosopher Joanna Macy, PhD, is one of the world’s most…