A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 17, 2025

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Featured Authors

Moderator

Liza Achilles

Featured Title: Two Novembers: A Memoir of Love 'n' Sex in Sonnets

Liza Achilles is the author of “Two Novembers: A Memoir of Love ’n’ Sex in Sonnets” (Beltway Editions, 2024). DCTRENDING selected this sonnet sequence for its Summer Booklist 2024. Her writing has appeared in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, The Headlight Review,… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Moderator

Sarah Adler

Featured Title: Happy Medium

Sarah Adler, a USA Today best-selling author, writes romantic comedies about lovable weirdos finding their happily ever afters. She lives in Frederick, Md., with her husband, daughter and a very mischievous cat named Noodle. When not writing or reading, you… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

The Painter and the President by Sarah Albee

Sarah Albee

Featured Title: The Painter and the President: Gilbert Stuart's Brush with George Washington

Sarah Albee is The New York Times best-selling author of non-fiction books for kids. Her most recent titles include “Zero: The Number that Almost Wasn’t,” “The Painter and the President: Gilbert Stuart’s Brush with George Washington” and “Bounce!: A Scientific… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

David Aldridge

Featured Title: The Basketball 100

David Aldridge is a senior columnist for The Athletic, primarily covering the NBA and Washington, D.C., sports. The Athletic is a digital subscription sports website now operating through The New York Times Company, and has more than 1.2 million subscribers… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

John Amen

Featured Title: Dark Souvenirs

John Amen is the author of five collections of poetry, including “Illusion of an Overwhelm,” finalist for the 2018 Brockman-Campbell Award, and work from which was chosen as a finalist for the 2018 Dana Award. He received the 2021 Jack… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Indran J Amirthanayagam

Featured Title: The Runner's Almanac

Indran Amirthanayagam writes and translates in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Haitian Creole. He has published 25 poetry books, including “Seer,” “The Runner’s Almanac,” “Powet Nan Po A (Poet of the Port),” “The Migrant States,” “Origami: Selected Poems of Manuel… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Kerry Aradhya

Featured Title: Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube

Kerry Aradhya has loved puzzling over words and immersing herself in the creative process ever since she was a little girl growing up in Erie, Pa. Her debut picture book, “Ernő Rubik and His Magic Cube,” was a 2024 Junior… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson

Rick Atkinson

Featured Title: The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780

Rick Atkinson is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of seven previous works of history, including “The Long Gray Line,” the Liberation Trilogy (“An Army at Dawn,” “The Day of Battle” and “The Guns at Last Light”) and “The… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Jonathan Auxier

Featured Title: The Vanished Kingdom: The War of the Maps

Jonathan Auxier is a New York Times best-selling author of strange stories for strange children — including the beloved “Vanished Kingdom” and “Fabled Stables” series. His spooky novel, “The Night Gardener,” was a Junior Library Guild selection, an ABA IndieNext… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Tracey Baptiste

Featured Title: Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos

Tracey Baptiste is a New York Times best-selling author of 26 books for children, including the popular “Jumbies”series –   “The Jumbies,” “Rise of the Jumbies” and “The Jumbie God’s Revenge” – as well as the picture book, “Looking for a… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Class Clown by Dave Barry

Dave Barry

Featured Title: Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass: How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up

Dave Barry is the author of more best-sellers than you can count on two hands, including “Swamp Story,” “Lessons from Lucy,” “Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys,” “Dave Barry Turns Forty” and “Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up.” A… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Louis Bayard

Featured Title: The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts

In the words of The New York Times, Louis Bayard “reinvigorates historical fiction,” rendering the past “as if he’d witnessed it firsthand.” His acclaimed novels include “The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts;” “The Pale Blue Eye,” adapted into the global… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Amanda Becker

Featured Title: You Must Stand Up: The Fight for Abortion Rights in Post-Dobbs America

Amanda Becker is a veteran, Washington, D.C.-based journalist who has covered the U.S. Congress, White House, Supreme Court and elections for nearly two decades. She is currently with The 19th, a first of its kind nonprofit, independent newsroom covering gender,… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Charles F. Bolden Jr.

Featured Title: Star Sailor: My Life as a NASA Astronaut

Charles F. Bolden Jr. became the first Black NASA Administrator in 2009. He logged more than 600 hours in space over the course of four shuttle missions. During Bolden’s eight-year tenure as NASA Administrator, the agency developed a spacecraft to… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Extra Innings by Fred Bowen

Fred Bowen

Featured Title: Extra Innings

Fred Bowen is the author of 29 sports books for young readers ages 8-12. He is the creator and author of the Fred Bowen Sports Story series, 26 books that combine sports fiction, sports history and always have a chapter… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Return to Sender by Vera Brosgol

Vera Brosgol

Featured Title: Return to Sender

Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her three graphic novels — “Anya’s Ghost,” “Be Prepared” and “Plain Jane and the Mermaid” — were published by First Second.… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Zeeva Bukai

Featured Title: The Anatomy of Exile

Zeeva Bukai was born in Israel and raised in New York City. Her honors include a Fellowship at the New York Center for Fiction and residencies at Hedgebrook, and Byrdcliffe AIR program. Her stories are forthcoming in “Smashing the Tablets:… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Casey Burgat

Featured Title: We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back

Casey Burgat is a former congressional staffer turned professor of legislative affairs at George Washington University. He is the author of “We Hold These ‘Truths:’ How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back” (Authors Equity), which examines common… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Andie Burke

