Check out The BookFest: Fall 2021 Oct. 23rd & 24th
The BookFest is free to attend. Just go to the website and check out the live stream to watch panels and conversations. Sat. Oct. 23rd is dedicated to readers, and Sun. Oct. 24th is dedicated to writers.
The BookFest Fall 2021 Programming
The BookFest Conversations are intimate discussions with writers and literary leaders.
- Lisa Morton, six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award, Morton’s work has been translated into nearly a dozen languages and she has appeared in numerous documentaries and podcasts. Lisa Morton is also the immediate past president of the Horror Writers Association.
- Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, assistant professor of physics, a core faculty member in women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire, and author of The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred.
- Mark K. Shriver, New York Times bestselling author, president of Save the Children Action Network in Washington, D.C. and former Maryland state legislator. Shriver’s latest children’s book is titled 10 Hidden Heroes: A Counting Book with a Message.
- Helene Wecker, New York Times bestselling author, her first novel The Golem and the Jinni, was awarded the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature, the VCU Cabell Award for First Novel, and the Harold U. Ribalow Prize, and was nominated for a Nebula Award and a World Fantasy Award. The Hidden Palace is the recently released follow-up novel.
Step Into The Pitching Room at The BookFest
New to The BookFest is the “Pitching Room” and several live interactive panels for authors to get their manuscripts critiqued and spotlighted. If you are an author ready to pitch, visit this link for more information: https://conta.cc/3CGkBAf
Brave New Writer at The BookFest Adventure, sponsored in part by Roadmap Authors, is an interactive agent panel that features select authors with outstanding pitches to take the virtual stage and pitch before a panel of agents. It’s described as, “Shark Tank, but for writers,” by Founder of The BookFest, Desireé Duffy. The panel includes:
- Whitney Davis, CEO and Founder at Whitney Davis Literary, a boutique literary management firm that offers coaching, editing, writing consultation and management services for writers.
- April Eberhardt, Literary change agent who represents authors traditionally and also provides guidance to those exploring non-traditional publishing paths, representing clients worldwide.
- Andy Ross, Founder of the Andy Ross Agency, represents books in narrative non-fiction, history, current events, adult and teen fiction. Authors include Daniel Ellsberg, Jeffrey Masson, Susan Griffin, Fritjof Capra, Senator Jeff Bingaman, Thomas Sanchez, and Tawni Waters.
Critiki-Bar features a two-sided assessment from both the business and the craft side of writing. The first page of writers’ manuscripts will be critiqued by:
- David L. Robbins, New York Times bestselling author, creative writing professor, founder of James River Writers and The Mighty Pen Project, and co-founder of the Podium Foundation.
- Katharine Sands, Literary agent representing fiction, non-fiction, and memoir. Agent provocateur of Making the Perfect Pitch: How to Catch a Literary Agent’s Eye, a collection of pitching wisdom from leading literary agents.
Keynotes at The BookFest
Delivering the opening keynote for The BookFest Fall, 2021 is Lori H. Schwartz. Known as The Tech Cat – short for Technology Catalyst – author, entrepreneur, regular fixture at CES and many technology conventions, and regular contributor to CNN and other media, Schwartz talks about the convergence of technology and storytelling to launch The BookFest Fall 2021. On day two, the keynote will be delivered by author Kristie Anne Mah, who will inspire writers to let go of what may be holding them back.
An Array of Speakers at The BookFest
BookFest Fall 2021 features an array of authors and literary leaders, including: Elaine Ash; Jim Azevedo; William Bernhardt; Sharon Buchbinder; Dr. Edward Bynum; M.J. Fievre; Alexia Gordon; Dames Handsome; Deborah Herman; Laurel Anne Hill; David Konrad; CJ Ives Lopez; Susan Mac Nicol; Lisa Morton; John Palisano; Useni Perkins; Al Pessin; Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein; Clyve Rose; Mark K. Shriver; Helene Wecker. Attendees can visit the Speakers Page on The BookFest website to see all the participants and to find out more about each.
Plus, throughout The BookFest, there will be special segments, including:
- BookTok Talk with Dani Lopez and Jessica Mclennan
- Cooking Up Something for the Season with Chef and Author David Ruggerio
- How to Organize Your Bookshelf with Nic Nelson
- How to Write a Query Letter with Steven Hutson
- Little Lion presents health, wellness, and mindfulness sessions
- Todd Debreceni, author of Special Makeup Effects for Stage and Screen, creates a famous literary character with special effects makeup
- Tell the Truth or Not with Dr. Raye Mitchell and Cindy Brown
- Your Book Proposal Dos and Don’ts with Paul Levine
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