PLAN YOUR SCHEDULE
U.S. Book Show will feature a variety of keynote speakers, editor and author panels, and special timely and topical library, bookselling and industry programming.
Attendees enjoyed a packed schedule and have a front row seat to seasoned, debut and emerging voices.
Editors’ Picks panels will feature Fall 2023 (August–December) books, chosen and highlighted by Publishers Weekly‘s editors in selected categories. These panels will give attendees an up-close opportunity to hear the “story behind the story” from each book’s editor.
Author panels will bring together some of the brightest and talented creators of content to discuss their upcoming books in depth with industry expert moderators.
LIBRARIES ARE ESSENTIAL / AAPI
COMICS/GN
ADULT BOOKS
CHILDREN'S/YA BOOKS
EDITORS' PICKS
LIBRARIES ARE ESSENTIAL / AAPI
MONDAY, MAY 22Livestreamed to a Virtual Audience | |
Libraries Are EssentialWith the third annual Libraries Are Essential program, the U.S. Book Show once again acknowledges a simple fact: America’s libraries are more than just a key marketplace for publishers and authors, they are bedrock institutions, anchors in our communities, vital to the health of our democracy and society, and crucial to our reading and literary cultures. Moderated by PW Senior Writer Andrew Richard Albanese, the 2023 Libraries Are Essential program will focus on two key issues facing the library community. The morning session will explore how librarians and freedom-to-read advocates can defeat this unprecedented assault on the freedom to read currently surging across the nation. And the afternoon session will look at what’s next for digital resources in public libraries as the pandemic gives way and a new normal begins to settle in. The program will close with a keynote panel discussion about the central role young people will play in dismantling racism and injustice, featuring bestselling authors Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone, co-authors of How to Be a (Young) Antiracist, in conversation with Nicole A. Cooke, Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina. | |
| 10:30–11:45 AM | Morning Session |
Book Banning in America: What’s Driving the Nationwide Surge in Book Bans—and How Freedom-to-Read Advocates Can WinThe unprecedented, politically motivated surge in book bans and attacks on the freedom to read continues to reach alarming new heights in communities across the nation. In this frank discussion, a group of politically savvy public advocates will explore how libraries and library supporters can push back—and win. | |
 John ChrastkaJohn Chrastka is the Founder and Executive Director of EveryLibrary, the first and only national political action committee for libraries. The organization works every election season to support dozens of local ballot initiatives across the country—and to support libraries in their defense of the freedom to read. | |
 Kelly JensenKelly Jensen is a writer and editor for Book Riot. A former librarian, she has become one of the nation’s foremost chroniclers of the current wave of book bans and legislation threatening the freedom to read. Her weekly book censorship news column for Book Riot is a must-read. | |
 Amanda JonesAmanda Jones is a veteran educator and school librarian and the 2021 School Library Journal Co-Librarian of the Year. Since she spoke up in defense of the freedom to read at her local library in 2022—and was subsequently attacked on social media—she has become one of the country’s most outspoken and effective defenders of the librarians and teachers standing up for the freedom to read. | |
 Emily KnoxEmily Knox is an Associate Professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, author of the acclaimed Book Banning in 21st Century America, and board president at the National Coalition Against Censorship. | |
 Raegan MillerRaegan Miller is the Director of Development and Finance for the Florida Freedom to Read Project, a grassroots organization committed to defending every student’s right to access information and ideas while at school. She is the mother of two children in public school in Florida, and has served as the Legislative Chair and VP of Advocacy for Pinellas County Council PTA. | |
 MODERATORAndrew Richard AlbanesePW senior writer Andrew Richard Albanese leads the magazine’s library coverage. Albanese has covered the publishing and information technology fields for more than 22 years and is a former associate editor of American history at Oxford University Press, a former editor at Library Journal, and author of The Battle of $9.99: How Apple, Amazon and the Big Six Publishers Changed the E-book Business Overnight. | |
| 11:45 AM–12:00 PM | Break |
| 12:00–12:20 PM | OverDrive In Conversation |
Leveraging Flexible Content Access Models and Other Tools to Engage More Readers presented by OverDriveAs libraries respond to budget constraints, the demand for digital books continues to rise. As a result, publishers are offering more flexible terms and access models that provide better value for ebooks and audiobooks. This session brings together industry leaders on the forefront of digital library lending: expert librarians and a senior leader with the leading digital platform who will share their experiences with a variety of access models and their impact on circulation, as well as other strategies and tools that can effectively stretch the budget. | |
 Kate MutchKate Mutch works at the Virtual Library of Wyoming. | |
 Sandra BreedloveSandra Breedlove works at the Sonoma County Library in California. | |
MODERATOR Karen EstrovichKaren Estrovich is the senior manager of Public Library Digital Success teams at OverDrive. | |
| 12:20–12:30 PM | Break |
| 12:30–1:15 PM | Afternoon Session |
Digital Trends: Three Years After the Pandemic Shutdowns Began, What Does the New Normal Look Like for Public Libraries?When Covid-19 forced the nation into lockdown three years ago, digital library resources hit stratospheric new levels—and so, too, did book sales. With the pandemic now over, what did we learn about library usage? What new pressures are libraries grappling with as we get back to some sense of “normal?” And is the library e-book market slipping back into a familiar, contentious place? This panel will bring together three leading digital directors to discuss what we learned about libraries during the pandemic and where things still need to go. | |
 Edward MeltonEdward Melton is Executive Director of the Harris County Public Library, where he oversees 26 branch libraries serving nearly two million residents. In 2022, Harris County had the fourth most digital checkouts in the nation via OverDrive. | |