Featured Title: Fall for Him

Andie Burke specializes in big-hearted, queer romcoms that kick-off with meet-disasters rather than meet-cutes. When not writing, she works as a pediatric radiology nurse. She lives with two small, but hilarious, humans in a Maryland home filled with an alarming… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Reunion by Gary Burr

Gary Burr

Featured Title: Reunion: A Rock and Roll Fairy Tale

Gary Burr is one of Nashville’s most accomplished songwriters with 14 number ones songs. His songs have been recorded by Garth Brooks, Christina Aguilera, Kenny Rogers, Faith Hill, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many others. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriter’s… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

When We Only Have the Earth by Nancy Naomi Carlson

Nancy Naomi Carlson

Featured Title: When We Only Have the Earth (African Poetry Book)

Nancy Naomi Carlson won the 2022 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize and was shortlisted for the Best Translated Book Award and the Sarah Maguire Translation Prize. She was longlisted twice for the National Translation Award. Author of 16 titles (11 translated), her… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

I Want to Hold My Hand by James Michael Causey
Moderator

James Michael Causey

Featured Title: I Want to Hold My Hand

Michael Causey has written about music in Washingtonian, Bethesda Magazine and the Washington Independent Review of Books. He hosts the radio show, “A Good Hour,” on WOWD 94.3 fm Takoma Park, Md., and frequently interviews musicians including David Crosby, Marshall… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Essie Chambers

Featured Title: Swift River

Essie Chambers is an award-winning author and producer. Her debut novel, “Swift River”—a Today Show “Read with Jenna” Book Club pick—won the 2024 Barnes & Noble Discover Prize and was named a best book of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, The Boston Globe, Elle, and… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Cinda Williams Chima

Featured Title: The Runestone Saga: Bane of Asgard

Cinda Williams Chima nearly failed first grade because she was always daydreaming. By junior high, she got in trouble for writing novels in class. Yet the magic of books took her from first grade failure to first generation college graduate… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

I Leave It Up to You by Jinwoo Chong

Jinwoo Chong

Featured Title: I Leave It Up to You

Jinwoo Chong is the author of the novel “Flux,” a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway and VCU Cabell First Novel awards, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and named a best book of the year by Esquire, GQ and Cosmopolitan. His short… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

P. Djèlí Clark

Featured Title: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins

Born in New York and raised mostly in Houston, P. Djèlí Clark (he/him) spent the formative years of his life in the homeland of his parents, Trinidad and Tobago. He is the author of the novel, “A Master of Djinn,”… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Bookish People by Susan Coll
Moderator

Susan Coll

Featured Title: Bookish People

Susan Coll’s eighth novel, “The Literati,” is forthcoming in September. Her previous works include the USA Today best-selling “Real Life and Other Fictions,” “Bookish People” and “The Stager,” a New York Times and Chicago Tribune Editor’s Choice. Her novel “Acceptance”… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Behind Every Good Man by Sara Goodman Confino

Sara Goodman Confino

Featured Title: Behind Every Good Man

Sara Goodman Confino is the best-selling author of “Behind Every Good Man,” “Don’t Forget to Write,” “She’s Up to No Good” and “For the Love of Friends.” After spending many years teaching high school English and journalism in Montgomery County,… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Gaia Cornwall

Featured Title: Fairy Walk

Gaia Cornwall loves to write and illustrate for children. She is the author-illustrator of “Jabari Jumps,” which was a Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book and an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book; and its follow-up, “Jabari Tries,” as well as “The… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Speak to Me of Home by Jeanine Cummins

Jeanine Cummins

Featured Title: Speak to Me of Home

Jeanine Cummins is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of “American Dirt,” which was an Oprah’s Book Club and a Barnes & Noble Book Club selection, as well as a #1 Indie Next pick. The novel has been translated… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Sayantani DasGupta

Featured Title: The Ghost Forest (Secrets of the Sky, Book Three)

Sayantani DasGupta is The New York Times best-selling author of the critically acclaimed, Bengali folktale and string theory-inspired “Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond” books, the first of which — “The Serpent’s Secret” — was a Bank Street Best Book of… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Jacqueline Davies

Featured Title: The Lemonade War

Jacqueline Davies is the best-selling author of the “Lemonade War” series, which has inspired millions of young readers across the world to raise money for charitable causes. She is also the award-winning author of the “Sydney and Taylor” series, illustrated… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Jeffery Deaver

Featured Title: South of Nowhere (A Colter Shaw Novel)

Jeffery Deaver is an international #1 best-selling author. His novels have appeared on best-seller lists around the world. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. He has served two terms as president of Mystery Writers… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers

Angela Dominguez

Featured Title: Gabby Torres Gets a Billion Followers

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in the great state of Texas. She now resides on the East Coast with her boyfriend, Kyle, and their petite dog, Petunia. She is also the author and illustrator of… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Unarmed by Megan Doney

Megan Doney

Featured Title: Unarmed: An American Educator's Memoir

Megan Doney is a writer and English professor in Virginia. Her work has been published in Ilanot Review, New Limestone Review, Rappahannock Review, Creative Nonfiction, Earth & Altar and Inside Higher Ed, as well as in the anthologies “Allegheny” and “If… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Keith Donohue

Featured Title: The Girl in the Bog

Keith Donohue is the author of five novels, including The New York Times best-seller, “The Stolen Child.” His work has been translated into two dozen languages. He also reviews books, interviews other writers, and wrote speeches for the chairman of… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Rosa Kwon Easton

