Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

Ramona Ausubel, Mary Otis, and Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, moderated by Jasmin Darznik Relationships between mothers and daughters can be fraught or fruitful—especially for fiction writers. Bring your mom, or your daughter—you might find common ground through some fabulous new fiction in this session. Buy the books here  With the support of California College of the Arts MFA Writing program

Anthony Cody and Paisley Rekdal, moderated by Tess Taylor Many of us, when faced by stacks of dusty old documents, might leave the work to the archivists—or consign the mess to the recycling bin of history. In this session, we'll hear from those who instead look at archives and envision poetry. Poet Paisley Rekdal vividly documents how the heroic narrative of the transcontinental railroad is intertwined with the history of Chinese exclusion. Anthony Cody centers on the ongoing legacy of trauma along the US–Mexico border after the end of the Mexican–American War. Buy the books here 

Katy Hays, Marcie R. Rendon, and Brendan Slocumb, moderated by Laurie R. King Not even the rarified realms of art are safe in the imaginations of these writers, where intrigue lurks even in the concert hall or the museum. Buy the books here  With support from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria

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, reflections, letters to a dying friend, memories of a migratory childhood, and wry twists and hilarious footnotes everywhere. Buy the books here 

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 advice to aspiring authors. Buy the books here 

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 CJ Evans, poet and editorial director of Two Lines Press—about the unique (if not impossible) challenges and rewards that poetry grants the translator. Buy the books here 

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 turns, and characters you won’t be able to not care about. In conversation with Doctorow will be Glynn Washington, creator and host of NPR’s Snap Judgment. Buy the books here 

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 mysterious tales and spirits. Buy the books here 

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