NEW YORK—May 7, 2025—The U.S. Book Show is pleased to announce that Joy Bivins, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York, will give the opening keynote, “Celebrating 100 Years of the Schomburg Center,” in conversation with the Black List’s Randy Winston. The daylong event takes place on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at the New York Academy of Medicine, an historic Fifth Avenue building located in Harlem. The Schomburg Center, now marking its centennial, is a landmark institution of the Harlem Renaissance and globally celebrated for its role in preserving and promoting Black history and culture.
To illuminate the literary and cultural significance of the Harlem Renaissance, a photo montage using materials from the Schomburg Collection, with music by Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington and other iconic musical artists of the era, will serve as the multimedia opener for the event.
Joy Bivins has led this preeminent research archive—named for Arturo Schomburg, whose vast collection formed the original core of the library and which is part of the New York Public Library system—since 2021. Prior to coming to the Schomburg Center in 2020 as associate director of Collections and Research Services, Bivins spent nearly two decades in the cultural sector. She previously served as the chief curator of the International African American Museum, in Charleston, S.C., and as the director of curatorial affairs at the Chicago History Museum. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Cornell University and is a proud native of the south side of Chicago.
Randy Winston is a writer of fiction and nonfiction originally from Atlanta who now lives in Brooklyn. He is the creative director for fiction at the Black List, a discovery platform for writers to present their as-yet-unproduced creative projects to film, television and theater producers and executives. The Black List is also known for its annual list of best unproduced films.
Other highly anticipated panels include CEOs in Conversation, featuring Simon & Schuster’s Jonathan Karp and Hachette’s David Shelley, moderated by Publishers Weekly editorial director Jonathan Segura. Publishing Under Trump 2.0; an audiobook panel; “Passing the Torch” about the next generation of publishing prodigies; and the ever-popular Books to Film promise to pack the room at the show. An AI Lunch & Learn offers an educational yet casual opportunity to network and delve into AI technology that can serve publishing professionals. The closing cocktail reception is the most talked-about networking party in the industry.
Now in its fifth year, the U.S. Book Show: A Conference on Publishing and the Business of Books is presented by Publishers Weekly. See the schedule and detailed panel descriptions here.
This is an in-person show, with no livestreaming. Tickets are available through the U.S. Book Show website, and group rates are available.
General questions may be emailed to eventsupport@publishersweekly.com.
Press passes are available to accredited media. For more information, or to schedule an interview with Joy Bivins, contact Christi Cassidy, +1-917-217-4269, ccassidy@publishersweekly.com.
About Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly is the international news platform of the book publishing industry. Founded 153 years ago in 1872 and published weekly since then, the magazine boasts 1.26 million social media followers; publishes 10 e-newsletters, BookLife (a website and semimonthly supplement), TheMillions.com, a blog, podcasts, a mobile edition, digital editions and apps; and features a thriving website that reaches 13.4 million unique visitors annually.
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