Featured Title: White Mulberry

Rosa Kwon Easton is a Korean American lawyer, library trustee and author of the debut novel, “White Mulberry,” an Amazon First Reads Editor’s Pick and a #1 Best Seller in Historical Fiction. It has been named a “Best Book” by… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Erin Crosby Eckstine

Featured Title: Junie

Erin Crosby Eckstine is an author of speculative historical fiction and personal essays. Born in Montgomery, Ala., Erin grew up between the South and Los Angeles before moving to New York City, where she taught high school English for six… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Glory Edim

Featured Title: Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me

Glory Edim is a literary tastemaker, author and advocate for diverse voices in literature. In 2015, she founded Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG), an online platform and book club dedicated to celebrating the literary works of Black women authors and creating… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Laura Malone Elliott

Featured Title: Truth, Lies, and the Questions in Between

L. M. Elliott was a senior writer with Washingtonian magazine before becoming an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of 14 historical and biographical fictions. Her YA novels include “Under a War-Torn Sky;” “Bea and the New Deal Horse;”  “Hamilton… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

David Ellis

Featured Title: The Best Lies

David Ellis is the Edgar-winning author of 11 suspense novels, as well as another 10 co-written with James Patterson. His most recent solo novels were “Look Closer” (2022) and “The Best Lies” (2024). He won the Edgar Award for Best… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Craig Kofi Farmer

Featured Title: Kwame Crashes the Underworld

Craig Kofi Farmer is a Prince George’s County, Md., native, with two Bachelor of Science degrees from Towson University and one Master of Education degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He works in higher education administration, helping students… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Trace by Melanie Figg
Moderator

Melanie Figg

Featured Title: Trace

Melanie Figg is a writer from Maryland. Her award-winning debut poetry collection, “Trace,” was named one of the 7 best indie poetry books of the year: “Figg kindles broken, dying embers into a roaring memorial for the voiceless.”(Kirkus starred review).… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

Alex Finlay

Featured Title: Parents Weekend

Alex Finlay is the best-selling author of several acclaimed novels, including the 2024 national bestseller, “If Something Happens to Me.” His work regularly appears on best-of-the-year lists and has been translated into 25 languages and sold around the world. Nearly… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Sharon G. Flake

Featured Title: The Family I'm In

As the prolific author of numerous books, Sharon G. Flake’s novels have brought a bold dimension to literature for young people, selling more than a million copies worldwide, and reaching readers across the globe through numerous translations and theatrical productions.… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Casualties of Truth by Lauren Francis-Sharma

Lauren Francis-Sharma

Featured Title: Casualties of Truth

Lauren Francis-Sharma is the author of “Book of the Little Axe,” a finalist for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the critically acclaimed novel “’Til the Well Runs Dry.” She was a MacDowell fellow and is the Assistant Director of Bread… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Team Unihorn and Woolly by Alexis Frederick-Frost

Alexis Frederick-Frost

Featured Title: Team Unihorn and Woolly: Revenge of the Unicorn

Alexis Frederick-Frost is a cartoonist whose books are distinguished by their vibrant art and whimsical humor. He is the co-author and illustrator of the critically acclaimed “Adventures in Cartooning” series of graphic novels and picture books and is the author… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

The Jersey Brothers by Sally Mott Freeman
Moderator

Sally Mott Freeman

Featured Title:

The Jersey Brothers: A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family's Quest to Bring Him Home

Sally Mott Freeman was a speechwriter, PR executive and non-profit leader for 30 years before launching research for “The Jersey Brothers.” After penning speeches for an FCC commissioner and later its chairman, she became FCC’s News Media Division Chief and… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

The Bookshop by Evan Friss

Evan Friss

Featured Title: The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore

Evan Friss is a New York Times best-selling author and a professor of history at James Madison University. His most recent book, “The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore,” garnered rave reviews in The Washington Post, The New York… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Agustín Fuentes

Featured Title: Sex Is a Spectrum: The Biological Limits of the Binary

Agustín Fuentes, trained in Zoology and Anthropology, is a professor of Anthropology at Princeton University. His research delves into the how and why of being human. From chasing monkeys in jungles and cities, to exploring the lives of our evolutionary… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls by Majda Gama
Moderator

Majda Gama

Featured Title: In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls

Majda Gama is the award-winning author of “In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls” (Wandering Aengus Press) and “The Call of Paradise” (Two Sylvia’s, 2023). Her honors include the Graybeal-Gowen award for Virginia poets from Shenandoah and the Gregory… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia

Kami Garcia

Featured Title: Mixed-Up

Kami Garcia is a #1 New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and international best-selling author and comic book writer, and an award-winning young adult novelist. Her best-known works include “Beautiful Creatures,” “Unbreakable” and “Teen Titans: Raven.” Kami was a… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

David Gessner

Featured Title: The Book of Flaco: The World's Most Famous Bird

David Gessner is the author of “The Book of Flaco: The World’s Most Famous Bird,” and many other books that blend a love of nature, humor, memoir and environmentalism, including The New York Times best-selling “All the Wild That Remains.”… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Matt Goldman

Featured Title: The Murder Show

Matt Goldman is a New York Times best-selling author and Emmy Award winning TV writer. He has been nominated for the Shamus Award, the Nero Award, a Writers Guild of America Award, and was named to the Texas Lariat Reading… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Gia Gordon

Featured Title: My So-Called Family

Gia Gordon is a disabled author, youth activist and former educator. Her middle grade debut, “My So-Called Family,” has received two starred reviews; been named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, a Kirkus Best Books of 2024, and a… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

