Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

Between audio books? Curious about the writers themselves? Listen to full-length sessions from the Bay Area Book Festival, where readers and writers meet each year in Berkeley, CA, to engage with their favorite authors, including Pulitzer Prize winners, chefs, and activists, to discuss writing, race, love, mystery, and more.

Pursuing the Impossible: Poetry and the Art of Translation 04/25/2024

Pursuing the Impossible: Poetry and the Art of Translation 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. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28989718

Cory Doctorow: Red Team Blues 04/18/2024

Cory Doctorow: Red Team Blues 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. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28989658

Fiction: Across Cultures 04/11/2024

Fiction: Across Cultures 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 /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28989618

Fiction: Encounters with Myths and Spirits 04/04/2024

Fiction: Encounters with Myths and Spirits 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. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28989583

Echoes of Exclusion 03/28/2024

Echoes of Exclusion 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. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28989548

Indigenous Perspectives in Genre Fiction 03/21/2024

Indigenous Perspectives in Genre Fiction Jessica Johns, Nick Medina, Marcie R. Rendon, and Margaret Verble, moderated by Melissa Stoner These Native American and First Nations authors have published exciting new works in the genres of mysteries, thrillers, psychological horror, and historical suspense. How do these writers incorporate historical and current crises—such as the disappearances of Native women or the atrocities of child separation—into their work? How do their novels re-appropriate racist stereotypes? And how does their fiction shape perceptions of contemporary Indigenous communities among Native and non-Native audiences alike? /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28498382

Historical Fiction: The American West 03/14/2024

Historical Fiction: The American West Rina Ayuyang, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and Jane Smiley, moderated by Blaise Zerega The sweeping landscapes of the American West offer writers a broad canvas on which to set epic stories. Three masterful storytellers will transport us through the rich and complex history of California and Colorado as only the best fiction can. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28498310

Craft Chats: Writing Literary Humor 03/07/2024

Craft Chats: Writing Literary Humor Kathryn Ma, Cecilia Rabess, and Erik Tarloff, moderated by Michael Shapiro They say it's easier to make people cry than to make them laugh—in this session, we'll put that theory to the test with three authors who effectively deploy humor in their recent and forthcoming novels. In this craft-focused session, we'll engage deeply with each author's writing, first doing a close reading of specific passages that exemplify their brand of humor and then learning more about how that comedic sensibility informs the totality of the work. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28498247

Reforming Cop Culture: In Oakland and Nationwide 02/29/2024

Reforming Cop Culture: In Oakland and Nationwide Darwin BondGraham, Neil Gross, and Ali Winston, moderated by Laura Wenus From the Panthers to the Riders, Oakland is ground zero for legitimately questioning the very fabric of cop culture. In this session, investigative duo Darwin BondGraham and Ali Winston, San Francisco Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin, and Colby College sociology professor Neil Gross will present perspectives from individuals who have thoroughly reported on, studied, and worked with populations affected by cop culture, and have ideas about how to enact reform. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28498181

Memoir: In Search of Our Fathers 02/22/2024

Memoir: In Search of Our Fathers Leslie Absher, Eric Newton, and Leta Seletzky, moderated by Sylvia Brownrigg We often find ourselves looking back on our parents’ lives to understand our own place in the world. Join the acclaimed Sylvia Brownrigg as she guides authors Leslie Absher, Leta Seletzky, and Eric Newton through this excavation into how the lives of our fathers may offer insight into our own; it’s really only once the digging starts that the real questions come to the surface. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28498130

Crossing the Finish Line: New Books from SJSU MFA Faculty, Steinbeck Fellows, and Students 02/15/2024

Crossing the Finish Line: New Books from SJSU MFA Faculty, Steinbeck Fellows, and Students Rita Cameron, Carmen Kennedy, Amanda Mei Kim, J. Michael Martinez, and Keenan Norris, moderated by Alan Soldofsky What does it take to get beyond outlines and sh*tty first drafts to a finished manuscript? And, from there, how do you make it across the finish line to publication? Five San José State University faculty members, students, and Steinbeck Fellows with new or forthcoming books will retrace their own publication journeys and inspire you to chase your second (or third) wind in a session that offers equal parts practical advice and writerly motivation. Sponsored by the Department of English and Comparative Literature at San José State University /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28498013

