Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

Join beloved children's author Cornelia Funke, the award-winning German storyteller and illustrator of 'Inkheart,' the Reckless series, 'Lilly and Finn,' and her latest, 'The Book No One Ever Read.' A children's story that Cornelia calls "her 'Inkheart' for kindergarteners," this new picture book is a magical journey into the experience of a book that longs to be read. Don't miss your chance to he...

"Read it again!" So goes the litany of kids wanting their favorite book again. Adults too have favorites among authors they read to their children or enjoyed in their youth. Stellar, much-loved authors and illustrators gather here, for a perfect Sunday morning for kids, families, and book-loving avid fans, to talk about their love of storytelling, of making books, and what they're working on now....

Power: We all want it, but how do we get it? Many have assumed that acquiring power involves force and manipulation. But psychologist Dacher Keltner turns those notions on their heads in 'The Power Paradox,' arguing that empathy and humility are far more influential. Power is not something we create; it is something we earn. Keltner will lay out how to gain and retain power, when we may abuse it,...

It's not a pretty place, the Internet. Especially for an outspoken woman. Two years ago, Lindy West's confrontation with a nasty troll showed the world how to fight back via technology. With her debut memoir, 'Shrill,' Lindy tells that tale and more, sharing her truths about #ShoutYourAbortion!, being a large woman, being loud, being a feminist, and being funny. This event is for anyone interested...

Where is Africa in world literature? After centuries of being confined to a cramped corner of the literary world—to being described by explorers, tourists, journalists, and activists—African writers discuss what it means to tell their own stories, in their own words and languages, and the journey their work takes to arrive in print, at home and abroad. Lesley Nneka Arimah's 'What It Means When A M...

Short stories are, in the words of the great Lorrie Moore, "second to none in power and efficiency." There's a reason we love short stories as much as we do, and why many of the best movies are based on short fiction rather than novels. Hannah Tinti, co-founder of the literary short story magazine One Story, explores the power and timelessness of the American short story with three One Story autho...

 In today's popular culture, "strong female lead" characters and "difficult women" are more common than ever before. How are women writers using popular fiction genres (mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, street lit, women's fiction) to go beyond the "strong female lead" protagonists to share visions of feminist activism and social change? What role do race, class, nationality, sexual orientation, gender ide...

Gentrification has become a buzzword, but this profound social and economic shift involves far more than trendy boutiques, hipsters, and fancy lattes. Journalists Peter Moskowitz ('How to Kill a City') and Paul Madonna ('All Over Coffee') uncover the massive, systemic forces behind gentrification evictions, how this phenomenon changes our cities for the worse, and how we can fight back.

Four established authors take the mystery out of writing mysteries. Whether inspired by real life (like Dr. Ellen Kirschman), folklore (like Vidar Sundstol with his epic tales involving Nordic superstition), deeply-hidden family secrets, (like Wendy Hornsby's filmmaker sleuth uncovers), or humor, mixups, and disasters (see: Steve Hockensmith), these hard-boiled mystery writers will clue you in on...

Four bestselling thriller authors will reveal the trade secrets of crafting a thriller. Lescroart's newest book is "a psychological thriller in bed with a homicide investigation." Rydahl's hero is "one of the most distinctive detectives you will meet this year." Spinelli is both a writer and film director. Moderator Keith Raffel, a writer himself, formerly served as counsel to the Senate Intellige...

For decades Cuba has been an American obsession, a political flashpoint, and a forbidden paradise of run-down charm, aromatic rum, cigars, and long hot nights filled with music. Four writers—two from Cuba and two other experts for whom Cuba is passionate muse—gather to explore Cuba today and tomorrow.

How far would you go for someone you love? These three gripping novelists contemplate the unexpected barbs, the questions, and disappointments of love's promise. With provocative looks at relationships between parents, children, lovers, and friends, this event reminds us that love, as Stephen King put it, "has teeth." Sylvia Brownrigg, Edan Lepucki, Shanthi Sekaran, moderated by Barbara Lane.