John Patrick Green

Featured Title: InvestiGators: Agents of S.U.I.T.: Wild Ghost Chase

John Patrick Green is a human with the human job of making books about animals with human jobs, notably the smash-hit graphic novel series “InvestiGators.” John is definitely a multiple New York Times best-selling human author and not just a… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

The Vampire of Kings Street by Asha Greyling

Asha Greyling

Featured Title: The Vampire of Kings Street

Asha Greyling lives in Maryland with her furry four-footed muses, Gwin the terrier and a guinea pig who thinks she’s a cat. She likes nothing more than swinging in the playground (unless the local children scare her off), collecting acorns… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Friends with Secrets by Christine Gunderson

Christine Gunderson

Featured Title: Friends with Secrets

Christine Gunderson grew up on a fourth-generation family farm in rural North Dakota where she read Laura Ingalls Wilder books in her very own little house on the prairie. She’s a former television anchor and reporter, and former Capitol Hill… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Featured Title: Bringing Ben Home: A Murder, a Conviction, and the Fight to Redeem American Justice

Barbara Bradley Hagerty is a New York Times best-selling author and an accomplished journalist. She is a contributing writer to The Atlantic and her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times and PBS, among… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

The Uncanny Muse by David Hajdu

David Hajdu

Featured Title: The Uncanny Muse: Music, Art, and Machines from Automata to AI

David Hajdu is one of the most respected cultural critics of our time. A professor at Columbia University, he is the author of eight books of biography, cultural history, graphic non-fiction and fiction, including “Lush Life: A Biography of Billy… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Michael Hall

Featured Title: Punch!: A Story About Kindness

Michael Hall grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., and lives with his family in Minneapolis, Minn. He is the creator of numerous acclaimed picture books for children, including ”Frankencrayon,” ”Red: A Crayon’s Story,” ”My Heart Is Like a Zoo,” ”Perfect Square” and ”It’s an Orange… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Lindsay Hameroff

Featured Title: Never Planned on You

Lindsay Hameroff is a writer, humorist and former English teacher raised in Baltimore, Md., and based in Harrisburg, Pa. Her writing has been featured in McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Belladonna, Weekly Humorist, and fan letters to Harry Styles. She is… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Malcolm Harris

Featured Title: What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis

Malcolm Harris is the author of the national best-seller, “Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World,” a finalist for The Los Angeles Times Book Prize; “Kids These Days: The Making of Millennials;” and “Shit is Fucked Up… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Bound by Jubi Arriola-Headley

Jubi Arriola-Headley

Featured Title: Bound

Jubi Arriola Headley (he/him) is a Black queer poet, storyteller, first-generation United Statesian and the author of two collections of poems: “Original Kink” (Sibling Rivalry Press, 2020), recipient of the 2021 Housatonic Book Award; and “Bound” (Persea Books, 2024). He’s… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

The House of Plain Truth by Donna Hemans
Moderator

Donna Hemans

Featured Title: The House of Plain Truth

Donna Hemans is the author of three novels: “River Woman,” “Tea by the Sea” and “The House of Plain Truth.” She received an M.F.A. from American University and her undergraduate degree from Fordham University. She serves on the PEN/Faulkner Foundation… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Back After This by Linda Holmes

Linda Holmes

Featured Title: Back After This

Linda Holmes is a novelist, a pop culture correspondent for NPR, and one of the hosts of the popular podcast Pop Culture Happy Hour, which has held sold-out live shows in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. She… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

When I Hear Spirituals by Cheryl Willis Hudson

Cheryl Willis Hudson

Featured Title: When I Hear Spirituals

Cheryl Willis Hudson is an author, editor, publisher and respected member of the children’s book community. She is co-founder, with her husband Wade, of Just Us Books, Inc., an independent publishing company that focuses on Black interest books for young… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Wade Hudson

Featured Title: The Day Madear Voted

Wade Hudson is the author of more than 35 books for young readers, including the middle grade memoir, “Defiant: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South,” winner of the 2022 Malka Penn award, and the anthologies, “We Rise, We Resist,… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Globetrotter by Mark and Matthew Jacob

Mark Jacob

Featured Title: Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports

Mark Jacob, former metro editor of The Chicago Tribune and former Sunday editor of The Chicago Sun-Times, is the co-author of 10 books, mostly about history. Mark writes the Stop the Presses newsletter about media and politics at stopthepresses.news. He… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Globetrotter by Mark and Matthew Jacob

Matthew Jacob

Featured Title: Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports

Matthew Jacob is a public health consultant who has authored more than 10 peer-reviewed journal articles about health communication or policy. A former journalist, he has authored two books, both of them with his older brother Mark. Published in 2010,… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

If We Were a Movie by Zakiya N. Jamal

Zakiya N. Jamal

Featured Title: If We Were a Movie

Zakiya N. Jamal was born in Queens, raised in Long Island, and currently resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. In other words, she’s a New Yorker through and through. She holds a B.A. in English from Georgetown University and an M.F.A. in… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

The Colour War by W. Luther Jett

W. Luther Jett

Featured Title: The Colour War

W. Luther Jett lives in Montgomery County, Md. His poetry has been published in numerous journals and anthologies and is author of: “Not Quite: Poems Written in Search of My Father” (Finishing Line Press, 2015), “Our Situation” (Prolific Press, 2018),… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson

Kim Johnson

Featured Title: The Color of a Lie

Kim Johnson held leadership positions in social justice organizations as a teen and in college, then made her life’s work to transform higher education to advance equity and access as a vice provost. She is now an author, speaker, faculty… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

