Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

From the little island with the big reach: Hear from Mike McCormack with his acclaimed third novel “Solar Bones,” Catherine Ryan Howard and her debut propulsive thriller “Distress Signals” and Emilie Pine with her searching “Notes to Self.” With the support of Culture Ireland.

The 20th century brought us “1984” and “Brave New World” as harbingers of terrifying social and technological change. In the 21st century, we have bold and urgent climate literature. Hear from the talented authors bringing us these stories, moderated by the former deputy editor of The Paris Review.

Carmen Maria Machado, National Book Award finalist and author of “Her Body and Other Parties” and the forthcoming memoir “In the Dream House,” sits down with Lacy Johnson, author of “The Other Side” and “The Reckonings,” which was hailed by The Millions as “a collection that converses with itself and the reader, asking us to question our beliefs and our roles in a system that perpetuates violence.” The two discuss how they navigate their way through the thorny narrative terrain of abuse, discovering agency and power in the process. Sponsored by Zoetic Press; also with the support of Women Lit members.

Aya de Leon’s women characters rob the rich and protect the exploited, Laura Lindstedt depicts seven women meeting after death, Lisa Locascio tells of a young woman discovering her sexual power and Tamsen Wolff traces the path of friendship, love and heartbreak between two women. With the support of FILI - Finnish Literature Exchange, the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation and Women Lit members.

Winner of the prestigious Windham-Campbell prize for his body of work, Trinidad-born and Ottawa-raised André Alexis sits down with National Book Award and National Humanities Medal winner, and author of over 40 novels, Joyce Carol Oates. The pair will discuss genre-bending, world-building and their shared obsession with storytelling. With the support of the Consulate General of Canada, San Francisco/ Silicon Valley and Zoetic Press.

Join this cross-generational conversation between two dynamic Black American writers and cultural critics exploring the history and future of the American literary landscape. The legendary Ishmael Reed, Macarthur Genius Fellow, founder of the Before Columbus Foundation, and author of over 30 books including his newest “Conjugating Hindi,” sits down with rising literary star Morgan Parker, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, Pushcart Prize winner, and author of the new poetry collection “Magical Negro.” Sponsored by Zoetic Press.

Two bestselling authors who are also top editors and critics come together to discuss their writing, the editing process, the state of the publishing industry in the U.S. and Europe, and translation. Geir Gulliksen is among Norway’s leading novelists; his latest is “The Story of a Marriage,” a searing novel about a man who attempts to empathetically understand his wife’s infidelity. John Freeman is one of today’s preeminent literary critics who also publishes literary nonfiction, much of it focused passionately on social justice issues, as well as poetry.

These novelists have received considerable praise, including a top ten nod from the New York Times and an Oprah’s Book Club pick. Edugyan’s magical realism explores slavery and freedom, and Jones depicts a modern marriage wrenched apart by a discriminatory American justice system. With the support of the Consulate General of Canada, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, She Writes Press and Zoetic Press.

These authors create worlds where secrets bubble just under the surface and protagonists must ask themselves who to believe and who to blame. With the support of “Wunderbar Together,” initiated by the German Federal Foreign Office and the Goethe Institut, and supported by the Federation of German Industries (BDI); the Goethe-Institut San Francisco and “Books First.”

"Vagina Monologues" creator Eve Ensler discusses her groundbreaking new book, "The Apology," in which she imagines an apology from her long-dead father who physically and sexually abused her as a child. Ensler is interviewed by Brooke Warner of SheWrites Press.