India Currents gave me a voice in days I was very lost. Having my articles selected for publishing was very validating – Shailaja Dixit, Executive Director, Narika, Fremont
Bay Area Book Festival, May 6–7, 2023
This year’s Bay Area Book Festival takes place in venues throughout Downtown Berkeley on May 6 and 7. All sessions (as well as all daytime sessions at the 2023 festival) are entirely free to attend.
The full schedule of festival programs, as well as information about our Sunday Outdoor Fair with literary exhibitors, food vendors, and entertainment, is available on: baybookfest.org.
Programs Featuring South Asian Authors
The festival features more than 200 authors for adults and youth, including significant representation by South Asian authors and illustrators. With the support of SACHI (Society for Art & Cultural Heritage of India), BABF will present exciting new works by eight South Asian speakers across seven separate sessions for children, youth, and adults.
The festival offers a unique opportunity for the Bay Area South Asian community to gather and enjoy a full weekend of festival programs celebrating South Asian creators of books for all ages!
Authors/illustrators of South Asian backgrounds are notated in bold below.
Saturday, May 6
11:00am–12:00pm | The Magnes
The Beauty and Urgency of Nature Writing
Authors
Tom Comitta (The Nature Book), Erica Berry (Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear), Talia Lakshmi Kolluri’s debut collection (What We Fed to the Manticore)
Moderator: Carlos Cabrera-Lomelí, community reporter with KQED’s digital engagement team
Saturday, May 6
11:00am–12:00pm | Brower Center Tamalpais Room
Fiction and Technology: What Hath AI Wrought?
Authors
Akil Kumarasamy (Meet Us by the Roaring Sea), Josh Riedel (Please Report Your Bug Here), Nina Schuyler (Afterword), Allie Rowbottom (Aesthetica), and Colin Winnette (Users)
Moderator: Noah Stern of California College of the Arts
Saturday, May 6
2:00–3:00pm | The Marsh Berkeley Theater
Fiction: Across Cultures
Authors
Marie Myung-Ok Lee (The Evening Hero), Jamil Jan Kochai (The Haunting of Hajji Hotak and Other Stories), Susanne Pari (In The Time Of Our History)
Moderator: Lance Knobel, CEO and co-founder of Cityside
Programming Summary for SACHI
Saturday, May 6
5:00–6:00pm | Residence Inn Berkeley Ballroom 1
YA: Falling for Love
Hosts: Author and educator Tiffany Golden and Nafi, one of the young writers from Oakland’s Chapter 510 youth writing center.
Authors
Lio Min (Beating Heart Baby), Alisha Rai (YA debut While You Were Dreaming), Elise Bryant (Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling), Amy Spalding (No Boy Summer).
Sunday, May 7
2:00–2:45pm | Young Readers Stage
Grounded: Exploring Muslim Identities
With bestselling Muslim authors Aisha Saeed (Omar Rising), Huda Al-Marashi (First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story), Jamilah Tompkins Bigelow (Abdul’s Story), and S.K. Ali (Love From A to Z) with young moderators from Cinnamongirl, Inc. Ages 8–13.
Sunday, May 7
4:00–5:00pm | Brower Center Tamalpais Room
Love on the Run
Marie Lu, author of megahit YA novels like the Legend series will be in conversation with Alisha Rai, author of romantic thriller Partners in Crime.
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