Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

What is the role of creative political resistance in a time of ascendant fascism? From the elegy to the love poem, from the individual to the collective, these poets will explore how words give us strength.

A new generation of female authors holds in their hands the future of speculative fiction. With the support of Zoetic Press, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and the Consulate General of Sweden in San Francisco.

These authors — an eminent historian, an attorney and critical race scholar and a mixed-race lawyer — explore race and the deep origins and expressions of racism in this country.

The best travel writing is about exploration of "the other" and an embrace of this new terrain into self and one's understanding of the greater world. These writers explore the concept of "place" from very different perspectives.

This festival favorite and former U.S. Poet Laureate will teach you everything he knows about being a poet on the move. While his new book is technically for kids, anyone can learn to jabberwalk! With support from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.

Disparity in wages and opportunity between the rich and the rest of us has grown rapidly in the U.S.; what are the causes and consequences? With support from the Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation.

Post punk rocker (formerly of the feminist cult band The Slits) comes to us from the UK to confront questions of feminism, family and inevitable death with her trademark raw, intimate, vulnerable style. Legendary rock critic Greil Marcus interviews.

These writers showcase the art of writing trauma — one focusing on Native women and the other inspired by her own experience as a survivor of assault. With the support of the Consulate General of Canada, San Francisco/Silicon Valley.

These powerful rising voices are breaking new ground in Native literature. The first 100 attendees will receive an excerpt of Orange's book, set to hit shelves in June. With support from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and the Consulate General of Canada, San Francisco/Silicon Valley.

Two eminent historians and a tribal chairman discuss the trauma visited upon Native tribes and explore the challenges and opportunities of the current moment, including Native activism. With support from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.

An informed, freewheeling discussion for aspiring and published authors and anyone curious about the state of book publishing. Panelists represent the many faces of publishing — from big house to small, university press to hybrid, traditional and non-traditional alike.

These talented novelists explain how the novel can illuminate political change in ways that no non-fiction account can. With the support of the Consulate General of Canada, San Francisco/Silicon Valley.

Great historical fiction rewards readers with entertainment and education at the same time. With the support of the Consulate General of Canada, San Francisco/Silicon Valley.

This versatile author has written more than 45 chart-topping books — from the historical love story of Alex and Eliza Hamilton to the fantastical prequel to "The Descendants." She talks the challenges of risky writing and how she finds her groove.

Through her characters, Pakistani-American young adult fiction writer Sabaa Tahir shows us what's right, what's possible, and what sorts of governance need not be tolerated.

The New York Times bestselling suspense writer is interviewed by Mystery Writers of America NorCal President, a bestselling author of 25 novels. They talk Coulter's craft, art and life of writing. Sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America, Northern California Chapter.

The "SpaceGal" delivers a new character, Ada, who inspires young readers to ask questions and lean into their curiosity, showing them that scientists and engineers can look just like them!

The process of writing something daring doesn't end with publication — authors have to live with the consequences of taking these risks, personally and socially. These panelists invite audience members to ask their own risky questions. Sponsored by the University of San Francisco, MFA in Writing Program.

The small country of Ireland has always had an outsize influence on world literature. For the third year in a row, the festival showcases some of today's most powerful writers who come from this land of literary pioneers. With the support of Culture Ireland.

After every mass shooting, calls for stricter gun regulations ring out on one side; on the other, an insistence on guns, even on campuses, in the name of protection. Famed activist and feminist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz discusses her new book on the second amendment with Pulitzer Prize winner T.J. Stiles.

Compared to a feminist James Joyce, McBride comes to us from Ireland to talk about writing, life, feminism and communicating consciousness through deconstructive writing. With the support of Culture Ireland.

Phoebe Hearst was the eclectic mother of the University of California at Berkeley, just as Jane Stanford co-founded her namesake university through hands-on activism. What lessons do the stories of these brilliant, empowered women hold today for any woman who wants to use financial resources to shape society? Sponsored by the Journal of Alta California.

Is best-selling history bad history? Does good history have to be dull reading? Award-winning historians and biographers reveal how they explore big questions of American history through captivating narratives that win esteem in the academy yet appeal to wide audiences. Sponsored by Reed Schmidt, with partial support from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.

This diverse panel — a former U.S. Border Patrol agent haunted by the job he quit, a novelist-historian and a journalist — provides a sweeping perspective on this vital issue. Sponsored by Mother Jones.

The purchase, preparation and experience of food are choices that profoundly shape not only our individual lives but social justice and our entire ecosystem. Alice Waters ("the most important figure in the culinary history of North America") and San Francisco Chronicle food writer Jonathan Kauffman highlight the implications. Sponsored by Mother Jones.