 Ellen PaulEllen Paul is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Library Consortium, a non-profit membership group serving over 950 academic, public, school and special libraries across the state. | |
 Lisa RosenblumLisa Rosenblum is director of the King County Library System (WA), one of the busiest library systems in the country. KCLS consistently ranks as one of the nation’s leaders in digital circulations and in 2022 had the second most digital checkouts in the nation via OverDrive. | |
MODERATORAndrew Richard Albanese | |
| 1:15–2:00 PM | Closing Keynote |
Ibram X. Kendi and Nic Stone, in conversation with Nicole A. Cooke | |
 Ibram X. KendiIbram X. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the Founding Director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is the author of many highly acclaimed books, including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, as well as five straight #1 New York Times bestsellers, including How to Be an Antiracist, Antiracist Baby, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-authored by Jason Reynolds. In 2021 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant.Photo credit: Janice Checchio | |
 Nic StoneNic Stone is an Atlanta native, a Spelman College graduate, and the author of several bestselling books including her debut YA novel, Dear Martin, and her first middle-grade novel, Clean Getaway. She is also the author of Odd One Out, which was an NPR Best Book of the Year and a Rainbow Book List Top Ten selection; Jackpot; Shuri: A Black Panther Novel; and Dear Justyce, the sequel to Dear Martin. | |
 MODERATORNicole A. CookeNicole A. Cooke is the Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and an Associate Professor at the University of South Carolina. Cooke was awarded the ALA’s Equality award in 2016, and she was the 2019 ALISE Excellence in Teaching Award recipient. She has edited and authored several books, including Information Services to Diverse Populations and Fake News and Alternative Facts: Information Literacy in a Post-Truth Era. | |
AAPI Communities in Conversation“AAPI Communities in Conversation,” featuring authors, creators and librarians. The special livestreaming event centers around Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voices, books, cultures and experiences. The program is a collaborative effort from the University of South Carolina’s Augusta Baker Endowed Chair and Penguin Random House Library Marketing. | |
| 2:00–2:10 PM | Welcome |
 Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada2022–2023 ALA PresidentLessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada is the 2022–23 President of the American Library Association and Adult Services Assistant Manager at the Palos Verdes Library District in Southern California. She was the 2019–2022 Executive Director and 2016–2017 President of the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA). She is a current board member of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature. In 2022 she received the American Library Association Elizabeth Futas Catalyst for Change Award and was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker in the advocacy category. Much of her work focuses on advocating for equity, diversity, and inclusion in libraries and librarianship. She lives in San Pedro, California with her poet husband, Chrisitan Hanz Lozada and their menagerie of pets. | |
| 2:10–2:30 PM | A Conversation in the Kitchen |
 Maya KaimalIndian Flavor Every DayMaya Kaimal is an award-winning cookbook author and founder of Maya Kaimal Foods. Her first book, Curried Favors, won the Julia Child First Book Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She has appeared on Martha Stewart TV, the Food Network, and the Discovery Channel, and has written features for Saveur, Food & Wine, and Gourmet magazines. Follow her on Twitter @MayaKaimalFoods. | |
 Kevin Pang and Jeffrey PangA Very Chinese CookbookJeffrey Pang is a retired businessman in the import-export industry. He’s also an amateur YouTube chef whose Chinese cooking channel was featured in the New York Times Magazine in 2016. Jeffrey is the co-star of Hunger Pangs with his son Kevin, a video series for America’s Test Kitchen. He lives in Seattle with his wife Catherine. Kevin Pang is a James Beard Award-winning food writer. At America’s Test Kitchen, Kevin is Editorial Director for Digital and host of the podcast, Proof. Kevin was previously a restaurant critic at the Chicago Tribune and founder of the website The Takeout. His documentary, For Grace, premiered at the 2015 South by Southwest Film Festival and later streamed on Netflix. Follow the Pangs on Twitter at @TestKitchen. | |
 MODERATORThea JamesThea James (she/her/hers) is one half of the maniacal duo behind The Book Smugglers, a Hugo Award-winning sci-fi and fantasy book review blog. Thea is Filipina-American, but grew up in Hawaii, Indonesia, and Japan. She is a full-time book nerd who works in publishing at Penguin Random House for her day job and currently resides in Marlboro, New York with her partner and their rambunctious cat. She is the author of geek and pop-culture focused cookbooks Cooking for Wizards, Warriors and Dragons (September 21, 2021), The Unofficial Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Cookbook (August 15, 2023), and Drinking with Wizards, Warriors and Dragons (October 17, 2023). Follow her on her website, thebooksmugglers.com, or on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @booksmugglers and on TikTok @theajreads. | |
| 2:30–2:45 PM | Break |
| 2:45–3:30 PM | Must-Have Fiction |
 Gina ApostolLa TerceraGina Apostol is the author of the novels Insurrecto, Gun Dealers’ Daughter, Bibliolepsy, and The Revolution According to Raymundo Mata. She is the winner of two Philippine National Book Awards, the PEN/Open Award, and the Rome Prize. She lives in New York City and western Massachusetts and grew up in Tacloban, Leyte, in the Philippines. | |
 Ye ChunStraw Dogs of the UniverseYe Chun is a bilingual Chinese American writer and literary translator. Her debut story collection, Hao, was longlisted for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. She is also the author of two books of poetry, Travel Over Water and Lantern Puzzle; a novel in Chinese, Peach Tree in the Sea; and four volumes of translations. A recipient of an NEA Literature Fellowship, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and three Pushcart Prizes, she teaches at Providence College and lives in Providence, Rhode Island. | |
 Tania JamesLootTania James is the author of the novels The Tusk That Did the Damage and Atlas of Unknowns and the short story collection Aerogrammes. Her fiction has appeared in Boston Review, Granta, Guernica, One Story, A Public Space, and The Kenyon Review. She lives in Washington, D.C. Follow her on Twitter: @taniajam | |
