With the theme “Altering the Narrative,” the 11th Bay Space E-book Pageant involves downtown Berkeley on Could 31 and June 1, with one thing for everybody.
Below the management of government director J.Okay. Fowler, who was appointed in 2024, the pageant as soon as once more is big, with practically 300 audio system, greater than 80 panels and interactive occasions at a number of areas, each indoors and out.
Pageant organizers have some suggestions, together with a few headlining occasions.
At 7:30 p.m. on Could 31 on the Freight and Salvage, “Writing as an Different” options Pulitzer Prize-winner Viet Thanh Nguyen, writer of “The Sympathizer” and the brand new “To Save and To Destroy,” a group primarily based on Harvard lectures during which he addressed the query: “What’s the connection between the function of the outsider and literary writing?” He’ll discover that on a panel with Greg Sarris of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, and most lately writer of the quick story assortment “The Forgetters,” amongst many volumes about up to date Native American life; and novelist-filmmaker Tara Dorabji, whose award-winning debut “Name Her Freedom” is a decades-spanning love story set in a Himalayan village during which a lady struggles to guard her tradition and household amid a navy occupation.
And at 5:30 p.m. Could 31, “The Embodiment of Care” options futurist-researcher Mia Birdsong, writer of “How We Present Up: Reclaiming Household, Friendship, and Neighborhood,” and therapist Prentis Hemphill, writer of “What It Takes to Heal: How Reworking Ourselves Can Change the World” sharing knowledge on learn how to face the complexities of at present’s world with pleasure and authenticity.
Different headliners, at 5:30 p.m. on June 1, are gender research scholar Judith Butler, writer of “Who’s Afraid of Gender?” in dialog with micha cárdenas, whose science-fiction novel “Atoms By no means Contact” takes on themes of neurodivergence and trans id. At 7:30 p.m. June 1, “Moveable Intersectionality” options feminist scholar and New York Instances columnist Roxane Homosexual in dialog with activist Alicia Garza, co-founder of Black Lives Matter.
Whereas tickets to headliner periods are $22, most BABF actions are free. On Could 31, writing workshops between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. are occurring at The Marsh. Among the many subjects are “The Energy of Voice: Writing for Social Change & Private Fact” with MK Chavez and “A Compass within the Wilderness: Poetry within the Age of Environmental Disaster” with Dan Alter and Cintia Santana. RSVPs are required.
Additionally, the Berkeley Public Library is the location of Household Day from 10:30 a.m. to five p.m. Could 31. Greater than two dozen free actions are within the lineup, from “Storytime for Littles” for infants and toddlers, to “Discovering Your Place in Center Grade” to “The Finish of the (Fantastical) World: Difficult Relationships in Dystopia” to the extra light-hearted “Play With Your Meals.”
June 1 hosts greater than two dozen free Inside Panel discussions between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 4 locales. To call simply 4:
“Native Voices: Youth Writers from the 2025 Graton Writing Undertaking” at 11:15 a.m. on the Brower Heart, moderated by Sarris, is amongst a number of packages devoted to Native American tradition and historical past.
“Fiction Debuts Navigating Historic Reminiscence” at 11:15 a.m. at Resort Shattuck Plaza options insightful novelists Rickey Fayne, Sam Sax, Betty Shamieh and Sasha Vasilyuk.
“Bridging the Gaps: Redefining Healthcare By a Justice Lens” at 1:15 p.m. on the Marsh provides commentary by docs and well being consultants Yamonte Cooper, Carlos Martinez and Nicholas Rosenlicht.
At 3:30 p.m. on the Freight & Salvage, “Decolonizing Wealth: Confronting Systemic Boundaries, Creating Lasting Change” options Bernadette Atuahene, Emily Flitter and Edgar Villanueva in a session tackling the rising downside of earnings inequality within the U.S., significantly for Black individuals.
The fest’s out of doors honest, dubbed the Bookworm Block Social gathering, is also June 1, from 11 a.m. to five p.m. on and round Allston Approach.
The BART Plaza Stage provides music and neighborhood workshops; the Poetry Stage presents readings by greater than 25 poets; the Household Stage serves up family-focused writer displays, demonstrations and performances; Well being in Neighborhood Row, sponsored by the Black Arts Motion District Neighborhood Growth Company, provides direct and oblique well being companies; and Small Press Alley is the brand new spot the place small, impartial presses are promoting their wares.
For the schedule, map and particulars, go to baybookfest.org.
