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

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 BBCO on their instagram, https://www.instagram.com/bushwickbookcluboakland You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! https://givebutter.com/writingthefuture

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. https://www.instagram.com/boutiquebookretreats/ You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! https://givebutter.com/writingthefuture #romancebooks #BayArea #Literature #Podcast #BookFestival #booktok #booktube #romantasy #romancerecs #romancereading

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 #BayArea #Literature #Poetry #Podcast #BookFestival #booktok #booktube

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 Terria Smith who talks to us about her forthcoming memoir I Love You So Many, which will be on early sale at the Bay Area Book Festival! https://www.heydaybooks.com/catalog/i-love-you-so-many/ You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! https://givebutter.com/writingthefuture #TerriaSmith #BayArea #Literature #Podcast #BookFestival #booktok #native #memoir #travel

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 Jeremy Engels who is talking to us about his book On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World https://www.parallax.org/product/on-mindful-democracy/ You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work! https://givebutter.com/writingthefuture #JeremyEngels #BayArea #Literature #Podcast #BookFestival #booktok #booktube #booktube #mindfulness #democracy

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 Renee Swindle who is talking to us about her book Francine's Spectacular Crash and Burn. You can find more 2026 festival authors and upcoming events at www.baybookfest.org. Please support our work!

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 first episode, you get to meet our new podcast hosts, hear about some of the authors booked for the 2026 festival, find out more about what we do year around and how you can support all of this work! Upcoming events: Social Justice Children' Book Fair https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-social-justice-childrens-book-fair-tickets-1967246325717?aff=oddtdtcreator Pints and Pages https://www.baybookfest.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Pints-Pages-V5-scaled.jpg Merritt Dialogues: AI https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-merritt-dialogues-ai-tickets-1769935929009?aff=oddtdtcreator

Nico Lang is joining us for an event at Kepler's books on September 9th, 2025. Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trans-narratives-of-america-tickets-1485118843439 Join us for a timely evening at Kepler's Books as acclaimed authors Carolina De Robertis (So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color) and Nico Lang (American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era) come together for a dynamic conversation about the vital importance of preserving and honoring the lives and voices of trans people. Moderated by Brandy Collins, this event will delve into the connections between the stories of trans youth and elders, exploring how shared histories, struggles, and triumphs form the backbone of resistance and resilience. Whether you are trans, queer, an ally, or someone seeking deeper understanding, this conversation promises to be moving, illuminating, and deeply human. Nico Lang is the creator of Queer News Daily and an award-winning reporter, editor, essayist, author, and critic. You can read their work in Rolling Stone, Esquire, Teen Vogue, Them, the Advocate, Vice, the Wall Street Journal, Out, the Daily Beast, HuffPost, BuzzFeed News, and the L.A. Times, among others. Their newest book, American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era chronicles trans youth living their lives in seven states across the U.S.

Join the Bay Area Book Festival and Litquake for an intimate (virtual) conversation with Iman Mersal and Kate Briggs, two writers who reshape our understanding of motherhood and the art of living. Mersal, acclaimed Egyptian-Canadian poet and essayist who most recently authored Motherhood and Its Ghosts, excavates the invisible labor and haunting absences of motherhood, blending irony, empathy, and unsparing honesty as she searches for lost women and lost selves. Her work is a bridge between personal memory and cultural critique, always aware of what remains unsaid. Briggs, Rotterdam-based author of The Long Form, reinvents "mom-lit" with philosophical, fragmentary prose, capturing the daily improvisations of new parenthood and the shifting architectures of care. Together, they invite us to witness the fragile, ever-changing forms of family and friendship, and the radical potential of the everyday. This conversation promises to be as nuanced and expansive as their writing, and will be moderated by beloved Sri Lankan American author Nayomi Munaweera.