Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

Myriam Gurba, author of the acclaimed essay collection Creep, and Ingrid Rojas Contreras, author of the debut memoir The Man Who Could Move Clouds, engage in a powerful conversation about reclaiming narratives. They discuss the urgency of sharing personal stories rooted in trauma and identity while highlighting the role of humor as a healing tool. The authors explore navigating familial relationships marked by violence, the significance of cultural identity, and the complexities of truth in creative nonfiction, challenging Western literary conventions.

Charlie Jane Anders, Aya de León, Sim Kern, Rebecca Roanhorse, moderated by Keya Chatterjee Climate fiction is a unique way to approach the climate crisis through both real and imagined endings and beginnings. This panel, moderated by author and activist Keya Chatterjee, explores why writers are drawn to climate fiction (Cli-Fi), and what they hope to achieve through the genre. Charlie Jane Anders has been writing climate novels for nearly a decade. She is the international bestselling Cli-Fi author of the fantasy YA novel, Promises Stronger Than Darkness. Award-winning author Aya de León writes CliFi in the form of thrillers, heists, spy novels, and dramas set in the contemporary real world of the African Diaspora. New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse is an Indigenous novelist reshaping North American science fiction. Her most recent book, Mirrored Heavens, is the conclusion to her critically acclaimed epic fantasy trilogy.. Sim Kern’s new book, The Free People’s Village, is a YA sci-fi/CliFi alternate history of our time. Come find out how each of these author’s journeys into the climate crisis in fiction can help us chart our path out of it in reality.

Sonya Renee Taylor, moderated by Cinnamongirl Kailynn and Cinnamongirl Symone An empowering conversation with one of the world’s most inspirational activists and thought leaders writing and speaking today. You’ll want to bring your daughters, sons, their friends, and your friends to hear the radically powerful message of Sonya Renee Taylor, revolutionary founder of The Body Is Not an Apology, a global digital media and education company exploring the intersections of identity, healing, and social justice through the framework of radical self-love. The author of the bestselling book by the same name and six more, Taylor will be in conversation with the extraordinary young women of Cinnamongirl Inc, Kailynn and Symone.

Rebecca Roanhorse and Dani Trujillo, moderated by Kristina M Canales   A not-to-be-missed conversation between Indigenous horror writers Rebecca Roanhorse and D.H. Trujillo, both of whom are featured in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology. This groundbreaking book celebrates Indigenous resistance by highlighting themes of magic, tradition, ancestry, family, and cultural rediscovery. Making connections between horror and settler colonialism, the collection dares to ask the question: “Are you ready to be un-settled?” Both authors are known for their important contributions to speculative fiction, blending elements of fantasy, science fiction, and horror with Indigenous storytelling traditions. This genre-bending approach has earned them both a loyal following as they continue to captivate readers’ imaginations in ways that push the boundaries of conventional stories. Moderated by lifelong reader, writer, and gaymer Kristina Canales.

Viet Thanh Nguyen, Piper Kerman, Alka Joshi, moderated by Laura Warrell Turning a beloved book into a compelling film or series is a journey filled with creative collaboration, financial considerations, script development, casting decisions, and years of meticulous preparation. For the authors at the center of these adaptation journeys, it also involves roadblocks, setbacks, near misses, and plot twists, with lessons about letting go of control and outcome. This all-star panel brings us three celebrated authors whose books have been or are being adapted for a viewing audience. Piper Kerman’s internationally renowned memoir, Orange Is the New Black, about her time in a women’s prison, became one of Netflix’s most watched and longest-running series. Pulitzer Prize-winning Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel, The Sympathizer, the story of a Vietnamese communist double agent who infiltrates the South Vietnamese army and later moves to the United States, is now one of the most anticipated series to hit HBO this year. Alka Joshi’s New York Times bestseller, The Henna Artist, centering a young woman who escapes an abusive marriage to build a new life for herself in the vibrant city of Jaipur in the 1950s, is in development with Netflix. This exciting panel offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what adaptation is really like—the surprises, delights, and disappointments of having one’s work reimagined; the power of screen adaptations to reach much broader audiences; and insights into the differences between storytelling on the page and storytelling on the screen. Don't miss this rare opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the fascinating world of book-to-screen adaptations from the perspective of these three acclaimed and beloved authors as they discuss the intricate dance between words and images, imagination and interpretation, in a discussion that promises to be as enlightening as it is inspiring.