 Hannah MichellExcavationsHannah Michell grew up in Seoul. She studied anthropology and philosophy at Cambridge University and now lives in California with her husband and children. She teaches in the Asian American Studies Program at UC Berkeley. Follow her on Twitter: @HannahMichell | |
 MODERATORMichelle YoungMichelle Young currently works as a branch manager in the Hawaii State Public Library System. She has served on several book award committees for the American Library Association, including the RUSA Notable Books and Reading List Council and the ALSC Newbery and Caldecott Awards. Michelle graduated with a MLIS from the University of Washington iSchool in 2008. | |
| 3:30–4:15 PM | Noteworthy Nonfiction |
 Ava ChinMott StreetAva Chin is the author of Eating Wildly, winner of the Les Dames d’Escoffier International M.F.K. Fisher Book Prize. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Village Voice, and Saveur. She is the recipient of grants and fellowships from the New York Public Library’s Cullman Center, the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York Institute for the Humanities, and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. She is an associate professor of creative nonfiction at the City University of New York. | |
 Charlotte GillAlmost BrownCharlotte Gill is a bestselling and award-winning writer of fiction and narrative nonfiction. Ladykiller, her first book, was the recipient of the Danuta Gleed Award for short fiction. Eating Dirt, a tree-planting memoir, was a #1 national bestseller in Canada. Her work has appeared in Vogue and Hazlitt. Gill teaches writing in the MFA program in creative nonfiction at the University of King’s College and is the Rogers Communications Chair of Literary Journalism at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. She lives in British Columbia, Canada. Follow her on Twitter @charlotte_gill | |
 Chenxing HanOne Long Listening: A Memoir of Grief, Friendship and Spiritual CareChenxing Han is the author of the widely reviewed Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists (North Atlantic Books, 2021) and One Long Listening: A Memoir of Grief, Friendship, and Spiritual Care (North Atlantic Books 2023). She is a regular contributor to Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, Buddhadharma, and other publications, and a frequent speaker and workshop leader at schools, universities, and Buddhist communities across the nation. She has received fellowships from Hedgebrook, Hemera Foundation, the Lenz Foundation, and the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Follow her on Twitter @chenxing_han | |
 Connie WangOh My Mother!Connie Wang is a journalist, writer, and editor. Previously she led Refinery29’s editorial team as executive editor, where she explored how race and status inform our culture and politics. She has won three Front Page Awards and has written for outlets including the New York Times. A graduate of UC Berkeley, she was born in Jinan, China, raised in Minnesota, and lives in Los Angeles. Follow her on Twitter @conniewang | |
 MODERATORLalitha NatarajLalitha Nataraj is the Social Sciences Librarian at California State University, San Marcos. She holds an MLIS from UCLA and a BA in English and Women’s Studies from UC Berkeley. Lalitha also spent several years as a public librarian championing the inclusion of diverse materials in children’s and teen library collections. Her research interests include feminist pedagogy, critical information literacy, and South Asians in librarianship. | |
| 4:30–5:00 PM | PW‘s Bookstore of the Year and Rep of the Year Awards Announcement |
COMICS/GN
TUESDAY, MAY 23In-person and Livestreamed to a Virtual Audience | |
Comic and Graphic Novel Books & AuthorsThis one-day event featuring celebrated and debut authors and illustrators of children’s and adult comics and graphic novels will be held in-person at NYU in front of a live audience as well as livestreamed to a virtual audience. *Tickets to the in-person events are limited but attendees can watch virtually from anywhere! |
| 9:30–10:30 AM | Registration & Galley Room Open | ||||
| 10:30–11:00 AM | Welcome & Opening Keynote | ||||
Roz Chast in Conversation with Emily FlakeI Must Be Dreaming (Bloomsbury, October)National Book Critics Circle Award Winner and New Yorker staff cartoonist, Roz Chast is the author or illustrator of more than a dozen books and the recipient of numerous awards including the Kirkus Prize, the Heinz Award, and the Reuben Award. In 2014, her graphic memoir, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was shortlisted for the National Book Award. Over her decades at the New Yorker, she has published more than 800 cartoons. Emily Flake is a cartoonist, writer, comic, and illustrator living in Brooklyn, NY. Her work appears regularly in the New Yorker. She is also the founder of the St. Nell’s Humor Writing residency, a program for women and non-binary humorists working in any discipline. | |||||
| 11:05–12:00 PM | Children’s Big Books of Next Season | ||||
Ryan EstradaOcculted (Iron Circus Comics, June)Ryan Estrada is an artist/adventurer who travels the world getting into trouble and making comics. He is the co-author of the Eisner- and Ringo-nominated, Freeman Award-winning graphic memoir Banned Book Club and No Rules Tonight. He is the creator and author of the Student Ambassador middle grade adventure series. He has slept on a park bench in a typhoon, was nearly eaten by lions in the Maasai Mara, and was once thrown from a moving train by the police. He deserved it. | |||||
Pedro MartínMexiKid (Penguin Young Readers, August)Pedro Martín is a former Hallmark artist of 27 years and the creator of Asteroid Andy. He chronicles his life growing up Mexican American online in a series called Mexikid. He is the illustrator of several books, and now with Mexikid, he is both author and illustrator of a middle-grade graphic memoir. | |||||
Sharee MillerCurlfriends: New in Town (Little Brown Young Reader, October)Sharee Miller is the author and illustrator of Princess Hair, Don’t Touch My Hair!, and Michelle’s Garden, all published by LBYR. She is also the illustrator of The Shai and Emmie series written by Quvenzhané Wallis and Nancy Ohlin and Sam’s Super Seats, by Keah Brown. She lives in Jersey City with her spouse, son, and two cats, Pumpkin and Spice! | |||||
