Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Finding Nature, Saving Time Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

Maddalena Bearzi and Jenny Odell, moderated by Alexis Madrigal

Time stretches out in front of us, but there is never enough of it and you simply cannot borrow, buy, or make more. Join Jenny Odell and Maddalena Bearzi in conversation with Alexis Madrigal on the nature of time and how we measure it. This session will elicit both deep noticing and profound reflection.. If you're ready for a more humane, responsive way of living, find the time to join us for this session.

Buy the books here

Writer to Writer: Written on the Body Nov 10, 2022

Show notes

Alyssa Songsiridej, Shruti Swamy, Anita Felicelli

How do writers represent the physicality of the human body, in all its frailty and its grace? Explore this question with electrifying debut novelists Shruti Swamy ("The Archer") and Alyssa Sonsiridej ("Little Rabbit"), whose coming-of-age novels share a thoughtful consideration of the intersections of the body with creativity and self-expression.

The Ruptures of Leaving: Women Writers on Migration Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

Gabriela Garcia, Masha Rumer, Shugri Said Salh, Susie Meserve

How do immigrant mothers navigate the world, and what do they leave their daughters when they go? Join Susie Meserve in conversation with three writers focusing on matrilineal lineages: Gabriela Garcia ("Of Women and Salt"); journalist Masha Rumer ("Parenting with an Accent"); and Shugri Said Salh ("The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert"). We'll discuss the power of storytelling to connect grandmothers to mothers to daughters even when they no longer share a nationality.

YA: Growing Up Queer Then and Now Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

Jen Ferguson, Laura Gao, Cinnamongirl Kailynn

These gifted authors offer historical and contemporary narratives of growing up queer. Jen Ferguson's "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet" features a Métis teen facing racism, sexual identity, and first love. Laura Gao's graphic memoir "Messy Roots" grapples with queerness and the author's identity as a Chinese immigrant to America. With support from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.

Collective Book Studio Presents: Mother's Day Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Raquel Kelley, Meredith Rose Essalat, Kaitlin Soulé, Josephine Wai Lin, Cindy DiTiberio

A heartfelt and funny session about the joys and absurdities of modern motherhood. Raquel Kelley's "Where'd I Go?" is a lift-the-flap book—not for babies, but for their tired moms. Josephine Wai Lin offers a modern take on the baby book, focusing on an open-minded approach to gender. In "A Little Less of a Hot Mess," family therapist Kaitlin Soulé urges moms to embrace their imperfections. And educator/school administrator Meredith Essalet ("The Overly Honest Teacher") distills her best tips.

How to Write a Mystery Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

Dale Berry, Steve Hockensmith, Catriona McPherson, Gary Phillips, Laurie R. King

Four experts in suspense unravel the secrets to making pages turn. Your mentors in mystery are Dale Berry ("Tales of the Moonlight Cutter," set in medieval China); Catriona McPherson, with the historical crime novel "In Place of Fear;" Steve Hockensmith, author of mysteries for adults and children; and Gary Phillips ("One Shot Harry"), critically acclaimed author of mystery, noir, and graphic novels. Moderated by the newly minted Mystery Writers of America Grand Master, Laurie R. King. Sponsored by Mystery Writers of America–NorCal.

Cataclysm or Cure-All?: Fiction Writers Engage with the Promises and Perils of Our Tech Future Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

Kate Folk, James Kennedy, Claire Stanford, Vauhini Vara, Lucile Culver

Four fiction writers, each with an exquisite ear for the tender absurdities of humanity, bring their craft to bear on tech. Kate Folk ("Out There") looks at intimacy through a futurist lens. Vauhini Vara ("The Immortal King Rao") examines technological capitalism and climate change. Claire Stanford's "Happy for You" is set in a tech company developing a "happiness app," and James Kennedy's "Dare to Know" in one that has developed the technology to predict death.

Writer to Writer: Karen Joy Fowler and Lee Kravetz on Art and Life Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

Karen Joy Fowler, Lee Kravetz

Two novelists channel the worlds and minds of two mythologized historic figures. With "Booth," Karen Joy Fowler ("The Jane Austen Book Club," "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves"), conjures the origins of a villain who changed America's trajectory: John Wilkes Booth. Lee Kravetz's "The Last Confessions of Sylvia P" reimagines a chapter in the life of poet Sylvia Plath, through three perspectives.

Fear and Loathing in San Francisco: Hunter S. Thompson's Savage Journey to Gonzo Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

Peter Richardson, Sam Quinones

Why is the wild, woolly writing of Hunter S. Thompson ("Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas") still so relevant today? By inventing a whole new genre—"Gonzo journalism"—he forever changed the fourth estate. With "Savage Journey," Peter Richardson, in an interview with Sam Quinones ("The Least of Us") takes us for a ride through Thompson's weird journey to Gonzo: one that took its first steps in San Francisco.

Black Panthers: Inherit the Revolution Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

Kekla Magoon, Jetta Martin, Waldo Martin Jr., Cinnamongirl Olivia, Kimberly Cox Marshall

The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense rocked the world with a revolutionary vision whose legacy still burns bright. Get to know the stories behind the movement with three renowned authors: Kekla Magoon ("Revolution in Our Time") and Jetta Martin and Waldo Martin, Jr. ("Freedom! The Story of the Black Panther Party").