12th Annual Bay Area Book Festival Calls for Radical Imagination and Literary Resistance

The Bay Area Book Festival (BABF), Berkeley’s largest festival and one of the nation’s most prestigious literary events, returns even bigger for its 12th year on May 29–31, 2026, with the theme “Writing The Future.” This three-day celebration of literature, storytelling, and cultural activism will bring together 300 authors and speakers in more than 120 programs on 21 stages, and 25,000+ attendees from across the Bay Area. BABF transforms Downtown Berkeley into a lively fair for all ages to enjoy. Attendees will be able to participate in 15 free writing workshops, book readings, and author conversations, with numerous opportunities to support local small presses, emerging authors, book artists, and other literary-oriented vendors, organizations, and service providers.

Inspired by the transformative legacies of Octavia Butler and James Baldwin, “Writing The Future” challenges authors, readers, and communities to move beyond reacting to crises and instead embrace responsive, imaginative action that builds toward justice and liberation. The festival serves as both a cultural celebration and a critical gathering space where activists, authors, and audiences unite around urgent contemporary issues while uplifting marginalized voices.

“The future is not something that just happens to us, it is shaped by our collective imagination and courage,” shares J. K. Fowler, BABF Executive Director. “In this era of increasing authoritarianism, we must be clear-eyed about the realities we face while remaining steadfast in our commitment to building something better. Dreaming is not escapism; it’s resistance, and it’s strategy.”

The festival’s headliners are the only ticketed events, featuring intimate conversations with some of today’s most influential thought leaders including:

• World Building, Imagination, and Social Change – Nnedi Okorafor and Marshall Ganz

• Write the Future: Publishing Initiatives to Celebrate Diversity – A conversation with Phoebe Robinson (Tiny Reparations Books), Kate Gale (Red Hen Press), Hannah Moushabeck (Interlink Publishing), and Cynthia Leitich-Smith (Heartdrum)

• Global Capitalism, Activism, and Hope in Uncertain Times – Saul Williams and Rebecca Solnit

“Old friends, new ideas, the panoramic vistas from the top of the hotel hq for some of the events and visitors, and most of all thousands of people who are passionate about books are what I look forward to in the festival” shares author and headliner speaker, Rebecca Solnit. “And I’m excited to talk about “The Beginning Comes After the End” there, which proposes that, when you add up all the forces of change over the past several decades, it adds up to a magnificent, transformative revolution of ideas and values, of culture and society (against which the current administration is attempting a counterrevolution).”

• What Haunts Us Still: Surviving and Storytelling – Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, moderated by Ayize Evertt-Jama

• Black Feminist Futurescaping – Alexis Pauline Gumbs and Susana M. Morris will explore how Black feminist theory, Afrofuturism, and speculative storytelling can help us imagine liberatory futures that transform relationships to power, land, bodies, and the planet itself.

Free & Open Programming

The festival’s robust programming across all venues is mostly free and open to the public. At the Brower Center, 15 one-hour Writers’ Workshops (free with registration) cover a wide range of topics. From generative nature poetry and audiobook narrating to memoir writing, zine-making, and navigating MFA programs and literary communities, plus dedicated workshops for youth and transitional-age young adults. Highlights include Getting Unstuck with Ramona Ausubel, Chismes Con Safos: Speculative Storytelling as Collective Resistance with Rosanna Alvarez, and What is That Beautiful House: Crafting Engaging Settings and Playful Prose with Miah Jeffra and Tomas Moniz.

Democracy Dialogues tackles some of today’s most pressing issues, including academic freedom, press freedom, detentions, and civil rights, alongside conversations about maintaining mindful, sustainable engagement in turbulent times. A featured program will celebrate Civil Rights and Structural Attacks: Conversations with Walter Riley, with Walter Riley, Jesse Strauss, and Boots Riley in conversation.

Poetry programming expands to two stages on Sunday, including a two-hour open mic on the BART Plaza Stage open to youth poets of all experience levels. Topical readings explore themes of Bodies and Belonging, Blood and Chosen Kin, Beginning when the World Ends, and more, with poets including Achy Obejas, Papi Grande, Danielle P. Williams, and many others.