R.O. Kwon, Brontez Purnell, Sam Sax, moderated by Lucy Jane Bledsoe Join us for a captivating panel discussion moderated by author Lucy Jane Bledsoe (author of Tell the Rest and No Stopping Us Now) and featuring three acclaimed writers—R.O. Kwon, Brontez Purnell, and Sam Sax—as they delve into the rich and complex terrain of sexuality, desire, and queerness in literature. From candid reflections on personal experiences to incisive analyses of societal norms and cultural representations, this conversation promises to be both inviting and thought-provoking. R.O. Kwon, author of the bestselling novel The Incendiaries, has recently published Exhibit, an exploration of art, racism, feminism, and desire. Brontez Purnell, author of Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt, brings his unique blend of humor, wit, and raw honesty to this conversation. Sam Sax, acclaimed poet and author of Madness, offers insights from his exploration of desire and mental health in his poetry, and the power of language to articulate the complexities of desire and queerness. All of these authors’ work illuminate the ways in which literature can serve as a vehicle for grappling with questions of desire, longing, and belonging. Don’t miss this chance to engage with writers whose commitment to storytelling makes room for anyone who desires, loves, or lives outside of the heteronormative binary.

Sara Calvosa Olson in conversation with Terria Smith Sara Calvosa Olson is a food writer and editor exploring the intersections of storytelling, Indigenous food systems, security, sovereignty, reconnection, and recipe development. Olson’s maternal ancestry is from the Karuk tribe whose lands are part of northwest California, and her new book, Chími Nu’am: Native California Foodways for the Contemporary Kitchen, aims to help integrate more traditional ingredients into everyday recipes. Chími Nu’am, which translates to “Let’s eat!” in the Karuk language, is a seasonal guide to gathering, processing, and cooking with Indigenous foods. The book speaks to a variety of audiences—Indigenous readers hoping to embrace cultural foods and non-Indiginous readers interested in ethical ways to decolonize their diets. Olson emphasizes reciprocity and offers Native Californian traditional ingredients with a modern-day twist. Terria Smith, a tribal member of the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians and the editor of News from Native California magazine as well as the director of the Berkeley Roundhouse, Heyday’s California Indian publishing program, will moderate.

Joan Baez in conversation with Greg Sarris Ground-breaking Mexican-American musician, artist, and activist Joan Baez joins accomplished writer, professor, and tribal leader Chairman Greg Sarris in a conversation about writing, creating, and legacy. Sarris is co-executive producer of Joan Baez: I Am A Noise, a deeply personal, profound, and haunting documentary that follows Baez on her 2018 Fare Thee Well goodbye tour and explores memory and abuse through home videos, journal entries, photographs, and therapy tapes. In a continued pursuit of an “honest legacy,” Baez’s debut poetry collection, When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance, is an intimate and inspiring meditation on her most life-changing moments as an artist. Through never-before-seen poems, Baez reminisces on family, childhood, nature, art, as well as her contemporaries such as Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, and Jimi Hendrix. Greg Sarris is an author, producer, and playwright, and he is serving his sixteenth term as Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. His most recent play, Citizen, debuted at San Francisco’s Word for Word theater, and his new book, The Forgetters, remembers shared histories and caring for the world. Come listen to these two legendary artists as they discuss creating across genres and forms, the power of vulnerability and detail, and writing into memory, family, finding connection and hope, and moving on.

Christina Gerhardt, Manjula Martin, Rosanna Xia, Jade S. Sasser, moderated by Maddie Oatman Join this essential and urgent conversation that examines the changing physical and cultural landscapes of the climate crisis. This panel centers one of the most pressing issues of our times and brings together in conversation four panelists who have written in depth aboutclimate change and its impacts on both the natural environment and human communities. Manjula Martin, Rosanna Xia, Jade Sasser, and Christina Gerhardt approach this topic from different angles, whether it’s through the lens of wildfires in Northern California (Martin), sea level rise along the West Coast (Xia), reproductive anxiety in the face of an uncertain future (Sasser), or the plight of low-lying island nations in the face of rising oceans (Gerhardt). They all shed light on the disproportionate burden of environmental degradation borne by marginalized communities and advocate for approaches to climate action that prioritize equity and justice. Moderated by Maddie Oatman, a senior editor and writer at Mother Jones, this conversation promises to be an urgent call to action that includes equitable climate solutions and addresses how all of us can foster dialogue for a better way forward.

Steve Phillips, Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, Maurice Mitchell, moderated by Lateefah Simon In 2024, the threat of authoritarianism is greater than ever before. Yet our nation also has the potential to become a genuine multiracial democracy. How can we help tip the scale? Steve Phillips is a national political leader, bestselling author, and columnist. He is the author of The New York Times bestseller Brown Is the New White. His latest book, How We Win the Civil War, charts the way forward for those who wish to build a multiracial democracy and rid our nation of white supremacy once and for all. . He will be in conversation with two veteran political organizers, Ash-Lee Henderson, Co-Executive Director of The Highlander Center, which serves as a catalyst for grassroots organizing and movement building in Appalachia and the South, with a background in fighting for workers, reproductive justice, LGBTQUIA+ folks, environmental justice, and more, and Maurice Mitchell, a visionary leader in the Movement for Black Lives, and National Director of the Working Families Party. Moderated by Lateefah Simon, this urgent conversation is the reframe that many of us have been hungering for, to move us from anxiety to action. These big-picture thinkers can help us leverage our ostensibly limited voting options into a visionary electoral strategy that can change the game.