Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

Chenxing Han, interviewed by Faith Adiele We instantly fell in love with Chenxing Han's "one long listening: a memoir of grief, friendship, and spiritual care." A hospital chaplain and caregiver in the making, Han journeys from a mountaintop monastery in Taiwan to oncology wards in San Francisco, from oceanside Ireland to riverfront Phnom Penh. The book's short chapters alternate among narrative,...

Jonathan Escoffery, Tsering Yangzom Lama, and Jens Liljestrand, moderated by Leslie Carol Roberts Here's your chance to meet three astonishingly talented young authors, from around the world, at the beginning of their careers—you'll be able to boast that you saw them when! In addition to learning about their new works, we'll hear about these debut authors' paths to publication and heed their advic...

Forrest Gander and Olivia E. Sears, moderated by CJ Evans Voltaire once claimed, "It is impossible to translate poetry. Can you translate music?" If that's true, these talented translators have certainly achieved the impossible—in this session, they'll share insights into how they did so. Olivia Sears and Forrest Gander will read from their translations and also engage in conversation—moderated by...

Cory Doctorow, interviewed by Glynn Washington In cyber-security, the red team plays attack; the blue team plays defense. Martin Hench, the protagonist of Cory Doctorow's latest too close to home for comfort thriller, Red Team Blues, was born to play attack. Doctorow's novels are always feasts for the imagination, and this one is no different. It's jam-packed with cutting-edge ideas, twists and tu...

Jamil Jan Kochai, Marie Myung-Ok Lee, and Susanne Pari, moderated by Lance Knobel Stories transcend borders, build bridges across cultural divides, and foster empathy. Join Marie Myung-Ok Lee, Jamil Jan Kochai, and Susanne Pari to explore themes of identity, displacement, and the impact of historical events on individual lives. With the support of SACHI Buy the books here 

K-Ming Chang, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and Brandon Hobson, moderated by Rita Chang-Eppig At times in these accomplished writers' fiction, the boundaries between the spirit world and the "real world" grow porous or indiscernible, in ways that expand realities and excite readers' imaginations. Woven throughout all of these masterful works of fiction is a reverence for the resonant power of ancient and...

Ava Chin, Fae Myenne Ng, and Paisley Rekdal, moderated by Kathryn Ma The Chinese exclusion era started in 1882 and ended (at least on paper) some sixty years later, but, as the authors in this session profoundly reveal, its echoes still reverberate from coast to coast. Buy the books here 

Jessica Johns, Nick Medina, Marcie R. Rendon, and Margaret Verble, moderated by Melissa Stoner These Native American and First Nations authors have published exciting new works in the genres of mysteries, thrillers, psychological horror, and historical suspense. How do these writers incorporate historical and current crises—such as the disappearances of Native women or the atrocities of child sepa...

Rina Ayuyang, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and Jane Smiley, moderated by Blaise Zerega The sweeping landscapes of the American West offer writers a broad canvas on which to set epic stories. Three masterful storytellers will transport us through the rich and complex history of California and Colorado as only the best fiction can. Buy the books here 

Kathryn Ma, Cecilia Rabess, and Erik Tarloff, moderated by Michael Shapiro They say it's easier to make people cry than to make them laugh—in this session, we'll put that theory to the test with three authors who effectively deploy humor in their recent and forthcoming novels. In this craft-focused session, we'll engage deeply with each author's writing, first doing a close reading of specific pas...

Darwin BondGraham, Neil Gross, and Ali Winston, moderated by Laura Wenus From the Panthers to the Riders, Oakland is ground zero for legitimately questioning the very fabric of cop culture. In this session, investigative duo Darwin BondGraham and Ali Winston, San Francisco Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin, and Colby College sociology professor Neil Gross will present perspectives from individuals...

Leslie Absher, Eric Newton, and Leta Seletzky, moderated by Sylvia Brownrigg We often find ourselves looking back on our parents' lives to understand our own place in the world. Join the acclaimed Sylvia Brownrigg as she guides authors Leslie Absher, Leta Seletzky, and Eric Newton through this excavation into how the lives of our fathers may offer insight into our own; it's really only once the di...