JOHO

Featured Title: Saphie the One-Eyed Cat Volume 1

Joanna Ho (JOHO), hailing from a lineage of cat butlers, earned her B.F.A. from George Mason University. Her artistry and lineage showcased in “Saphie: The One-Eyed Cat,” captures hearts by melding her profound feline connection with illustration. She is also… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Gregg Jones

Featured Title: Most Honorable Son: A Forgotten Hero’s Fight Against Fascism and Hate During World War II

“Most Honorable Son: A Forgotten Hero’s Fight Against Fascism and Hate During World War II” is the fourth non-fiction book by Pulitzer Prize-finalist journalist and historian Gregg Jones. His previous books are “Honor in Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Holly Karapetkova

Featured Title: Dear Empire

Holly Karapetkova is Poet Laureate Emerita of Arlington, Va., and recipient of a 2022 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship for her work with young poets. Her poetry, prose and translations have appeared widely in print and online. She is… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Alan Katz

Featured Title: Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs

Alan Katz has written 50+ highly acclaimed books for young readers. A frequent presenter at regional and national conferences and festivals, his titles include “Take Me Out of the Bathtub and Other Silly Dilly Songs,” “Got Your Nose!,” “OOPS!,” “Zooloween”… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

M. Nzadi Keita

Featured Title: Migration Letters: Poems

M. Nzadi Keita’s new poetry collection, “Migration Letters,” reflects on Black girlhood and working-class identity in Philadelphia following the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. Keita pays tribute to writers and musicians, and explores how Black Americans journey toward joy.… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Knucklehead by Tony Keith Jr.

Tony Keith Jr.

Featured Title: Knucklehead: Poems

Tony Keith Jr. is a Black American gay poet, spoken word artist and hip-hop educational leader from Washington, D.C. He is author of the YA memoir in verse, “How the Boogeyman Became a Poet.” Tony’s writings have appeared in the… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Erin Entrada Kelly

Featured Title: The First State of Being

Erin Entrada Kelly is a two-time Newbery Medal winner for for “Hello, Universe” and “The First State of Being,” and earned a Newbery Honor for “We Dream of Space.” She grew up in Lake Charles, La., and now lives in… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

I See You've Called In Dead by John Kenney

John Kenney

Featured Title: I See You've Called in Dead

John Kenney is the author of three novels, including the forthcoming “I See You’ve Called in Dead,” and four books of poetry. His first novel, “Truth In Advertising,” won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. He is also the author… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Hena Khan

Featured Title: We Are Big Time

Hena Khan is a Pakistani-American writer. She is the author of the middle-grade novel, “Amina’s Voice,” which was selected as a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus, NPR, The Washington Post and Chicago Public Library. Her other titles include… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

The Martian Contingency by Mary Robinette Kowal

Mary Robinette Kowal

Featured Title: The Martian Contingency: A Lady Astronaut Novel

Mary Robinette Kowal is the author of the Hugo, Nebula and Locus award-winning alternate history novel, “The Calculating Stars,” the first book in the Lady Astronaut series, which continues in 2025 with “The Martian Contingency.” She is also the author… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

David LaRochelle

Featured Title: Mr. Fox's Game of No!

Does David LaRochelle ever get tired of making books for young people? No! He can’t think of a better profession in the world! He is the author of “Isle of You,: illustrated by Jaime Kim, as well as “How to… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Courtney LeBlanc

Featured Title: Her Dark Everything

Courtney LeBlanc is the author of the full-length collections, “Her Dark Everything; Her Whole Bright Life” (winner of the Jack McCarthy Book Prize), “Exquisite Bloody, Beating Heart” and “Beautiful & Full of Monsters.” She is the Arlington County Poet Laureate… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Steven Leyva

Featured Title: The Opposite of Cruelty: Poems

Steven Leyva was born in New Orleans and raised in Houston. His poems have appeared in Smartish Pace, Scalawag, Nashville Review, jubilat, The Hopkins Review, Prairie Schooner and Best American Poetry 2020. He is a Cave Canem fellow and author… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Meet the Mini Mammals by Brian Lies

Brian Lies

Featured Title: Meet the Mini-Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum

Brian Lies is the author and/or illustrator of over 30 children’s books, including the new “Meet the Mini Mammals: A Night at the Natural History Museum” (by Melissa Stewart, Beach Lane Books) and upcoming “Cat Nap” (Greenwillow / HarperCollins, Fall… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Steve Light

Featured Title: A Spider Named Itsy

Steve Light is the creator of “Gus and Sully Watch the Weather,” as well as the board books, “Black Bird Yellow Sun;” “Mama Tiger, Tiger Cub;” “Up Cat Down Cat” and “Have You Seen My Lunch Box?” Among his many… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Esther Lin

Featured Title: Cold Thief Place

Esther Lin was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and lived in the United States as an undocumented immigrant for 21 years. Her book, “Cold Thief Place,” is the winner of the 2023 Alice James Award, and she is a… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon by Grace Lin

Grace Lin

Featured Title: The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon

Grace Lin is the award-winning and best-selling author and illustrator of “Chinese Menu,” “When the Sea Turned to Silver,” “Starry River of the Sky,” “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon,” “The Year of the Dog,” “The Year of the Rat,”… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Carole Lindstrom