Flash Fiction America 02/08/2024

Flash Fiction America Patricia Quintana Bidar, K-Ming Chang, Grant Faulkner, Molly Giles, Nicole Simonsen, Kara Vernor, hosted by Kirstin Chen and Jane Ciabattari There's an art to writing a (very) short story, one that includes a captivating opening, a dynamic middle, and a surprising ending—often using fewer words than we're including in this session description. We've brought several authors of flash fiction together for a big celebration of small stories. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28215821

What Makes a Critic? 02/01/2024

What Makes a Critic? Yohanca Delgado, Jonathan Leal, Antonio López, Ricardo Jaramillo, Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon, moderated by Heather Partington These days, when Goodreads reviews and social media takedowns outnumber dwindling book review publications and shrinking newspaper book pages, what role does professional criticism still play, and how can aspiring critics best prepare to engage in the literary discourse? In this session, recent members of The National Book Critics Circle's Emerging Critics Fellowship will reflect on their own development as critics and discuss what the next generation of book critics will bring to the table. In partnership with the National Book Critics Circle. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28215770

Places Worth Fighting For: Preserving Public Lands 01/25/2024

Places Worth Fighting For: Preserving Public Lands Jerry Emory, Dean King, and McKenzie Long, moderated by Toby McLeod Place is political, especially when it comes to defining and defending public lands. Come hear three fascinating stories of places worth fighting for—and the people committed to preserving them. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28215683

Hidden Histories 01/18/2024

Hidden Histories Dorothee Elmiger and Jori Lewis, moderated by Ariana Proehl Jori Lewis traces both natural and human history as she reveals the long and tortured story of the peanut's entanglement with human bondage. Swiss author Dorothee Elmiger's protagonist (also named Dorothee Elmiger) is an archivist, an obsessive collector of objects related to the violent history of the global sugar trade, which unfolds through a kaleidoscopic narrative that's as intellectually engaged as it is self-reflexive. With the support of the Center for the Art of Translation /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28215533

The Art of Life: Writing Autobiography Across the Genres 01/11/2024

The Art of Life: Writing Autobiography Across the Genres Ingrid Rojas Contreras, K.M. Soehnlein, and Preeti Vangani, moderated by Dave Madden Jori Lewis traces both natural and human history as she reveals the long and tortured story of the peanut's entanglement with human bondage. Swiss author Dorothee Elmiger's protagonist (also named Dorothee Elmiger) is an archivist, an obsessive collector of objects related to the violent history of the global sugar trade, which unfolds through a kaleidoscopic narrative that's as intellectually engaged as it is self-reflexive. Sponsored by University of San Francisco MFA in Writing program /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28215479

Romantic Roadblocks 01/04/2024

Romantic Roadblocks Lily Chu, Claire Kann, Amy Spalding, and Taleen Voskuni, moderated by Jasmine Guillory The course of true love never did run smooth," and nowhere is that truer than in contemporary romantic comedies, where creative roadblocks make the journey to Happily Ever After endlessly entertaining, and the destination that much sweeter. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/28215302

How to Create Real Change: David Fenton with The Activist's Media Handbook 12/28/2023

How to Create Real Change: David Fenton with The Activist's Media Handbook David Fenton, interviewed by Monika Bauerlein How can activists create social change today? For starters, they need to be really good storytellers. David Fenton, one of the most effective progressive communicators of the past fifty years, has penned a remarkable book—part rollercoaster memoir, part guidebook—that distills lessons from his experience shaping some of history’s most impactful social movements. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27962346

True Stories: Northern California 12/21/2023

True Stories: Northern California Andrew Alden and Clare Frank, hosted by John King Northern California is home to countless compelling stories—in this session, authors of nonfiction books—on geology and wildfires—each get twelve minutes to share one with you. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27962313

Chokepoint Capitalism 12/14/2023

Chokepoint Capitalism Cory Doctorow interviewed by Wendy Liu Renowned sci-fi author and activist Cory Doctorow has come to the festival to tell a story that we sure wish was science fiction or fantasy. Do you know what the royalties are for the authors with books at this festival, or how much do musicians get paid every time you play their songs on Spotify? How exactly does the opaque film and TV industry work? Prepare to be fascinated, informed, shocked, and activated by this discussion around one of the most important books of the decade, “Chokepoint Capitalism.” /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27962151

The Beauty and Urgency of Nature Writing 12/07/2023

The Beauty and Urgency of Nature Writing Erica Berry, Tom Comitta, and Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, moderated by Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí Readers of fiction (too) often gloss over description of nature, but this session invites readers to really pay attention to nature writing, in all its marvelous variety. Set aside your human concerns for an hour and immerse yourself in the beautiful urgency of nature writing. With the support of SACHI /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27962046