George O’ConnorAsgardians: Odin (First Second, January/2024)George O’Connor is the New York Times-bestselling author of Olympians, a series of graphic novels featuring the tragic, dramatic, and epic lives of the Greek Gods. His first graphic novel, Journey into Mohawk Country, pushed the boundaries of the genre, using as its sole text the actual historical journal of the seventeenth-century Dutch trader Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert. He also illustrated acclaimed playwright Adam Rapp’s Ball Peen Hammer. He teamed up with writer Daniel G. Newman on Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy, the first volume in the World Citizen Comics series. George is also the creator of popular picture books such as the New York Times-bestselling Kapow! and If I Had a Triceratops. Visit him at georgeoconnorbooks.com. | |||||
MODERATORStephanie AndersonStephanie Anderson is Assistant Director, Selection, at BookOps, managing the team that selects and orders all circulating collections for the 150 physical locations and two digital collections of the New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. | |||||
| 12:05–12:35 PM | Lunch Keynote | ||||
Chuck D in Conversation with Kelefa SannehSTEWdio: The Naphic Grovel ARTrilogy of Chuck D (Enemy Books, June)Chuck D is the leader and cofounder of the legendary rap group Public Enemy, a social activist, multimedia producer, visual artist, and digital music pioneer. He has been featured in more than one hundred documentaries on music, technology, politics, and race, and cocurated the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap. He has also been a national spokesperson for Rock the Vote, the National Urban League, Americans for the Arts, and the National Alliance of African American Athletes. As part of Public Enemy, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and earned a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the author of StewDio and Summer of Hamn (forthcoming Oct. 2023 from Enemy/Akashic Books). Kelefa Sanneh has been a New Yorker staff writer since 2008, before which he spent six years as a pop-music critic at the New York Times. He is also a contributor to CBS Sunday Morning. | |||||
| 12:35–1:30 PM | Lunch & Galley Room Open | ||||
| 1:30–1:50 PM | In Conversation | ||||
Aidyn Arroyal, aka Snailords, in conversation with Bobbie ChaseFreaking Romance (Webtoon Unscrolled, September)Aidyn Arroyal aka Snailords (he/they) is a manga, comic, and WEBTOON artist. He’s best known for his romance webtoon Freaking Romance (completed) and thriller webtoon Death: Rescheduled (ongoing). They are also the creator of Snailogy and Snailed It, two slice-of-life comic series. Bobbie Chase is the Executive Editor of WEBTOON Unscrolled, Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group’s graphic novel imprint. Previously, Bobbie spent a decade at DC Entertainment, most recently as Vice President & Executive Editor, Global Publishing Initiatives & Digital Strategy, which included developing and implementing DC Manga, DC Webtoons, and DC Books for young adults and young readers. | |||||
| 1:55–2:15 PM | In Conversation | ||||
Stephen Graham Jones in Conversation with Alex SeguraEarthdivers, Vol. 1 (IDW, September)Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of nearly thirty novels and collections, and there’s some novellas and comic books in there as well. Most recent are My Heart Is a Chainsaw, The Babysitter Lives and Earthdivers. Stephen lives and teaches in Boulder, Colorado. Alex Segura is the bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity. A Miami native, he lives in New York with his wife and children. | |||||
| 2:20–3:15 PM | Adult Big Books of Next Season | ||||
Mattie LubchanskyBoys Weekend (Pantheon, June)Mattie Lubchansky is a cartoonist and illustrator who specializes in satirical comics about American politics. They have written or illustrated several books including The Antifa Super Soldier Cookbook, which Fast Company noted may be “the definitive piece of satire about the conservative mindset.” They are the Associate Editor of The Nib and creator of the long-running webcomic Please Listen to Me. Their work has appeared in New York Magazine, VICE, Eater, Mad Magazine, Gothamist, and The Toast among others. | |||||
Edel RodriguezWorm: A Cuban American Odyssey (Metropolitan Books, November)Edel Rodriguez is a Cuban American artist who has exhibited internationally with shows in New York, Los Angeles, Havana, Berlin, La Paz, Cape Town, Prague, and London. A regular contributor to the New Yorker, the New York Times, and TIME magazine, he has created over two hundred magazine and book covers and illustrated ten children’s books, including Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx. He is also the author of Sergio and Sergio Saves the Game. Rodriguez’s artwork is collected by various institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution, and has received numerous awards from the Art Directors Club and the Society of Illustrators. Worm is his first graphic novel. He lives in New Jersey. | |||||
Jillian TamakiRoaming (Drawn & Quarterly, September)Jillian Tamaki is a cartoonist, illustrator, and educator raised in Calgary, Alberta. She is the author of the Eisner Award-winning graphic novels SuperMutant Magic Academy and Boundless, and the author-illustrator of two picture books, including most recently Our Little Kitchen. With her cousin Mariko Tamaki, she is the co-creator of the young adult graphic novels SKIM and This One Summer, which won a Governor General’s Award and Caldecott Honor. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. | |||||
James Tynion IVW0RLDTR33, Volume 1 (Image Comics, November)James Tynion IV is an Eisner Award-winning writer known for his work on Batman, and many other titles for DC Comics, including Detective Comics, Justice League Dark, and the New York Times-bestselling Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trilogy. He is the co-creator of Wynd, Something is Killing the Children, Memetic, and the GLAAD award-winning series, The Woods, published by Boom Studios as well as the bestselling series The Department of Truth, The Closet, the Razorblades anthology, and W0RLDTR33 published by Image Comics. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY with his partner and their nice old dog. | |||||
MODERATORTahneer OksmanTahneer Oksman is an associate professor in the Department of Writing, Language, and Literature as well as the Department of Communication and Media Arts at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. She is author of How Come Boys Get to Keep Their Noses?: Women and Jewish American Identity in Contemporary Graphic Memoirs (Columbia University Press, 2016). | |||||
| 3:20–3:40 PM | In Conversation | ||||
