Boston Book Festival Returning This Fall

BOSTON, MA — One of New England's largest annual literary events is returning to the city this fall, bringing more than 200 authors and dozens of events to Copley Square for a weekend celebrating books, writers, and reading.

The 18th Annual Boston Book Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, with a ticketed opening night event set for Friday, Oct. 16. The free festival is expected to draw about 25,000 readers to the Back Bay for more than 80 events featuring authors including Edwidge Danticat, Tess Gerritsen, Imbolo Mbue, Walter Mosley, Michael P. Murphy, Renée Watson, and Emily Wilson.

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Events will be held at the Boston Public Library, Old South Church, Goethe-Institut, Church of the Covenant, Trinity Church, and other locations around Copley Square, while an outdoor fair held rain or shine will feature more than 60 exhibitors, including small presses, literary nonprofits, a children's area, and a coffee tent. The festival will begin Saturday with a children's costume parade before a day of author conversations, presentations, read-alouds, and other book-focused activities, while Room&Board will host an after-hours "Poems & Pints" gathering with Mass Poetry.

"For nearly two decades, the Boston Book Festival has harnessed the power of books to forge connections, deepen empathy, and illuminate our shared humanity," Boston Book Festival Executive Director Carlin Carr said. "This year's Festival spans so many genres and offers something for everyone to enjoy. From beloved bestselling authors to notable new names, these writers and illustrators give vital perspectives about our world – its past, present, and imagined future."

The weekend will begin Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Old South Church, where bestselling author Michael Lewis will appear in conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks to discuss his new book, "Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State." Early bird tickets are $49.87 through Sept. 20 and include a copy of the book, with additional donations supporting the festival's free Saturday programming.

Saturday's keynote lineup will include Wilson discussing "Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature," while Danticat and Mbue will appear together for the festival's fiction keynote. Watson will serve as the young adult keynote, Gerritsen and Mosley will headline the thriller and mystery programming, and Murphy, co-founder of MASS Design Group and founder of collaborative design studio AMMA, will discuss his new book, "Our World in Ten Buildings: How Architecture Defines Who We Are and How We Live."

This year's programming will span current events, food, memoir, romance, poetry, picture books, dystopian fiction, and other genres, with sessions exploring topics including artificial intelligence's impact on everyday life, democracy and authoritarianism, American history, folklore and fairy tales, gothic horror, art and architecture, and authenticity in storytelling.

The Boston Book Festival has grown into one of the region's largest literary gatherings since its debut in 2009, when more than 12,000 people attended events featuring more than 90 authors and presenters around Copley Square. Founded by Deborah Z. Porter, the festival has since expanded to include year-round literary programming while its signature fall event regularly brings tens of thousands of readers to Boston's Back Bay.

A complete author lineup and session schedule will reportedly be announced in mid-September.

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