Mysteries and Thrillers: Dangerous Destinations 11/30/2023

Mysteries and Thrillers: Dangerous Destinations Margot Douaihy, Catriona McPherson, T. Jefferson Parker, and Kwei Quartey, moderated by Laurie R. King Get ready to pack your bags—but keep an eye on your passport, your valuables, and your own neck because the global destinations depicted in these mysteries and thrillers are positively perilous! Whether you're headed out on your own global adventures this summer or just plan to do some armchair traveling, these talented novelists are here to wish you bon voyage . . . and to advise you to watch your back. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27961998

An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom: Master Slave Husband Wife 11/23/2023

An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom: Master Slave Husband Wife Ilyon Woo, interviewed by Dorothy Lazard Scholars of American history have uncovered and recounted countless remarkable stories of the courage and resourcefulness of enslaved and formerly enslaved people. But it's no exaggeration to say that the one Ilyon Woo relates in her new book is, as Imani Perry writes, "one of the most important stories of American slavery and freedom." Join accomplished researcher and brilliant storyteller Ilyon Woo for an unforgettable journey through, as Marlon James calls it, one of "the truly great American stories." Sponsored by the Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27961911

You're a Fraud 11/16/2023

You're a Fraud Kirstin Chen, Brendan Slocumb, and Kyla Zhao, moderated by Cheryl Popp This one's an ode to the grifters, the con artists, the scammers: the characters who would gleefully pull one over on you—and probably get away with it, too. Even if the characters they depict are complicated (to put it mildly), there's one thing we know for sure—these authors are the real deal. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27961869

A(lexandra) P(etri's) US History 11/09/2023

A(lexandra) P(etri's) US History Alexandra Petri, interviewed by Joe Garofoli Alexandra Petri is no stranger to making history—she became the youngest-ever columnist for the Washington Post. Now she casts her withering glance backward, compiling "historical fan fiction" that includes essential chronicles such as John and Abigail Adams's experiments in sexting. If you're a student of history, you emphatically won't want to use Petri's book as a primary source—but this conversation with Alexandra Petri will give you a brand-new way to look (and laugh) at our nation's complicated past. With the support of SACHI /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27630096

Love on the Run 11/02/2023

Love on the Run Marie Lu in conversation with Alisha Rai Falling in love is always a rush—even more so when if you and your sexy sidekick are being chased by mobsters . . . or chasing them down yourselves. Talented authors Marie Lu and Alisha Rai really ramp up the adrenaline and the attraction—one way or another, this session will have your heart racing!. With the support of SACHI /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27629952

Adam Hochschild on American Midnight and Democracy’s Crises 10/26/2023

Adam Hochschild on American Midnight and Democracy’s Crises Adam Hochschild, introduced by Monika Bauerlein In American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis, award-winning historian and journalist Adam Hochschild brings alive the horrifying yet inspiring four years following the U.S. entry into the First World War, spotlighting forgotten repression while celebrating an unforgettable set of Americans who strove to fix their fractured country—and showing how their struggles still guide us today. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27629913

We Were Once a Family: Journalists Investigating Child Welfare 10/19/2023

We Were Once a Family: Journalists Investigating Child Welfare Roxanna Asgarian and Garrett Therolf, moderated by David Barstow Roxanna Asgarian is joined by Garrett Therolf of the Investigative Reporting Program at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism to discuss, among other factors, the racial biases and corruption that placed children in positions of profound peril. Their conversation will be moderated by David Barstow, the Reva and David Logan Distinguished Chair in Investigative Journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27629856

We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies: In Exile from Tibet 10/12/2023

We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies: In Exile from Tibet Tsering Yangzom Lama, interviewed by Cherilyn Parsons Very few novels by Tibetans have been translated into English and published in the United States. So we’re fortunate that award-winning writer Tsering Yangzom Lama, who lives in Canada, is joining us to discuss her gorgeous, fascinating debut novel, We Measure the Earth with our Bodies. With the support of the Consulate General of Canada San Francisco/Silicon Valley /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27629781

Bridging the Distance: Nicole Chung and A Living Remedy 10/05/2023

Bridging the Distance: Nicole Chung and A Living Remedy Nicole Chung, interviewed by Brooke Warner Nicole Chung follows up her exquisite debut with a wrenching new memoir, written in the wake of her mother's death from cancer in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Readers will find both sorrow and solace in her open-hearted new book. Sponsored by She Writes Press /episode/index/show/baybookfest/id/27629745

Bay Area Book Festival Podcast

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