Featured Title: The Gift of the Great Buffalo

Carole Lindstrom is the author of The New York Times best-selling and Caldecott Award–winning “We Are Water Protectors,” “My Powerful Hair” and “Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior.” She is Anishinaabe/Métis and is a proud member of the Turtle Mountain Band of… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Red Clay Suzie by Jeffrey Dale Lofton
Moderator

Jeffrey Dale Lofton

Featured Title: Red Clay Suzie

Jeffrey Dale Lofton hails from Warm Springs, Ga., best known as the home of Roosevelt’s Little White House. He calls the nation’s capital home now and has for over three decades. He is a senior advisor at the Library of… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

I'm Sorry for My Loss by Colleen Long

Colleen Long

Featured Title: I'm Sorry for My Loss: An Urgent Examination of Reproductive Care in America

Colleen Long, a White House correspondent for The Associated Press whose work has appeared in every major news publication in the world, was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2019. She lives in Washington, D.C. She will be presenting… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Smells Like Rain by Gregory Luce
Moderator

Gregory Luce

Featured Title: Smells Like Rain

Gregory Luce is the author of “Signs of Small Grace,” “Drinking Weather,” “Tile” and “Riffs & Improvisations.” His poems have appeared in numerous print and online journals and in the anthologies, “Living in Storms” (Eastern Washington University Press), “Written in… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Chanlee Luu

Featured Title: The Machine Autocorrects Code to I

Chanlee Luu is a Vietnamese-Chinese American writer from Southern Virginia. She received her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Hollins University and BS in Chemical Engineering from UVA. Her work can be found in Snowflake Magazine, Tint Journal, Honey Lit, The… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

The Gods' Revenge by Katherine Marsh

Katherine Marsh

Featured Title: The Gods' Revenge

Katherine Marsh is the author of “Medusa,” a Kirkus Reviews Most Anticipated Book of 2024 and Amazon Editors’ Pick; “The Lost Year,” a National Book Award Finalist and winner of the Jane Addams and Golden Kite Awards; “Nowhere Boy,” winner… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

The Booklover's Library by Madeline Martin

Madeline Martin

Featured Title: The Booklover's Library

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and international best-selling author of historical fiction with books that have been translated into over 25 different languages. She lives in sunny Florida with her husband (known as Mr.… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Amanda McCrina

Featured Title: I'll Tell You No Lies

Amanda McCrina is a writer, historian and bookseller. She holds a degree in history and political science from the University of West Georgia. Her novels include “Traitor,” “The Silent Unseen”—named a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 2022—and… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Moderator

Elizabeth H. McGowan

Featured Title: Outpedaling the Big C: My Healing Cycle Across America

Washington, D.C.-based energy and environment reporter Elizabeth H. McGowan reports for the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO (public media). As a staff writer for InsideClimate News, her groundbreaking dispatches from Kalamazoo, Mich., “The Dilbit Disaster: Inside the Biggest… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Space Chasers by Leland Melvin

Leland Melvin

Featured Title: Space Chasers by Leland Melvin

Leland Melvin is an engineer, educator, author, former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver. He served on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on mission STS-122 (2008) and STS-129 (2009), helping to construct the International Space Station.… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Laura Morelli

Featured Title: The Keeper of Lost Art

Laura Morelli holds a Ph.D. from Yale University, where she held a Mellon Fellowship in art history and a Bass Fellowship for writing in the humanities. She is a USA Today and Publishers Weekly best-selling historical novelist, with book club… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Moderator

K.T. Nguyen

Featured Title: You Know What You Did

K.T. Nguyen is a former Glamour magazine editor. Her debut psychological thriller, “You Know What You Did,” has been nominated for Lefty and Agatha Awards. The Seattle Times called the novel “a swirly, tangled hair-raiser…as sinister as it is emotional.”… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Laura Numeroff

Featured Title: Max and Mama

Laura Numeroff is the acclaimed #1 New York Times best-selling children’s author of “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and the subsequent “If You Give” series. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y, she graduated from Pratt Institute in 1975… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Salt Water Roots by Amuchechukwu Nwafor

Amuchechukwu Nwafor

Featured Title: Salt Water Roots

Amuchechukwu Nwafor (Amuche The Poet) is a D.C.-based writer, performance artist, host, event curator, educator and teaching artist. She is a first-generation born Black American whose poetry touches on the diaspora, sexual advocacy, mental health and the female experience. Amuche… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Born Backwards by Tanya Olson

Tanya Olson

Featured Title: Born Backwards

Tanya Olson lives in Silver Spring, Md. She is the author of “Boyishly,” “Stay” and “Born Backwards,” all out from YesYes Books. She has received a Discovery/Boston Review prize and an American Book Award and was been named a Lambda… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Dancing Woman by Elaine Neil Orr

Elaine Neil Orr

Featured Title: Dancing Woman

Elaine Neil Orr is an award-winning writer of fiction and memoir. “Dancing Woman” is her sixth book. Earlier books include the memoir, “Gods of Noonday: A White Girl’s African Life,” and the novels, “A Different Sun” and “Swimming Between Worlds,”… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Alison Palmer

Featured Title: The Offing

Alison Palmer is the author of “I Give You the Planets” (Broadstone Books, forthcoming 2025), “The Offing” (Broadstone Books, 2024), “Bargaining with the Fall” (Broadstone Books, 2023), “Everything Is Normal Here” (Broadstone Books, 2022) and “The Need for Hiding” (Dancing… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Blue Rice by Frances Park

