Every fall for the past decade, thousands of bibliophiles have swarmed downtown Brooklyn for the annual Brooklyn Book Festival, which brings together publishers, authors, and readers alike to nerd out over the latest titles out on the shelves and developments on the literary scene. This year's eleventh annual festival is still three months away, but its organizers released the bulk of the author lineup this week, so you can spend your summer beach days tearing through as many of their works as possible.
Highlights include big names like Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie, and Joyce Carol Oates, to be joined by emerging writers such as Nicole Dennis-Benn, Stephanie Danler, Angela Flournoy, and Phil Klay.
Artist and writer Molly Crabapple's also on the list, having recently released her beautifully illustrated memoir, Drawing Blood; she'll be joined by journalists and critics such as A.O. Scott, Rebecca Traister, and Touré. Cecily von Ziegesar of Gossip Girl fame is also on the list.
The festival will draw authors from across the globe, from Imraan Coovadia and Masande Ntshanga from South Africa to Denmark's Dorthe Nors and Sri Lanka's Anuk Arudpragasam.
Those are just a few of the 300 authors who will fill 14 stages on Sunday, September 18 for panels, readings, and other creative performances. The day before, dozens of authors including Peter Brown, Gordon Korman, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Christian Robinson, and Rebecca Stead will be featured on Children's Day, with theatrical performances, workshops, picture book stages, and a "dueling draw-off."
The full schedule of events will be released over the coming months, but for now, check out the preliminary lineup and get your tote bags ready.