A. David Lewis in Conversation with Bill KartalopoulosThe Prophet (Graphic Mundi, June)A. David Lewis is an Eisner Award–nominated writer whose graphic novels include an award-winning adaptation of Exodus, entitled The Lone and Level Sands, and his revival of the first Muslim superhero: Kismet, Man of Fate. Lewis is based in Boston, where he works as a university educator, library curator, and comics studies scholar. Bill Kartalopoulos served as the Series Editor for the Best American Comics (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) series for six annual volumes, beginning in 2014. He teaches courses about comics at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Parsons and at the School of Visual Arts. He is currently writing a history of comics (Princeton University Press). | |||||
| 3:50–4:10 PM | In Conversation | ||||
Alex de Campi in Conversation with Joan HiltyParasocial (Image Comics, October)Ahead of the October release of her thrilling, zeitgeist-capturing graphic novel Parasocial, Alex de Campi will be in conversation with Joan Hilty about writing a modern spin on Misery, as well as toxic fandom and parasocial relationships from the 1860s to today. Her recent graphic novels include the breakout hit Dracula, Motherf**ker! and the critically-acclaimed Bad Girls. As well as Parasocial, she has all-ages cyberpunk adventure story Scrapper debuting in July and action/buddy comedy Bad Karma in November. She also writes for TV and film (the Blade Runner anime & more), and is on social media as @alexdecampi. | |||||
| 4:30–5:00 PM | Closing Keynote | ||||
Jeff Smith and Tillie Walden in Conversation with Heidi MacDonaldMore Tall Tales: A Graphic Novel (BONE Companion) (Graphix, September)Clementine (Volume 2) (Skybound, October)Jeff Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of the Bone series for which he won 20 Harvey and Eisner awards. Smith also wrote and illustrated RASL, which won the Eisner award for Best Graphic Novel, and in 2005 he won “Best Cartoonist” at the Harvey Awards honoring excellence in comics. He is the founder of Cartoon Books, which he founded in 1991 to publish the first comic book in the Bone series. Tillie Walden is a bestselling cartoonist and illustrator from Austin, TX. She is the creator of six graphic novels, including the Eisner award winning books Spinning and Are You Listening? She has been awarded an LA Times Book Prize as well as multiple Ignatz awards for her work. She graduated from the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont, where she now teaches. Heidi MacDonald is the editor-in-chief of Comicsbeat.com as well as the co-host of PW‘s weekly podcast More to Come. She formerly worked for Walt Disney, Vertigo Comics, Harper Collins, New York Comic Con and has edited many award-winning graphic novels. | |||||
| 5:00–6:00 PM | Reception | ||||
The reception is brought to you with the support of our sponsors: Astra Books for Young Readers, Scholastic, Skybound, and Viz.
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ADULT BOOKS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24In-person and Livestreamed to a Virtual Audience | |
Track I: Adult Books & AuthorsThis session, presenting adult books featuring celebrated and debut authors’ titles, will be held in-person at NYU in front of a live audience and will be livestreamed to a virtual audience. |
| 9:30–10:30 AM | Registration & Galley Room Open |
| 10:30–11:00 AM | Welcome & Opening Keynote |
Lauren Groff in Conversation with Meg WolitzerThe Vaster Wilds (Riverhead, September)Lauren Groff is a three-time National Book Award finalist and The New York Times-bestselling author of the novels The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, Fates and Furies, and Matrix, and the celebrated short story collections Delicate Edible Birds and Florida. She has won The Story Prize, the PEN/O. Henry Award, and the Joyce Carol Oates Prize, and has been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her work regularly appears in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and elsewhere. Meg Wolitzer is the New York Times-bestselling author of, among other titles, The Female Persuasion and The Interestings. Wolitzer is also the host of NPR’s Selected Shorts, and she lives in New York City. | |
| 11:05–12:00 PM | Big Books of Next Season |
Mitch AlbomLittle Liar (Harper, November)Author, philanthropist, columnist, and sports broadcaster Mitch Albom is an inspiration around the world. Albom is the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction, which have collectively sold more than 40 million copies in 48 languages worldwide. He has written eight number-one New York Times bestsellers—including Tuesdays with Morrie, the bestselling memoir of all time, which topped the list for four straight years and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2022. He has also written award-winning TV films, stage plays, screenplays, a nationally syndicated newspaper column, and a musical. He appeared for more than 20 years on ESPN, and was a fixture on The Sports Reporters. Through his work at the Detroit Free Press, he was inducted into both the National Sports Media Association and Michigan Sports halls of fame and was the recipient of the Red Smith Award for lifetime achievement. | |
Elizabeth AcevedoFamily Lore (Ecco, August)Elizabeth Acevedo is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Poet X, which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Carnegie medal, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award. She is also the author of With the Fire on High—which was named a best book of the year by the New York Public Library, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal—and Clap When You Land, which was a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor book and a Kirkus finalist. She holds a BA in Performing Arts from George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. Acevedo has been a fellow of Cave Canem, Cantomundo, and a participant in the Callaloo Writer’s Workshops. She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, and resides in Washington, DC with her love. | |
Kiley ReidCome and Get It (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January/2024)Kiley Reid is the author of Such a Fun Age, which was a New York Times bestseller and longlisted for the Booker Prize. Her writing has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Playboy, The Guardian, and others. Reid is currently an assistant professor at the University of Michigan. | |
Alice McDermottAbsolution (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, November)Alice McDermott is the author of several novels, including The Ninth Hour; Someone; After This; Child of My Heart; Charming Billy, winner of the 1998 National Book Award; and At Weddings and Wakes—all published by FSG. That Night, At Weddings and Wakes, and After This were all finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, and elsewhere. For more than two decades, she was the Richard A. Macksey Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University and a member of the faculty at the Sewanee Writers Conference. McDermott lives with her family outside Washington, D.C. | |
