The Brief
- The 12th annual Bay Area Book Festival is coming to Berkeley May 29-31.
- Organizers say downtown Berkeley will be transformed into a space for “radical imagination” as several hundred authors will participate.
- Headliners include Rebecca Solnit, Saul Williams, and Tananarive Due. There are 15 writers’ workshops and more than 95% of the festival’s programming is free to the public.
BERKELEY, Calif. – Starting this Friday, Berkeley will hold its 12th annual Bay Area Book Festival, a “world-class literary extravaganza”, boasting as many as 400 authors on 21 stages at multiple downtown venues.
A literary extravaganza
More than 25,000 writers and readers are expected to convene at the festival May 29 through May 31 with more than 95% of the fest’s programming presented free to the public.
This year’s theme, ‘Writing the Future’, is drawn from the works and legacies of revolutionary science fiction writer Octavia Butler and civil rights activist James Baldwin.
Organizers say the festival is meant to serve as both a cultural celebration and a critical gathering space where authors, organizers and audiences unite around urgent contemporary issues while uplifting marginalized voices. …