Photo Gallery: Eighth Annual Albany Book Festival

  • Three people sit in front of a large screen that has the words Albany Book Festival on it indoors in an auditorium.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • A Black man in the backgroudn talks to a crowd of people in the foreground indoors in a discussion setting.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • A large audience of people in an auditorium listen to three people seated on a stage in front of a sign that reads Albany Book Festival

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • A table with a purple table cloth holds two proclamations and two glass awards indoors.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • A group of five people stand in a row for a portrait, a man in a suit and purple tie, a woman in a long black coat, a shorter woman in a colorful shawl, a man in a gray suit and purple tie with a mustache and a woman in a white sweater or blazer against a night/dusk skyline with lights in the distance.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • A short woman in a colorful blouse and a tall woman in a dark dress stand with proclamations of State Poet and State Author against a black backdrop and a table with a purple cover.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • A large group of people mingle amid rows of books on tables indoors.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • A older man leans over a table of books and talks with an older couple indoors.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • Three people are seated at a table with microphones and water talking with smiles on their faces indoors.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

  • a logo with UALBANY written on it is in foreground as people in the background talk at a table with the words Albany Book Festival behind them on a screen indoors.

    (Photos by Patrick Dodson)

    By Michael Parker

    ALBANY, N.Y. (Sept. 30, 2025)  — The New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany hosted the 8th Annual Albany Book Festival on Saturday, Sept. 27, welcoming a multitude of readers to campus for a daylong celebration of books and ideas.

    This year’s festival opened with the installation of New York State Author Min Jin Lee and New York State Poet Kimiko Hahn on Sept. 26.

    Lee, author of the acclaimed novels Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko—a National Book Award finalist—immigrated to Queens as a child and has built an internationally recognized career exploring themes of immigration, family and identity.

    Hahn, a Westchester County native and author of 10 poetry collections including The Ghost Forest and Toxic Flora, is a distinguished professor at Queens College, CUNY. She is the recipient of numerous honors including the American Book Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Ruth Lilly Lifetime Achievement Award.

    This year’s book festival included a distinguished lineup of award-winning, bestselling and regional authors and poets, including Debbie Millman, Roxane Gay, Russell Shorto, Megan Abbott and John McWhorter, among many others.