Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

From the very first contact, Indigenous people have been spoken about more than they have been heard. Early "autobiographies" of Native individuals were often penned by outsiders, distorting the essence of the genre by denying autonomy to the very subjects for whom autobiography—by definition—should uplift. In recent years, seminal works of First Nations storytelling have come to the forefront, an...

The essay's subjective and fragmented nature enables writers to grapple with complexities without the restrictions of systematic, traditional approaches to writing (Theodor W. Adorno, "The Essay as Form"). It liberates the essayist to take a nuanced look at the world, as cultural essayist and social critic Steve Wasserman does in Tell Me Something, Tell Me Anything, Even If It's a Lie: A Memoir in...

Enter the liminal. In this portal, hybridity is power, and contradiction is poetry. Chimera Space brings together a group of poets whose work inhabits the monstrous, the beautiful, and the in-between—bodies, identities, and voices that resist categorization and embrace complexity. Cindy Juyoung Ok writes into multiplicity, turning silence into disruption and fragmentation into form. Her poems invi...

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 Ma...

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 home...

The talented woman sleuths of this panel have once again found themselves in unexpected conundrums that hit close to home. Join Parisian PI Aimée Leduc on her quest for innocence after being framed for the murder of her daughter's father in Murder at la Villette , the 21st installment of Cara Black 's New York Times bestselling mystery series. Alternatively, travel from France back to California w...

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, sh...

This panel unites four transformative leaders pioneering the incorporation of healing into activism, demonstrating how personal transformation fuels collective liberation. Their work bridges social justice and healing, emphasizing the need for community care in the fight for a just future. Dr. Ayodele Nzinga , poet laureate of Oakland and founder of Lower Bottom Playaz and BAMBD CDC, uses poetry a...

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 pol...

Long before politicians weaponized book bans across the country, mainstream publishers have controlled which books get published, carrying out "soft book bans" through gatekeeping. For as long as books have been published (and censored), indie and alternative publishers have challenged these gatekeepers, who have often excluded and marginalized diverse voices. As these same institutions preemptive...

We begin with invocation—of memory, of resistance, of radical possibility. Incantations to Open Portals is the ceremonial opening of the poetry stage at the Bay Area Book Festival, co-sponsored with the Berkeley Poetry Festival, where poetry becomes spell, speech becomes spellwork, and presence becomes protest. This opening event features incantatory offerings by Aya de León, Berkeley Poet Laureat...

In the face of climate catastrophe, it's natural to react with grief, sorrow, and hopelessness to the constant reminders of how fragile and impermanent our world is. Lauren Markham reckons with her grief in Immemorial, a speculative synthesis of reporting, memoir, and essay describing her desire to memorialize something in the process of being lost and mourn the abstracted casualties of what's to...

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...

The for-profit American healthcare model has left gaps in the system that harm everyone by stripping away the human element and emboldening shifty ethical and legal practices. The authors of this panel draw on their medical expertise to propose new frameworks for healing by targeting specific areas of today's complex healthcare system. In My Brother's Keeper, UCSF psychiatrist Dr. Nicholas Rosenli...

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 Josephi...

While the tightrope of technological advancement is proving quite difficult to navigate, experts from the frontlines of the tech industry are here to offer insights on how we can move forward as a society. First, we must look critically to the scars etched by generations of systemic segregation, as journalist Alexis Madrigal does in The Pacific Circuit , using vibrant and untold stories from the c...

Fight hate, make art, and build community with these graphic novels, based on true stories, that depict the importance of fighting for justice in whatever ways we can. For Eddie Ahn , author of Advocate , becoming an environmental justice lawyer for non-profits defies his Korean immigrant family's notions of economic success but allows him to confront the most immediate issues the country is facin...

These days, there are so many ways to get your book out into the world, choosing the best option can be daunting. Join us as a published author from each pathway — the Big 5 (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette Book Group), other traditional publishers, small presses, university presses, hybrid presses, and self publishing - shares their own experience, b...

As critical works and perspectives are being increasingly censored by the federal government's hypocritical campaign for its distorted vision of "free speech," our strategies for organizing and mobilizing communities must adapt to most effectively resist these attacks on justice. Here with an urgent reminder that feminism is expansive rather than definitive is Haitian-American writer and self-proc...

Within societies that have been constructed in ways that separate generations and sever connections to storytelling traditions, Indigenous and colonized communities see high rates of teen depression, disenfranchisement, and suicide. In response, projects in rematriation and revitalization of land have emerged to restore this lost connection through research, art, and storytelling. Queer Chamoru wr...

Fiction is often a vehicle for confronting political issues, and the mystery genre is no exception. Former newspaper reporter Jennifer K. Morita 's debut mystery, Ghosts of Waikīkī , features an out-of-work journalist looking into the murder of a controversial land developer and explores timely issues in Hawai'i, including locals getting priced out of paradise. If, as Morita claims, "a good story...

Nefertiti Asanti, Natasha Dennerstein, Edward Gunawan, Miah Jeffra, Baruch Porras-Hernandez, Grayson Thompson Community members of the Bay Area's beloved LGBTQ+ collaborative, Foglifter Journal and Press, discuss the role of queer and trans publishing in a time when the nation has further precluded being a place of support and comfort, and shape a vision for queer/trans writing both as celebration...

Join us for an invigorating discussion on the rising influence of Latinx voices in horror fiction. Panelists Daniel A. Olivas, Cynthia Gómez, and M. M. Olivas will delve into how Latinx authors are using the genre to blend culture, resistance, horror, and social commentary, confronting both real and imagined monsters. Daniel A. Olivas , author of Chicano Frankenstein , reimagines the literary clas...

Do you have an idea for a reading series, literary podcast, website, or game? Maybe you've imagined starting your own literary nonprofit, magazine, bookstore, or (gasp) book festival. Chances are, if you've dreamed it up, Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner have insights to help make it happen—and can inspire you to turn your literary visions into reality. Brooke, publisher of She Writes Press, memoi...

Featuring stunning literary debuts from authors who are enrolled members of the Akwesasne Kanienkehaka and the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, this panel centers the Native experience as influenced by modern political and personal struggles. Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis follows an Ahkwesáhsne man's reluctant return to his reservation after receiving a diagnosis fo...