SARATOGA SPRINGS– The Saratoga Book Festival (SBF) has announced the program lineup for its second annual community-wide celebration of books.
The schedule includes 26 live, in-person sessions that will take place Oct. 21-23 at various venues throughout downtown Saratoga Springs - The Saratoga Springs Music Hall, Saratoga Springs City Center, Saratoga Springs Public Library, Caffè Lena, Saratoga Arts Dee Sarno Theater, Northshire Bookstore, and the Walt & Whitman Brewing Co., among them.
Festival Highlights:
• “What the Death of Local Newspapers Mean to Us All,” will feature a discussion with Ken Tingley - former editor of The Post-Star in Glens Falls and author of The Last American Newspaper and The Last American Editor- and WAMC’s Joe Donahue. Also joining the panel will be Mark Mahoney, Editorial Page Editor (Daily Gazette) and Will Doolittle (Post-Star). The session will discuss the impact hometown papers have on their communities and what happens when they shut their doors.
• Keynote with Gregory Maguire, the bestselling author of the series that inspired the blockbuster musical, Wicked, and forthcoming film based on Wicked.
• Keynote with Meg Wolitzer, the New York Times bestselling author of The Interestings, The Wife, and The Female Persuasion and host of the radio show and podcast Selected Shorts joins Susan Kress in conversation about the former’s acclaimed fiction and current projects.
• Dog Meets World features Alexandra Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of Inside of a Dog and The Year of the Puppy.
• Bestselling author Francine Prose joins SBF in a book chat about her new novel, The Vixen. She also joins a session with noted historians of the ancient world Barry Strauss, James Romm, and Emily Katz that examines the ancient histories of Greek, Romans and Egyptians.
• Peter Balakian--The Pulitzer Prize winning poet and acclaimed nonfiction author joins WMAC’s Joe Donahue in an exploration of the themes of Balakian’s latest poetry collection No Sign.
• The Greatest Evil is War. The Pulitzer Prize winning former New York Times war correspondent Chris Hedges talks with WAMC’s Joe Donahue about the hidden costs of war.
• Kid Note Presentation with Lauren Tarshis, The New York Times bestselling author of the I Survived series of historical fiction books delivers a rollicking first Kid Note on Sunday, Oct. 23.
• Kid Zone: Story Hour, pop-up read alouds, visits by Moose, Lucky, and other Storybook Characters, graphic novel and bookmark making workshops, and children’s sessions with Ira Marcks, Nancy Werlin, and Ellen Kushner, and more.
More to Explore: Literary Death Match, an international book series hosted by Adrian Todd Zuniga; Literary Marketplace showcases more than 75 authors, artisans, publishers, businesses, and nonprofits at the Saratoga City Center; Interviews with acclaimed fiction authors, including Dahlma Llanos-Figueroa, Jung Yun, Jessica Winter, Elizabeth Brundage, and Jennifer Fawcett, and other events.
The Saratoga Book Festival is an event of the Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
Ticket info: Keynote Pass: If you wish to attend one or both Keynote events, you will need to purchase a Keynote Pass for $20. Opening Session with Peter Balakian: Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance. Children’s Programs: There is no charge for children’s programs, however, spaces must be reserved in advance due to limited seating. Go to: emamo.com/event/SBF2022.