MODERATORMaris KreizmanMaris Kreizman is the host of The Maris Review, a weekly literary podcast from Lit Hub. Her work has appeared in New York Magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Esquire, The New Republic, and more. Her essay collection, I Want to Burn This Place Down, is forthcoming from Ecco/HarperCollins. | |
| 12:05–12:35 PM | Lunch Keynote |
Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Coleman Foote in Conversation with Glory EdimColeman Hill: A Novel (SJP Lit, September)Sarah Jessica Parker is an Emmy– and Golden Globe–winning actress, television producer, entrepreneur, tastemaker, and bibliophile. In 2022 she launched a new imprint, SJP Lit, with independent publisher Zando Projects. Parker has long been active in the book world, serving as the American Library Association’s honorary Book Club Central chair and as a board member of United for Libraries. Last year she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Kim Coleman Foote is an award-winning writer of fiction and memoir whose debut novel, Coleman Hill: A Biomythography, is one of the first releases from SJP Lit. Her work has appeared most recently in The Best American Short Stories 2022, Iron Horse Literary Review, Ecotone, and The Rumpus. She is the recipient of numerous honors including writing fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, Phillips Exeter Academy, Center for Fiction, Yaddo, MacDowell, and Hedgebrook. Kim also received a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct research about the slave trade in Ghana, where she inadvertently wrote a memoir about her experiences. Glory Edim is an author, activist, and the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, a nationwide book club-turned-literacy non-profit that celebrates the life changing power of literature. Glory has won numerous awards for her work supporting and sustaining literature, including the 2017 Innovator’s Award from the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes and the Madam C.J. Walker Award from the Hurston/Wright Foundation. | |
| 12:35–1:45 PM | Lunch Break & Galley Room Open |
| 1:55–2:15 PM | In Conversation |
Adele Griffin in Conversation with Kate TuttleThe Favor (Sourcebooks Landmark, June)Adele Griffin is the acclaimed author of over thirty books. Her works include the National Book Award Finalists Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be. Her novel, The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone, was named a YALSA Best Book, an Amazon Best Book of the Year, a Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth, a JLG selection, a Romantic Times Finalist for Book of the Year, and a School Library Journal Top Fiction pick. Kate Tuttle is an executive editor at People magazine, covering books. A past president of the National Book Critics Circle, she formerly edited the books pages at the Boston Globe. | |
| 2:20–3:15 PM | Debut Authors |
Alice CarrièreEverything/Nothing/Someone: A Memoir (Spiegel & Grau, August)Alice Carrière is a graduate of Columbia University. Her memoir is a powerful literary debut of coming of age while struggling with dissociative disorder following an unconventional upbringing in Greenwich Village as the daughter of the renowned artist Jennifer Bartlett and European actor Mathieu Carrière. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, and Amagansett, New York. | |
Kelsey JamesThe Woman in the Castello (Kensington Books, August)Kelsey James is a historical fiction author, content marketer, and former travel editor. A graduate of Dartmouth College, she currently lives with her family outside New York City. The Woman in the Castello is her debut novel, to be followed by The Secrets of Rose Briar Hall in summer 2024. Please visit her online at KelseyJamesAuthor.com. | |
Terah Shelton HarrisTerah Shelton Harris is a collection development librarian based in Alabama and a freelance writer. She has been published in Women’s Health, Natural Solutions, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Backpacker, Draft, and Women’s Adventure. | |
MODERATORLouisa ErmelinoLouisa Ermelino is the author of three novels, including Joey Dee Gets Wise (St. Martin’s Press). She has worked as a reporter at People, InStyle, and TIME International. | |
| 3:20–3:40 PM | In Conversation |
Tess Gerritsen in Conversation with Grace DoyleThe Spy Coast (Thomas & Mercer, October)International bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A Stanford University graduate, Tess went on to gain her MD at the University of California, San Francisco. While on maternity leave as a physician, she began to write fiction. She published her first novel in 1987 and has since sold over 40 million copies of books in 40 countries, winning the Nero Wolfe Award and the RITA Award. Her novels have been top-three US bestsellers and number one bestsellers abroad. Critics worldwide praise her novels as “pulse-pounding fun” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “scary and brilliant” (Toronto Globe and Mail), and “polished, riveting prose” (Chicago Tribune). Grace Doyle is the Associate Publisher at Amazon Publishing, where she oversees the Thomas & Mercer (mystery, thriller, and true crime), Amazon Crossing (world literature in translation), and 47North (science fiction and fantasy) imprints. A 2019 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree, Doyle has worked with bestselling authors including Dean Koontz, Patricia Cornwell, Tess Gerritsen, Robert Dugoni, Lee Goldberg, and Barry Eisler. | |
| 3:50–4:10 PM | In Conversation |
Patty Lin in Conversation with Zibby OwensEnd Credits (Zibby Books, September)Patty Lin is a former TV writer and producer whose credits include Freaks and Geeks, Friends, Desperate Housewives, and Breaking Bad. She has also written pilots for Fox, CBS, and Nickelodeon. Her Breaking Bad episode, “Gray Matter,” was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Script of 2008 in the Episodic Drama category. She retired from television writing to pursue other interests and occasionally appears in background acting roles. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband. Zibby Owens is an author, award-winning podcaster, entrepreneur, and CEO. Owens founded Zibby Media, a privately-held media company, in 2018, with her award-winning podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books. The company has since grown to include the publishing house Zibby Books, the magazine Zibby Mag, the podcast network Zibby Audio, the education platform Zibby Classes and community events like retreats, a book club, and a writing community. | |