Frances Park

Featured Title: Blue Rice

Frances Park is a local Korean American author of novels, memoirs and children’s books. At age 10, she typed a 200-page story on an Underwood typewriter – blue ink, onionskin paper, reading aloud to anyone who would listen. Since then,… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Smiling Eyes by Linda Sue Park

Linda Sue Park

Featured Title: Smiling Eyes

Linda Sue Park is the Newbery Medal winner for ”A Single Shard” and #1 New York Times best-seller for ”A Long Walk to Water.” She is the renowned author of picture books and novels for young readers. Her recent titles are “Gracie Under the Waves,”… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Chris Pavone

Featured Title: The Doorman

Chris Pavone is the author of “The Paris Diversion,” “The Travelers,” “The Accident” and “The Expats.” His novels have appeared on the best-seller lists of The New York Times, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal; have won both the Edgar… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

Sarah Pekkanen

Featured Title: House of Glass

Sarah Pekkanen is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of 15 solo and co-authored novels. Her books are sold in 36 countries, with several optioned for TV and film. Sarah also co-wrote the screenplay for “The Wife Between Us”… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Why We Love Football by Joe Posnanski

Joe Posnanski

Featured Title: Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments

Joe Posnanski is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of seven books, including “Why We Love Baseball,” “The Baseball 100,” “Paterno” and “The Secret of Golf.” He has been named National Sportswriter of the Year by five different organizations.… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Eric Puchner

Featured Title: Dream State

Eric Puchner is the author of the forthcoming novel “Dream State.” His previous books include the novel, “Model Home,” a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award; and two collections of stories, “Last Day on Earth” and “Music Through the Floor,” a… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Anna Rasche

Featured Title: The Stone Witch of Florence

Anna Rasche is an author, gemologist and historian who previously worked in the jewelry collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her debut novel, “The Stone Witch of Florence,” was an October 2024 Indie Next pick, and was recommended by… Continue Reading

Venue: Rachel Carson Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

Wild and Distant Seas by Tara Karr Roberts

Tara Karr Roberts

Featured Title: Wild and Distant Seas

Tara Karr Roberts is a freelance writer, science writer and newspaper columnist. She is a lifelong Idahoan who grew up along the Pend Oreille River and now lives in Moscow, Idaho, with her family. “Wild and Distant Seas” is her… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Dave Roman

Featured Title: Unicorn Boy

Dave Roman is the author/illustrator of several graphic novel series including, “Unicorn Boy” and “Astronaut Academy.” He’s worked as a writer on “Teen Boat! Race for Boatlantis” and “Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery,” and as an illustrator for “Goosebumps… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Crushed & Crowned by Joseph Ross
Moderator

Joseph Ross

Featured Title: Crushed & Crowned

Joseph Ross is the author of five books of poetry. Most recently, “Crushed & Crowned” (2023), “Raising King” (2020), and “Ache” (2017). His poems appear in many publications including, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, Poet Lore,… Continue Reading

Moderator Schedule:

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Rover and Speck: It's a Gas by Jonathan Roth

Jonathan Roth

Featured Title: Rover and Speck: It's a Gas! (Rover and Speck, 3)

Jonathan Roth is an Earth-bound but space loving author-illustrator of fun, STEAM-themed books for kids, including the “Rover and Speck” graphic novel series (Kids Can Press), the “Beep and Bob” chapter book series (Aladdin/S&S) and the true-story picture book, “Almost… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Ornithography by Jessica Roux

Jessica Roux

Featured Title: Ornithography: An Illustrated Guide to Bird Lore & Symbolism

Jessica Roux is a best-selling illustrator, author and gardener based just outside of Nashville. She loves exploring in her own backyard and being surrounded by an abundance of nature. Using subdued colors and rhythmic shapes, she renders flora and fauna… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Dork Diaries 16

Nikki Russell

Featured Title: Dork Diaries 16: Tales from a Not-So-Bratty Little Sister

Nikki Russell graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education.  She taught first grade until landing her dream job as the illustrator for The New York Times best-selling children’s book series, “Dork Diaries.” She will… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Dork Diaries 16

Rachel Renée Russell

Featured Title: Dork Diaries 16: Tales from a Not-So-Bratty Little Sister

Rachel Renée Russell is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of “Dork Diaries,” an international blockbuster series chronicling the life and misadventures of middle school students, Nikki Maxwell, and her best friends Chloe and Zoey. The series has been… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

The Tontine Caper by Dianne K. Salerni

Dianne K. Salerni

Featured Title: The Tontine Caper

Dianne K. Salerni is the author of several middle grade novels, including Junior Library Guild selections “Eleanor, Alice, & the Roosevelt Ghosts,” “Jadie in Five Dimensions” and “The Carrefour Curse.” Her most recent publication is “The Tontine Caper,” illustrated by… Continue Reading

Venue: Willa Cather Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Michael Sampson

Featured Title: Rainbow Bear

Michael Sampson, Ph.D., is a New York Times best-selling author of 26 books for young children, including “Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3” and “The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry.” Michael is dean of the School of Education at… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

John Scalzi

Featured Title: When the Moon Hits Your Eye

John Scalzi is one of the most popular sci-fi authors of his generation. His debut, “Old Man’s War,” won him the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times best-sellers include “The Last Colony,” “Fuzzy Nation,”… Continue Reading

Venue: F. Scott Fitzgerald Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Lynne Schmidt

Featured Title: The Unaccounted For Circles Of Hell

Lynne Schmidt is the grandchild of a Holocaust survivor, and a mental health professional with a focus in trauma and healing. They are a 2025 Maine Arts Fellow, second-place winner of the 2024 National Federation of State Poetry Societies Founders… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Bearsuit Turtle by Bob Shea