Why does this small, rocky island have such outsize influence on world literature? Who is following in the footsteps of James Joyce, Frank O'Connor, and Edna O'Brien? Meet three members of an exciting new generation of Irish fiction writers: the author of a short story collection about small-town Irish life, a novelist whose latest work is a satirical take on the Irish banking crisis, and a noveli...

Oddny Eir and Geoff Dyer, interviewed by Ethan Nosowsky: Many of the world's great stories are odysseys, adventures through landscapes that inspire and challenge. But the best writers know the most exotic and profound journeys really take place within. In their wildly original books, two genre-defying authors do both at once. Their works of fiction and nonfiction explore the meaning of travel and...

Is it possible to study culture and laugh at the same time? Michael Krasny proves it is, delving deeply into the themes, topics, and forms of Jewish humor: chauvinism undercut by irony and self-mockery, the fear of losing cultural identity through assimilation, the importance of vocal inflection in joke-telling, and calls to communal memory, including the use of Yiddish. Here is an opportunity to...

A lecture. A warning. A lamentation. A diatribe. From David Thomson, the renowned film critic, historian, and author of more than 20 books, including the recent 'Television: A Biography.'

'Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming' shows a realistic path forward that can roll back global warming within thirty years. Activist and renowned entrepreneur Paul Hawken gathered researchers from around the world to identify, investigate, and model the 100 most substantive existing solutions to climate change. Come learn how humanity has the means at hand...

Turtle Island's First People, and its First Nations, have inspired writers, journalists, artists, musicians, and workers—Native American, Anglo, and other—in years past and today, up to and beyond Standing Rock activism. What stories and lessons from Native American history illuminate the present day for Native Americans, and why? Our panelists include a Native poet writing about voicelessness, a...

Twenty-five years ago, Walter Mosley introduced us to Easy Rawlins, an Army vet turned private eye, to tell the story of black postwar Los Angeles. Today, with 55 critically acclaimed books, Mosley is one of America's best-known and most beloved living writers. (Former president Bill Clinton named Mosley one of his favorite authors.) His writing is both prolific and spans many genres, from young a...

Join Charlie Jane Anders, Cory Doctorow, Annalee Newitz and John Scalzi as they kick ass, take names and decide who goes down first, and hardest, in an epic discussion about new directions in science fiction and fantasy.

As much as we think of the act of writing as solitary, art never occurs in a vacuum. Author and editor Hannah Tinti talks with bestselling author Dani Shapiro about the necessity of mentorship, literary friendships, and the surprising joys and hard truths of living the writer's life.

They're longtime friends (so we'll call them Jack and Scoop) and two of America's most respected Buddhist teachers. For more than forty years they've studied mindfulness and other strategies to live in the moment. In a new book (his first major one in several years), Jack tells us we all can be happy and free right now, no matter the circumstances. Scoop, also a comedian and radio host, will inter...

Activism is undergoing a re-evaluation. Is protest still effective? What can work today? Micah White (co-creator of Occupy Wall Street and author of 'The End of Protest: A New Playbook for Revolution'), named by Esquire as one of the most influential young thinkers alive today, and Becky Bond (former senior advisor to Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign and co-author of 'Rules for Revolutionarie...

What makes a person "difficult"? Fiction writer, essayist, and activist Roxane Gay has been called "the brilliant girl-next-door: your best friend and your sharpest critic" by People magazine. She has authored the stunning novel 'An Untamed State,' the powerhouse essay collection 'Bad Feminist,' and now a new collection of stories, 'Difficult Women,' where she casts her incisive gaze at issues of...

Being a teenager isn't easy. Everything is changing both physically and emotionally, and you're thrust into the most intense situations of your lives, facing heartbreak, anxiety, low self-esteem, peer pressure, and so much more. Reading stories about other teens in real-life situations can help you feel validated—and can often illuminate paths forward. Four authors who write for young adults, Kris...