| 4:30–5:00 PM | Closing Keynote |
Keegan-Michael Key and Elle KeyThe History of Sketch Comedy: A Journey Through the Art and Craft of Humor (Chronicle Books, October)Keegan-Michael Key is an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning actor, writer, and producer. Keegan is perhaps best known for starring alongside Jordan Peele in their multiple-award-winning show Key & Peele. His other credits include Apple TV+’s Emmy-nominated Schmigadoon!, Netflix’s The Prom, the Critic’s Choice-nominated Reboot on Hulu, and starring alongside Timothée Chalamet in the Warner Brothers’ feature Wonka. His voicework in animated features includes The Lion King, Toy Story 4, and The Super Mario Brothers Movie. He made his off-Broadway debut in Hamlet with Oscar Isaac, and his Broadway debut in Steve Martin’s Meteor Shower with Amy Schumer. Keegan redefines what it means to be a multi-hyphenate in the worlds of film, television, and theater, and his wildly varied and indelible performances have won him fans of all ages and backgrounds. Elle Key is an award-winning film and television director, writer, and producer. She is the co-president and founder of Bigger Picture Media Group and has been writing and directing with, and for, her partner Keegan-Michael Key for almost a decade. Born in New York City, she spent her early career producing a number of independent feature films including Nanette Burstein’s Sundance award-winning documentary American Teen; August with Josh Hartnett, Naomi Harris, and David Bowie; and was a second unit producer on Doug Liman’s Fair Game with Sean Penn and Naomi Watts. She was an executive producer on Brain Games for Disney/Nat Geo as well as an executive producer with James Corden for Game On! for CBS. She has written and directed several projects for the NFL, the Pro-Bowl, the Peabody Awards, and the Gotham Awards, and she was the first female head writer for The NFL Honors. In 2022, Elle won the People’s Voice Webby Award for Best Writing for her original Audible series The History of Sketch Comedy. | |
CHILDREN'S/YA BOOKS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24In-person and Livestreamed to a Virtual Audience | |
Track II: Children’s and Young Adult Books & AuthorsThis session, presenting children’s and young adult books featuring celebrated and debut authors’ titles, will be held in-person at NYU in front of a live audience and will be livestreamed to a virtual audience. |
| 9:30–10:30 AM | Registration & Galley Room Open |
| 10:30–11:00 AM | Welcome & Opening Keynote |
Meg Medina in Conversation with Amber WilliamsAward-winning author, Newbery medalist and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature 2023–2024Meg Medina is the eighth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. She is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author who writes for children and teens. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award as well as the Pura Belpré Award and Honor. She is the 2019 Newbery Medal winner for her novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears. When she is not writing, she works on community projects that support Latinx youth. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia. You can follow Meg on Twitter @meg_medina and on Instagram @megmedinabooks. Amber Williams is the Editorial Director at The New York Times for Kids. | |
| 11:05–12:00 PM | Big Books of Next Season |
Melissa de la CruzThe (Super Secret) Octagon Valley Society (Disney Hyperion, September)Melissa de la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, #1 Publishers Weekly, and #1 IndieBound bestselling author of Isle of the Lost and Return to the Isle of the Lost as well as many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages. Her books have also topped the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and have been published in more than twenty countries. | |
Candice IlohSalt the Water (Dutton Books for Young Readers, October)Candice Iloh is a first-generation Nigerian American writer from the Midwest by way of Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, New York whose books center home, self-awareness, and Black sustainability. They are a proud alumna of the Rhode Island Writers Colony and their work has earned fellowships from Lambda Literary, VONA, Kimbilio Fiction and a residency with Hi-ARTS, where they debuted their first one-person show in 2018. Candice became a 2020 National Book Award Finalist and in 2021, a Printz Award Honoree for their debut novel, Every Body Looking. Break This House is their second novel. | |
Karen M. McManusOne of Us Is Back (Delacorte, July)Karen M. McManus is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of young adult thrillers. Her work includes One of Us Is Lying, which has been turned into a television show on Peacock and Netflix, and additional series titles One of Us is Next and One of Us Is Back (publishing in July 2023), as well as the standalone novels Two Can Keep a Secret, The Cousins, You’ll Be the Death of Me, and Nothing More to Tell. Her work has been translated into more than 40 languages. Karen lives in Massachusetts and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northeastern University, which she uses to draft fake news stories for her novels. To learn more about Karen and her books, visit karenmcmanus.com, or follow @writerkmc on Twitter and Instagram. | |
Peter H. ReynoldsAll We Need is Love and a Really Soft Pillow! (Orchard Books, September)Peter H. Reynolds is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of many books for children including Happy Dreamer, The Word Collector, Say Something!, Be You! and Our Table. He is also the illustrator of When Things Aren’t Going Right, Go Left by Marc Colagiovanni. His books have been translated into over 25 languages around the globe and are celebrated worldwide. In 1996, he founded FableVision with his brother, Paul, as a social change agency to help create “stories that matter, stories that move.” He lives in Dedham, Massachusetts, with his family. Visit him online at peterhreynolds.com. | |
MODERATORMaria RussoMaria Russo is the editorial director of Astra Publishing House’s Minerva and minedition imprints. She is the former children’s book editor at the New York Times Book Review and coauthor of How to Raise a Reader (Workman). Russo has also been a writer and editor at the Los Angeles Times and the New York Observer. She holds a PhD in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University and taught at the university’s School of General Studies. | |