Rita Cameron, Carmen Kennedy, Amanda Mei Kim, J. Michael Martinez, and Keenan Norris, moderated by Alan Soldofsky What does it take to get beyond outlines and sh*tty first drafts to a finished manuscript? And, from there, how do you make it across the finish line to publication? Five San José State University faculty members, students, and Steinbeck Fellows with new or forthcoming books will retra...

Patricia Quintana Bidar, K-Ming Chang, Grant Faulkner, Molly Giles, Nicole Simonsen, Kara Vernor, hosted by Kirstin Chen and Jane Ciabattari There's an art to writing a (very) short story, one that includes a captivating opening, a dynamic middle, and a surprising ending—often using fewer words than we're including in this session description. We've brought several authors of flash fiction togethe...

Yohanca Delgado, Jonathan Leal, Antonio López, Ricardo Jaramillo, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon, moderated by Heather Partington These days, when Goodreads reviews and social media takedowns outnumber dwindling book review publications and shrinking newspaper book pages, what role does professional criticism still play, and how can aspiring critics best prepare to engage in the literary discourse? In th...

Jerry Emory, Dean King, and McKenzie Long, moderated by Toby McLeod Place is political, especially when it comes to defining and defending public lands. Come hear three fascinating stories of places worth fighting for—and the people committed to preserving them. Buy the books here 

Dorothee Elmiger and Jori Lewis, moderated by Ariana Proehl Jori Lewis traces both natural and human history as she reveals the long and tortured story of the peanut's entanglement with human bondage. Swiss author Dorothee Elmiger's protagonist (also named Dorothee Elmiger) is an archivist, an obsessive collector of objects related to the violent history of the global sugar trade, which unfolds th...

Ingrid Rojas Contreras, K.M. Soehnlein, and Preeti Vangani, moderated by Dave Madden Jori Lewis traces both natural and human history as she reveals the long and tortured story of the peanut's entanglement with human bondage. Swiss author Dorothee Elmiger's protagonist (also named Dorothee Elmiger) is an archivist, an obsessive collector of objects related to the violent history of the global suga...

Lily Chu, Claire Kann, Amy Spalding, and Taleen Voskuni, moderated by Jasmine Guillory The course of true love never did run smooth," and nowhere is that truer than in contemporary romantic comedies, where creative roadblocks make the journey to Happily Ever After endlessly entertaining, and the destination that much sweeter. Buy the books here   

David Fenton, interviewed by Monika Bauerlein How can activists create social change today? For starters, they need to be really good storytellers. David Fenton, one of the most effective progressive communicators of the past fifty years, has penned a remarkable book—part rollercoaster memoir, part guidebook—that distills lessons from his experience shaping some of history's most impactful social...

Andrew Alden and Clare Frank, hosted by John King Northern California is home to countless compelling stories—in this session, authors of nonfiction books—on geology and wildfires—each get twelve minutes to share one with you. Buy the books here 

Cory Doctorow interviewed by Wendy Liu 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 do musicians get paid every time you play their songs on Spotify? How exactly does the opaque film and TV industry work? Prepare...

Erica Berry, Tom Comitta, and Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, moderated by Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí Readers of fiction (too) often gloss over description of nature, but this session invites readers to really pay attention to nature writing, in all its marvelous variety. Set aside your human concerns for an hour and immerse yourself in the beautiful urgency of nature writing. Buy the books here  With the suppo...

Margot Douaihy, Catriona McPherson, T. Jefferson Parker, and Kwei Quartey, moderated by Laurie R. King Get ready to pack your bags—but keep an eye on your passport, your valuables, and your own neck because the global destinations depicted in these mysteries and thrillers are positively perilous! Whether you're headed out on your own global adventures this summer or just plan to do some armchair t...

Ilyon Woo, interviewed by Dorothy Lazard Scholars of American history have uncovered and recounted countless remarkable stories of the courage and resourcefulness of enslaved and formerly enslaved people. But it's no exaggeration to say that the one Ilyon Woo relates in her new book is, as Imani Perry writes, "one of the most important stories of American slavery and freedom." Join accomplished re...