FESTIVAL KEYNOTE! Fatherhood and Transformation: Shaka Senghor on Honesty and Healing
If you’ve never heard Shaka Senghor speak, prepare to be transformed. A renowned author and activist who has been interviewed by Oprah, Trevor Noah, and others, Senghor is today's most important voice for men—whether fathers or sons—and…
Mother, Daughter, Collaborators (Plus the Book That Changed the World of Food): The Lappés
Extraordinary mothers, extraordinary daughters: together, they can change the world. Frances and Anna Lappé prove that, when it comes to visionary thought and action, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Frances “changed how we eat”…
Buster Keaton and the Dawn of Cinema
“All my life, I've been happiest when folks watching me said to each other, 'Look at the poor dope, will ya?’” Humility aside, Buster Keaton, aka “The Great Stone Face,” shares equal stature with Charlie Chaplin as a comic genius and…
Picturing a Life: Graphic Memoirs
Blockbuster works like Fun Home, Maus, and Persepolis have made it clear that graphic memoirs are a game-changer in the world of literature. What makes this literary genre–-blending the disciplines of cinema, writing, and visual art—so gripping?…
Celebrating Cannabis
Cannabis has transcended its outdated “wacky tobaccy” reputation. These days, it can be consumed in everything from gummies to hot cocoa, with uses for everyone from chronic pain sufferers to marathon runners to even pets. In the "approachable,…
The Fierce Voice of Nature: Three Astonishing New Novels from Around the World
From Japan, Norway and Spain come authors whose conjurings of flora and fauna, mountain and sea, shimmer on the page so powerfully that nature is the most powerful character of all--for good or ill. Catalan novelist Irene Solà’s debut, When…
Birds in Your Backyard
Everyone, from the avian novice to the most avid birder, will learn something new from this delightful conversation about the beauty and magic teeming in our own backyards. In The Private Lives of Public Birds, Jack Gedney, author and co-owner…
Short Stories: In Search of Belonging
What makes short stories so special (and so hard to write)? They deliver a gut-punch emotional payoff in the fewest possible words. What is this literary magic? A virtuoso of the genre will shed light on this, and so much more. Short-story maestro…
Writer to Writer: Nadifa Mohamed and Douglas Stuart
Join two of the most exciting contemporary novelists to be recognized by the world’s most prestigious literary award, the Booker Prize. Douglas Stuart won in 2020 for his heart-stopping Shuggie Bain. The following year, Nadifa Mohamed became…
Noir at the Bar
An in-person festival staple returns at long last! Time to savor the eerie ambience of foggy alleys, enigmatic clues, and hard-boiled detecting—and the drinks they pair with beautifully. Nordic noir superstars Thomas Enger (Unhinged), Carin…