A message from NYS Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl:
“The Albany Book Festival is a new initiative for us and we ask you to join us in creating something truly amazing that elevates UAlbany and our capital city for years to come.”
The festival kicks off with an installation ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28, for State Author (Colson Whitehead) and State Poet (Alicia Ostriker).
The daylong program on Saturday, Sept. 29, includes events with featured writers Doris Kearns Goodwin, Gregory Maguire, Walter Mosley, and Jonathan Santlofer.
Here are just some of the writers you’ll meet: Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Gilbert King and Annette Gordon-Reed; major bestselling mystery authors Laura Lippman, Joseph Finder and Linda Fairstein; Khizr Khan, the Gold Star father who spoke at the Democratic Convention in 2016; Abdi Nor Iftin, the Somali refugee who wrote Call Me American; Irish comedian and authorMaeve Higgins; food writers Mark Kurlansky (Milk! And Salt) and Michael W. Twitty (The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South), and Francis Lam, host of “The Splendid Table.”
Writers Institute founder William Kennedy will sign a new collection of his writing published by SUNY Press, titled Bootlegger of the Soul: The Literary Legacy of William Kennedy.
There will be also be a Children’s Literature Room with hands-on activities, a space for Young Adult fiction, workshops on the craft of writing for aspiring authors, book sales by local booksellers, and book signings by dozens of Capital Region authors.
Many more writers and much more information at www.albanybookfestival.com website, and be sure to follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
