MRK Speaking at the Bay Area Book Festival
May 06, 2023 — May 08, 2023
Berkeley, California get directions
Mary Robinette Kowal is honored to be a panel speaker at the 2023 Bay Area Book Festival, held May 6-7 in Berkeley, California. The Bay Area Book Festival is a world-class literary extravaganza that takes place annually. Hundreds of authors and speakers are accessible to attendees with a $15 pass. In addition, there is a wonderland of literary vendors, activities, and fun.
Mary Robinette hopes you will be able to attend so you can meet other readers, interact with authors, discuss your favorite books, and explore new stories.
The 2023 Festival will be held May 6-7 in Berkeley, CA, with indoor literary programs on both days (with all health protocols) and with the Outdoor Fair, bigger than before, on Sunday, May 7.
Mary Robinette will be on three panels on May 6th
Story Time: Imagine That! – 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM at the Berkeley Public Library Children’s Room
- Have you ever wished you could fly or live in outer space? In this story time session all about the power of the imagination, you can! When Jaiceon’s larger-than-life dreams suddenly become reality in I Want to Be Big! by Oakland-based writer Tiffany Golden, his life is turned upside down as he faces new responsibilities and learns about self-acceptance. In NYT bestselling author Monica Wesolowska’s soaring picture book Elbert in the Air, a floating boy confronts the uncertain future with a big decision. Printz Award–winning author Nina LaCour shines light on love and loss in My Friend, Loonie, a tender tale about a bright and sunny balloon. And from acclaimed sci-fi author Mary Robinette Kowal, Molly moves to an out-of-this-world location in Molly on the Moon, where family and imagination intertwine with the stars. Settle in to hear some great stories—and let your imaginations soar! Ages 3–7.
Science Fiction: Space Exploration – at Freight & Salvage
- Get ready to take off for the far reaches of the galaxy via three very different, but equally fascinating, stories of space exploration written by superb storytellers. Festival favorite Annalee Newitz’s The Terraformers, which begins nearly 60,000 years in the future and unfolds over a millennium, is a masterpiece of (literal) world-building, commenting obliquely on colonialism and the ecological future of our own planet. Hugo and Nebula Award winner Mary Robinette Kowal’s scifi mystery The Spare Man is set in the future (on a honeymoon cruise to Mars) but finds inspiration in the past—specifically Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man. And Megan E. O’Keefe’s The Blighted Stars launches a thrilling new space opera trilogy featuring spies, organized crime, and planetary resource exploitation—the stakes couldn’t be any higher for humanity. Science fiction and fantasy writer Evette Davis will set our course for this voyage into the depths of space and the heights of imagination.
Noir at the Bar – at Cornerstone Berkeley
- The sun might not set until after 8 pm this time of year, but a stellar lineup of mystery and thriller writers will cast some shadowy thrills on your Saturday evening—and maybe a dirty martini will help set the mood, too. This year’s rapid-fire noir readings will take you back in time (with Rina Ayuyang’s Depression-Era graphic novel) and into outer space (via Mary Robinette Kowal’s interplanetary riff on “The Thin Man”). In addition to exploring the dark side of rural Minnesota with Marcie Rendon, you’ll also travel to Mexico with T. Jefferson Parker, Ghana with Kwei Quartey, and New Orleans with Margot Douaihy. Our tour guide for this dizzying and downright dangerous journey is Randal Brandt, curator of the California Detective Fiction Collection at the Bancroft Library. This is a 21+ event with a cash bar.