Sunday’s Inside Ideas programming features themed stages spanning general fiction, romantasy, sci-fi, thriller, mystery, horror, nonfiction, and a dedicated Native California stage. Highlights include an exclusive pre-sale and celebration of Greg Sarris’ new book The Last Human Bear, Julian Brave NoiseCat in conversation with Terria Smith on native memoirs, Renee Swindle and Emily St. James discussing found families and intergenerational friendships, Annalee Newitz on a panel about whimsical robots, Elaine Hsieh Cho on identity and expectations, and a rich lineup of sci-fi and fantasy with Makiia Lucier, Tim Pratt, Susanna Kwan, and T.K. Rex. 

The program also features romance and romantasy panels with Sophia Benoit, Delali Adjoa, and Angela Montoya, a climate crisis discussion with Vince Beiser, and much more across thriller, mystery, translation, and beyond.

YouthLit Expands to Two Days, Plus New Chill Zone 

YouthLit, the festival’s youth and family-oriented programming, expands to two full days this year. Leading the program curation is the Oakland-based Social Justice Children’s Book Fair, joined by a special activation from ArtEsteem, a West Oakland nonprofit healing arts organization, and much more.

“The Social Justice Children’s Book Fair is thrilled to partner in planning YouthtLit programming for this year’s festival,” said the organization’s co-director Laura Atkins. “We’ve brought our social justice lens, helping to uplift BIPOC, LGBQT+, and social justice-minded children’s book creators and topics to the program. Again this year, we will be celebrating fantastic books for children and the amazing creators who make them.“

At the Berkeley Public Library, panels, interactive programming, and exhibitors will offer engaging fun for all ages, with a standout lineup of speakers including award-winning librarian and Reading Rainbow host Mychael Threets, alongside Kyla Zhao, Byron Graves, and Alice Faye Duncan, and more.

The free Bookworm Block Party returns on Sunday along several blocks of Allston Way, marking a celebratory homecoming to the recently renovated Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park, which had been closed last year due to construction. The Block Party features 150 literary exhibitors and an expanded selection of children’s book vendors, giving attendees the chance to browse and shop from local small presses, emerging authors, book artists, and a wide range of literary-oriented organizations and service providers — all while enjoying two YouthLit stages showcasing spoken word performances and readings with celebrated children’s authors, including Hannah Moushabeck, Dashka Slater, and Kyle Casey Chu aka Panda Dulce.

The newly renovated park will also be home to the festival’s new Chill Zone, sponsored by Bay Area retailer Sports Basement. Outfitted with camping chairs and picnic tables, the Chill Zone offers a festive and cozy outdoor reading lounge where attendees can relax between panels with a new book, grab lunch from downtown eateries and food trucks, take in the outdoor atmosphere, join local reading group meetups, or take part in youth-focused events and activities.

How To Get Involved

Attendees can become a “Friend of the Festival” to secure headliner tickets and other perks, including free access to year-round programming like our Merritt Dialogue Speaker Series, access to the kickoff Authors’ Party, and much more.

The Bay Area Book Festival is powered by more than 250-300 volunteers from across the Bay Area who come together to create this extraordinary literary celebration. Volunteer opportunities include event support, author hospitality, stage management, and more. Festival organizers are still accepting application for vendors and sponsors.

The complete festival schedule, tickets to headliner events, and writing workshops registration will be released on March 28, 2026.

About the Bay Area Book Festival:
The Bay Area Book Festival unites readers, writers, and changemakers through three cornerstone programs—the flagship Bay Area Book Festival presented by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, the Merritt Dialogues, and the Affinity Lit Collectives. Our mission is to uplift and honor the full spectrum of literary voices, with particular care for those who have been historically excluded or marginalized, while encouraging reading, creative expression, and critical thinking across all ages and backgrounds. We aim to build authentic relationships among communities that foster understanding, resilience, and collective action, and we stand for social justice and equity by centering urgent conversations and nurturing emerging leaders in the field of literature.