| 12:05–12:35 PM | Lunch Keynote |
Jacqueline Woodson in Conversation with Miwa MesserRemember Us (Nancy Paulsen Books, October)Named a MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient in 2020, Jacqueline Woodson has earned accolades for her children’s, YA and adult books, most recently the 2023 E.B. White Award for achievement in children’s literature. Her New York Times bestselling memoir Brown Girl Dreaming won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2014, the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, the NAACP Image Award and Sibert Honor. Woodson is a former Young People’s Poet Laureate (2015–2017), National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature (2018) and winner of an NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens for Before the Ever After (2020). In 2018, she also received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which honors international children’s literature. The acclaimed Miracle’s Boys was made into a TV miniseries directed by Spike Lee, LaVar Burton and others. Miwa Messer is a career bookseller and the creator, executive producer, and host of Poured Over, the Barnes & Noble podcast. | |
| 12:35–1:30 PM | Lunch & Galley Room Open |
| 1:30–1:50 PM | In Conversation |
Wade Hudson in Conversation with Carolyn P. YoderInvincible: Fathers and Mothers of Black America (Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers, September)Wade Hudson is the author of numerous books for children, including the memoir Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South. He’s also the co-editor of the critically acclaimed collection Recognize!: An Anthology Honoring and Amplifying Black Life. He and his wife Cheryl are not only frequent co-authors, but also the co-founders and publishers of Just Us Books, a company dedicated to publishing books geared toward Black children. Carolyn P. Yoder is the editorial director and founding editor of Calkins Creek, the U.S. history imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers. Previously she was the senior editor of history at HIGHLIGHTS magazine, an editor and writer for the New Jersey Historical Society, the director of the New Hampshire Antiquarian Society, and the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Cobblestone Publishing. | |
| 1:55–2:15 PM | In Conversation |
Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes in Conversation with Kit BallengerGreeking Out: Epic Retellings of Classic Greek Myths (National Geographic Kids, September)Kenny Curtis has spent more than 30 years in children’s programming as a performer, writer, and producer. He is one of the creators of National Geographic Kids’ Greeking Out podcast series, which he hosts and cowrites alongside his daughter, Jillian Hughes. Together, Kenny and Jillian have helped develop a number of well-known kids’ content offerings for partners and platforms like Pinna, Tinkercast, Kidz Bop, and 8 Pound Gorilla Records. But Kenny may be best known as the human behind the long-running radio program The Animal Farm on SiriusXM’s original family music channel, Kids Place Live. Jillian Hughes is a professional writer with her heart in the kids and family industry. She’s a writer for National Geographic Kids’ Greeking Out podcast series and has contributed to other platforms including Pinna, Tinkercast, and iHeart. She also works as a copywriter crafting marketing collateral for numerous industries. While she enjoys working with all her clients, she is especially partial to collaborating with Kenny—who just happens to be her dad. Kit Ballenger is a Washington, D.C. area youth services librarian and literary consultant with Help Your Shelf. She nurtures literacy-rich environments that sustain joy and build lifelong readers. She appears regularly on satellite radio as the Kids Place Live Librarian in Residence. | |
| 2:20–2:40 PM | In Conversation |
Ryan La Sala in Conversation with David LevithanBeholder (Scholastic Press, October)Ryan La Sala is a bestselling and award-winning author who writes about surreal things happening to queer people. His debut horror novel, The Honeys, is in development to become a major motion picture. David Levithan has written numerous YA works featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, most notably Boy Meets Boy, Every Day, and Two Boys Kissing, as well as the forthcoming Ryan and Avery. He is currently the VP, Editor and Director of Scholastic Press at Scholastic and the founding editor of the PUSH imprint, which is devoted to finding new voices and new authors in teen literature. | |
| 2:50–3:10 PM | In Conversation |
Vichet Chum in Conversation with Matia QueryKween (Quill Tree Books, October)Vichet Chum is a Cambodian American writer originally from Carrollton, TX. He graduated from the University of Evansville and received an MFA from Brown University. He currently lives in New York City. Kween is his debut novel, and you can visit Vichet at vichetchum.com. Matia Query is the editor of BookLife at Publishers Weekly. She previously worked as an associate editor in PW‘s children’s department. | |
| 3:50–4:10 PM | In Conversation |
Brigid Martin in Conversation with Alan SmaglerTotally Psychic (Inkyard Press, August)Brigid Martin is a New York-based writer, reader, and serial hobbyist with a soft spot for friendly ghosts. Brigid received her master’s degree from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and undergraduate degree in English and Music from Stony Brook University. Brigid has enjoyed a career in the publishing field for nearly a decade and is excited to be on the other side of the page with her debut novel, Totally Psychic. Alan Smagler is the v-p of trade sales at Scholastic. At Scholastic, he has overseen the successful conclusion to the Harry Potter series, as well as the launch of the Hunger Games series. | |
| 4:15–4:45 PM | Closing Keynote |
Matthew Gray GublerThe Little Kid with the Big Green Hand (Pumpkin Patch Press, September)Matthew Gray Gubler is a storyteller from Las Vegas, Nevada, who writes, paints, directs, acts, and knows magic. | |
EDITORS' PICKS
THURSDAY, MAY 25Livestreamed to a Virtual Audience | |
Track I: PW Editors’ Picks: Adult BooksEditors’ picks will be revealed live at the show. |
| 10:30–11:25 AM | Mysteries & Thrillers |
| 12:00–12:55 PM | Literary Fiction |
| 1:15–2:10 PM | Comics & Graphic Novels |
| 2:30–3:25 PM | Memoir & Nonfiction |
| 3:45–4:45 PM | Current Affairs |
Track II: PW Editors’ Picks: Children’s & Young Adult BooksEditors’ picks will be revealed live at the show. |
| 11:30 AM–12:55 PM | Picture Books |
| 1:00–1:55 PM | Middle Grade |
| 2:15–3:10 PM | Young Adult |
| 3:30–4:30 PM | Comics & Graphic Novels |