Bob Shea

Featured Title: Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend

Bob Shea has written and/or illustrated over 20 picture books including the popular “Dinosaur Vs.” series, “Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great” and the “Ballet Cat” early readers series. His most recent picture book, “Chez Bob,” received three starred reviews, with… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Russell Shorto

Featured Title: Taking Manhattan: The Extraordinary Events That Created New York and Shaped America

Russell Shorto is the author of the best-sellers “Smalltime,” “Revolution Song,” “Amsterdam” and “The Island at the Center of the World.” He is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at the New York Historical. He lives in Maryland.  He… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Wind is a Dance by Debra Kempf Shumaker

Debra Kempf Shumaker

Featured Title: Wind Is a Dance

Debra Kempf Shumaker started reading at the age of four and hasn’t stopped since. She grew up on a small dairy farm in Wisconsin but now lives in the suburbs of Northern Virginia with her husband, three sons and two… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

This Is Your Mother by Erika J. Simpson

Erika J. Simpson

Featured Title: This Is Your Mother: A Memoir

Erika J. Simpson is a Southern girl living in Denver with her partner and their black cat. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Kentucky and is the recipient of the 2021 MFA Award in Nonfiction.… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

Paul M. Sparrow

Featured Title: Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words With Charles Lindbergh—and the Battle to Save Democracy

Paul Sparrow is a writer, public speaker, historian and former director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library. His book “Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR’s War of Words with Charles Lindbergh and the Battle to Save Democracy” received rave… Continue Reading

Venue: Gertrude Stein Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Don't Eat the Cleaners by Susan Stockdale

Susan Stockdale

Featured Title: Don't Eat the Cleaners!: Tiny Fish with a Big Job

Susan Stockdale is the author and illustrator of many picture books that celebrate nature. Her books, including “Bring On the Birds,” “Stripes of All Types” and “Fabulous Fishes” have won a variety of awards including the ALSC Notable Picture Book,… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Aggie Blum Thompson

Featured Title: You Deserve to Know

Before turning to fiction, Aggie Blum Thompson covered real-life crime as a newspaper reporter for a number of papers, including The Boston Globe and The Washington Post. Aggie is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake

Amy Timberlake

Featured Title: Skunk and Badger (Skunk and Badger 1)

Amy Timberlake’s work has received a Newbery Honor, an Edgar and a Golden Kite Award. She’s had books on the Indie Books Bestseller list, one book was Tattered Covers’ Book of the Year, and reviews have appeared in The New… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Phuc Tran

Featured Title: Cranky Makes a Friend

Phuc Tran is an award-winning writer, tattooer and Latin teacher (for which he has won no awards). Lots of things make Phuc cranky: being too cold, being too hot, staying up too late, getting up really early, wearing baggy socks, eating… Continue Reading

Venue: Jim Henson Pavilion

Speaking: 3:15 pm

Signing: 4:15 pm

Meera Trehan

Featured Title: Snow

Meera Trehan grew up outside Washington, D.C., and attended the University of Virginia and Stanford Law School. After practicing law for over a decade, she turned to creative writing. Her debut novel, “The View from the Very Best House in… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 10:15 am

Signing: 11:15 am

Making the Best of What's Left by Judith Viorst

Judith Viorst

Featured Title: Making the Best of What's Left: When We're Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered

Judith Viorst is the author of the beloved “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day,” which has sold some four million copies; the Lulu books, including “Lulu and the Brontosaurus;” The New York Times best-seller, “Necessary Losses;”… Continue Reading

Venue: Frederick Douglass Pavilion

Speaking: 11:15 am

Signing: 12:15 pm

Hope Dies Last by Alan Weisman

Alan Weisman

Featured Title: Hope Dies Last: Visionary People Across the World, Fighting to Find Us a Future

Alan Weisman has reported from all seven continents and in more than 60 countries. His books include The New York Times best-seller “The World Without Us,” translated into 34 languages and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award… Continue Reading

Venue: James Michener Pavilion

Speaking: 12:15 pm

Signing: 1:15 pm

King: A Life by Yohuru Williams

Yohuru Williams

Featured Title: King: A Life (Young Adult Edition)

Yohuru Williams is a professor of history and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. A regular contributor to a variety of media programming on CNN and History, he is… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 1:15 pm

Signing: 2:15 pm

Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson

Carter Wilson

Featured Title: Tell Me What You Did

Carter Wilson is the USA Today best-selling author of 10 critically acclaimed, standalone psychological thrillers, as well as numerous short stories. He is an ITW Thriller Award finalist, a five-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, and his works have… Continue Reading

Venue: Dashiell Hammett Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm

Katherine E. Young

Featured Title: People and Trees

Katherine E. Young is the author of two poetry collections, Day of the Border Guards and Woman Drinking Absinthe, and editor of Written in Arlington. Her translations of Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Russian, and Ukrainian writers have received international recognition. From 2016-2018,… Continue Reading

Venue: Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion

Speaking: 2:15 pm

Signing: 3:15 pm

(S)KIN by Ibi Zoboi

Ibi Zoboi

Featured Title: (S)Kin

Ibi Zoboi is The New York Times best-selling author of “American Street,” a National Book Award finalist; “Nigeria Jones,” a Coretta Scott King Award winner; “Pride; My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich;” “Okoye to the People: A Black Panther… Continue Reading

Venue: Ogden Nash Pavilion

Speaking: 4:15 pm

Signing: 5:15 pm