Third Annual NYSWI Albany Book Festival Goes Online
The NYS Writers Institute’s third annual Albany Book Festival will be held Sept. 10-24 with all events taking place online, free and open to the public.
"We have pivoted to a Virtual Writers Institute for our entire fall programming, with everything offered online on the NYS Writers Institute’s YouTube channel and at albanybookfestival.com,” said Writers Institute Director Paul Grondahl. “The health and safety of everyone involved is paramount and COVID-19 protocols dictate that it is not advisable or permitted to come together in large gatherings on the UAlbany campus as in previous years.”
Thousands of book lovers came to the 2018 and 2019 Albany Book Festival events on campus. The Writers Institute staff has been working throughout the summer to put together an impressive lineup for the 2020 online festival.
“We are inspired to make this year’s virtual book festival the best experience possible,” said Grondahl. “You’ll experience engrossing conversations with amazing featured authors, including National Book Award winner Colum McCann; National Book Award finalists Edwidge Danticat and Kali Fajardo-Anstine; Noam Chomsky, one of the most cited scholars in modern history; Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking; and many more. This year’s lineup reinforces our commitment to diversity and inclusion and offering voices across the spectrum.”
Special events at the Albany Book Festival include a talk with presidential scholar Harold Holzer on his newest book, The Presidents vs. the Press: The Endless Battle Between The White House and the Media — From the Founding Fathers to Fake News.
Noam Chomsky and writer/professor Robert Pollin will discuss Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal. Edwidge Danticat and Kali Fajardo-Anstine will participate in a one-on-one talk on the short story form. Other featured authors include former child soldier Ishmael Beah, the Sierra Leonean and American author of the new novel Little Family; Cree LeFavour and her husband, New York Times book critic Dwight Garner, will share “A Conversation About Books and a Bookish Marriage”; and more.
A discussion on “Taking Risks with Your Writing” will be presented by Gish Jen and Jane Leavy. Jen’s latest novel The Resisters has been nominated for a National Book Critics’ Circle Award and was praised by Stephen King as “an absolute joy.” Jane Leavy’s new book, The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created, has been called a "masterpiece.”
Sign up for the NYS Writers Institute email newsletter to receive updates on the Albany Book Festival and other events. The festival website features more information and a space for local authors, non-profits and publishers to share information about their books.
The NYS Writers Institute continues to support independent local bookstores, and the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza is the sole bookseller for the Albany Book Festival. All featured books can be ordered directly online through this Albany indie bookstore.
The Writers Institute, founded in 1983 by author William Kennedy, has brought more than 2,000 novelists, poets, filmmakers, and newsmakers to Albany for events that enrich the cultural capital of the community.