Mindful Democracy
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
Drawing on the expertise of mindfulness educators, frontline organizers, and America’s greatest literary voices, this panel provides guidance for navigating political burnout and civic despair. On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World is professor Jeremy David Engels’ compact guide offering 27 powerful teachings of interdependence and how to show up for democracy with compassion, clarity, and courage. In this age of disaster, community-shaped strategies are essential for practically navigating the challenges posed by overlapping catastrophes, and...
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Library Joy with Mychal Threets!
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
Welcome to the library, the place where you will always belong! Join the Internet’s favorite librarian and host of the relaunched Reading Rainbow Mychal Threets as he introduces his bright and exciting picture book, I’m So Happy You’re Here: A Celebration of Library Joy. After a short read-aloud, Mychal and Supervising Librarian Shani B will talk about his experiences and inspiration for writing his book. Then, Samaya, Ash, and Miley—students from local public schools—will join the conversation about the sense of wonder and community that libraries nurture, and what library joy means...
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Short Cuts: Bay Area Book Festival Week is Here!
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
BABF Short Cuts is a Podcast of the Bay Area Book Festival where we introduce some of the authors and partners who will join us for the 2026 Festival in Berkeley from May 29–May 31. This episodes features three BABF staff members who describe some of the events coming up, what to expect onsite at the festival, and some tips and tricks on how to get the most out of a jam packed weekend! You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! https://givebutter.com/writingthefuture
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Short Cuts: Bridgette Yang of Youth Speaks - Workshops and Open Mic at the Festival!
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
BABF Short Cuts is a Podcast of the Bay Area Book Festival where we introduce some of the authors and partners who will join us for the 2026 Festival in Berkeley from May 29–May 31. In this episode, you get to meet Bridgette Yang who talks to us about YouthSpeaks and the programs they are contributing to the Festival in 2026 Saturday, May 30th - rsvp required - rsvp required Sunday, May 31 You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. To find out more about Youth Speaks, go to https://youthspeaks.org/ Please support our work!...
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Short Cuts: Rob Liu-Trujillo: YouthLit at BABF 2026
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
BABF Short Cuts is a Podcast of the Bay Area Book Festival where we introduce some of the authors and partners who will join us for the 2026 Festival in Berkeley from May 29–May 31. In this episode, you get to meet Rob Liu-Trujillo who talks to us about what it's like being an author/illustrator for kids, and about organizing for Social Justice Children's Book Fair (SJCBF). SJCBF and BABF have collaborated on the 6 Youthlit Stages that you cna enjoy through the BABF weekend, and two of those programs will be moderated by Rob himself. You can find more 2026 festival authors and...
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Short Cuts: Tamika Thompson - The Curse of Hester Gardens
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
BABF Short Cuts is a Podcast of the Bay Area Book Festival where we introduce some of the authors and partners who will join us for the 2026 Festival in Berkeley from May 29–May 31. In this episode, you get to meet Tamika Thompson who talks to us about her new novel The Curse of Hester Gardens https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804756/the-curse-of-hester-gardens-by-tamika-thompson/ You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! https://givebutter.com/writingthefuture
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Short Cuts: The 2026 Festival Schedule is LIVE!
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
BABF Short Cuts is a Podcast of the Bay Area Book Festival where we introduce some of the authors and partners who will join us for the 2026 Festival in Berkeley from May 29–May 31. In this episode you get to hang out with our hosts Dora and Sam, who break down how the schedule came about, what the Festival weekend will hold, and walk you through some of the many ways to enjoy the upcoming weekend. You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! https://givebutter.com/writingthefuture
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Short Cuts - Bushwick Book Club Oakland: opening for all headliners of 2026
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
BABF Short Cuts is a Podcast of the Bay Area Book Festival where we introduce some of the authors and partners who will join us for the 2026 Festival in Berkeley from May 29–May 31. Bushwick Book Club Oakland (BBCO) is a community event series co-produced by Claire Calderón, Nikki Bonsol, and Mia Pixley where Bay Area musicians from a wide range of genres compose and debut brand new original songs inspired by books. They will contribute to the Bay Area Book festival by opening up each headline event with a specially composed song inspired by the headliners. find our more about...
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Short Cuts: Boutique Book Retreats - A Romance Renaissance at BABF!
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
BABF Short Cuts is a Podcast of the Bay Area Book Festival where we introduce some of the authors and partners who will join us for the 2026 Festival in Berkeley from May 29–May 31. In this episode, you get to meet Tiina and Lauren who talks to us about the renaissance in romance fandom and how they came to help us curate some romance panels for the forthcoming festival. You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! #romancebooks #BayArea #Literature #Podcast #BookFestival #booktok #booktube #romantasy...
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Short Cuts: MK Chavez - Poetry Stages
Bay Area Book Festival Podcast
BABF Short Cuts is a Podcast of the Bay Area Book Festival where we introduce some of the authors and partners who will join us for the 2026 Festival in Berkeley from May 29–May 31. In this episode, you get to meet MK Chavez who talks to us about her process of curating programs for bith of our poetry stages for the Festival. She is also the leader of the Mixed race Affinity lit Group for the Bay Area Book festival. You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! https://givebutter.com/writingthefuture #MKChavez...
info_outlineDrawing on the expertise of mindfulness educators, frontline organizers, and America’s greatest literary voices, this panel provides guidance for navigating political burnout and civic despair. On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World is professor Jeremy David Engels’ compact guide offering 27 powerful teachings of interdependence and how to show up for democracy with compassion, clarity, and courage. In this age of disaster, community-shaped strategies are essential for practically navigating the challenges posed by overlapping catastrophes, and Kailea Rose Loften and Kate Rose Weiner present engaging prompts, concise checklists, and heartfelt advice for building and sustaining durable mutual aid networks in Compassion in Crisis: Building Disaster-Resilient Communities. Liza J. Rankow combines the compassion of a seasoned spiritual guide and the insightful analysis of a longtime grassroots activist in Soul Medicine for a Fractured World, which offers questions for reflection as well as an array of spiritual and healing practices to guide readers on an integrative path forward through healing and transformation, rooted in our kinship with one another, the Earth, and all of life. Diving deeply into a dharma of liberation, Rima Vesely-Flad examines the writings of Audre Lorde and James Baldwin through key Buddhist principles, revealing that liberation depends not only on organizing and mass movements, but also the generative power of inner well-being, authenticity, art, and embodiment. Whether you’re a seasoned activist or a tender-hearted citizen seeking a new path forward, this nourishing panel moderated by Rev. Dereca Blackmon of the East Bay Church of Religious Science is an invitation into the lifelong work of caring for one another in pursuit of our collective liberation.
This event took place in Downtown Berkeley, at the Bay Area Book Festival, May 29-31 2026.
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