Albany Book Festival to Bring Award-Winning Authors to Campus Saturday

A collage of book covers and author photos includes images of Susan Choi and her novel "Trust Exercise," among others.

Now in its 5th year, the daylong festival has something for book lovers of all ages.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 13, 2022) – The University at Albany will be abuzz with award-winning, bestselling and local authors, poets and other artists this Saturday as the NYS Writers Institute kicks off its 5th annual Albany Book Festival this weekend.

The daylong festival — dedicated to all things writing and literature — will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Campus Center and showcase more than 100 authors and poets, including former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, Pulitzer-Prize winning “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau and National Book Award winner Susan Choi, among others.

In addition to special events and book signings with more than 30 featured authors, there will be panels throughout the day on topics ranging from post-apocalyptic fiction, parenting and immigration to New York state history and food. One panel will be comprised entirely of published UAlbany faculty and emeritus faculty.

“Congratulations to the New York State Writers Institute on an amazing lineup for the Albany Book Festival and its entire fall schedule of events,” said UAlbany President Havidán Rodríguez. “UAlbany is honored to be home to the Writers Institute—and proud to bring these amazing cultural opportunities to our campus and the broader community.”

All events will be free and open to the public. A full list of authors and events is available here.

“We established the Albany Book Festival as a way to underscore and to celebrate anew the capital city’s grand literary tradition,” said NYSWI Director Paul Grondahl. “We created an annual fall community event that appeals to all ages of people who like to read books. It promotes literacy while bringing together a diverse group of extraordinary writers and large crowds of book lovers. We’re encouraged by how many communities have embraced this annual event, which has taken root and grows each year.”

A panel paying tribute to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson will feature Trudeau; Douglas Brinkley, the literary executor of Thompson’s estate; and William Kennedy, founder and executive director of the Writer’s Institute who enjoyed a five-decade friendship with Thompson.

Grondahl will lead a conversation with H. Carl McCall, former state comptroller and chairman emeritus of the State University of New York Board of Trustees, about his new memoir, Truly Blessed and Highly Favored, written in collaboration with Grondahl.

A local author marketplace will feature more than 90 writers from across the Capital Region who will be signing and selling their books in the Great Hall and Ballroom.

Activities and events for children will also be available, including an open mic reading and a spotlight on children’s book author and illustrator Sylvie Kantorovitz, whose middle-grade graphic-memoir, Sylvie, was published last year about her early years in France.

Young writers will be honored at a U.S. Constitution Day celebration in the afternoon, which will include presentation of awards for an essay competition on the topic of age limits in politics. There will also be open mic readings on the Orb stage for UAlbany students and the Capital Region Poetry Workshop.

Free parking will be available in the Dutch Quad Faculty/Staff, Dutch Quad Student, Podium West and Colonial Commuter lots. More detailed information on campus parking can be found here.