Your BBF 2021 Guide to Nonfiction and Memoir Sessions
Hello readers! It’s Jessica from Team BBF, here to guide you through our schedule for the 2021 Boston Book Festival.
As you’ve probably experienced from past Boston Book Festivals, the sheer number of sessions is like a literary feast set out for hungry readers (the last in-person Festival we hosted had over 150 sessions!). But you’ve also probably felt that panic of “What do I choose?” when you open up that two-page multi-colored spread of sessions in the program guide. (I know I have!)
Because that schedule can be a bit daunting, even in a virtual year, we’re here to help you find the sessions you want to attend so you can see a favorite author, learn something new, think about the world around you in different ways, or discover some new reads for your TBR pile. And because the majority of our sessions will be virtual this year, you don’t need to worry about sprinting down Boylston Street or Washington Street to get to the next session (being sure to grab a grilled cheese on the way). Let’s get started!
Nonfiction and Memoir Sessions for 2021
The past few years are ones for the history books, and with the Boston Book Festival’s commitment to engaging readers through ideas, observations, critique, scholarship, and new perspectives, it was obvious that we’d commit to sessions focused on what’s affecting our current society, including: the COVID-19 pandemic (Kickoff Keynote: Our Pandemic Future); the climate crisis (Environmental Activism: How To Protect the Planet and Yourself); racial history and present justice (The Enduring Legacy of Slavery; Lifelong Learning Keynote; The Chinese Question; Building Up Their Own: The Legacy, Power, and Potential of Black Organizing and Institution Building in America); activism (Graphic Nonfiction: The Political Is Personal; Woke Leadership); women’s rights and equity (Women: Working It; Period. End of Sentence); and researching historical lives (Lifelong Learning Keynote; History Keynote). We also have a related personal narratives session as well (Memoir: Finding Your Way as a Black Person in a White World).
Here’s your guide to our nonfiction and memoir sessions.
Kickoff Keynote: Our Pandemic Future
Nicholas A. Christakis and Sandro Galea, with host Vanessa Kerry
Friday, October 15 at 6:30pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Thinking critically about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on society, and preparing for future pandemics.
What you’ll find in this session: Public health experts Nicholas A. Christakis and Sandro Galea will discuss how living during a global pandemic impacts society and its structures, but also how neglecting issues like economic equality and racism will impact future pandemics. They will be in conversation with Vanessa Kerry.
What you’ll take away from it: How to place our current time in the context of humanity’s history, as well as how to prepare for humanity’s future.
The Enduring Legacy of Slavery
Annette Gordon-Reed and Clint Smith, with host Meghna Chakrabarti
Saturday, October 16 at 11:45am | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Hearing from two prominent authors discuss the effects of slavery’s history on America today.
What you’ll find in this session: Pulitzer Prize winner Annette Gordon-Reed and National Book Award longlister Clint Smith will interrogate the lingering impact of slavery, including the history leading up to Juneteenth and an examination of Civil War sites. They’ll be in conversation with WBUR’s Meghna Chakrabarti.
What you’ll take away from it: A better understanding of America’s history of slavery, and how to engage in these important discussions.
Session is sponsored by the Krupp Family Foundation.
Women: Working It
Colleen Ammerman, Danielle Dreilinger, Minda Harts, and Dominique Mielle, with host Morra Aarons-Mele
Saturday, October 16 at 1:00pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Learning more about the history of women in the workplace, current challenges they face, and future change ahead.
What you’ll find in this session: Colleen Ammerman, Danielle Dreilinger, Minda Harts, and Dominique Mielle investigate the roles of women and work: a history of home economics, underrepresentation in leadership, the pay gap for women of color, and what it’s like to be a woman in hedge fund management. They’ll be in conversation with Morra Aarons-Mele.
What you’ll take away from it: A better understanding of the history and present of women in the work world, and the big and subtle challenges and successes found therein.
Session is sponsored by Western Governors University.
Environmental Activism: How To Protect the Planet and Yourself
Laurie David, with host Tatiana Schlossberg
Saturday, October 16 at 2:30pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Hearing from two climate change experts talk about what we can and should do to take action.
What you’ll find in this session: Also known for producing documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth, Laurie David will bring her insights into how often it’s the little things that affect climate change, and what each of us can do to truly save the planet. She’ll be in conversation with Tatiana Schlossberg.
What you’ll take away from it: A better understanding of climate change’s peril, as well as very doable actions you can take today to help.
Session is sponsored by Cambridge Trust.
Graphic Nonfiction: The Political Is Personal
Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, with host David Leonard
Saturday, October 16 at 3:45pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Seeing how storytellers can use art and illustration to convey real lives and address current issues.
What you’ll find in this session: Acclaimed visual storytellers Nate Powell and Andrew Aydin will discuss their work in portraying civil rights icon John Lewis’ life in graphic form, as well as Powell’s work on what it means to be a parent in a time of unrest. They’ll be in conversation with BPL’s president David Leonard.
What you’ll take away from it: You’ll see how evolved the graphic novel and nonfiction form has become, and new ways of making meaning from challenging times.
Session is sponsored by Boston Public Library.
Lifelong Learning Keynote
Tamara Payne, with hosts Jurianny Guerrero and Kellie Carter Jackson
Saturday, October 16 at 5:00pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: The life of Malcolm X, but also how biography is researched and written.
What you’ll find in this session: A conversation with Pulitzer Prize winner Tamara Payne, who, after her father passed away, stepped in to finish his exhaustive biography of Malcolm X, already decades in the works. She’ll be in conversation with Wellesley College professor Kellie Carter Jackson and Fenway High School senior Jurianny Guerrero.
What you’ll take away from it: The depths of research it takes to compile a Pulitzer Prize-winning book, as well as one family’s ongoing work to do just that.
Session is sponsored by the Eric and Jane Nord Family Fund.
Woke Leadership
Tracy Swinton Bailey, Priscilla H. Douglas, and Steven S. Rogers, with host Steve Grossman
Sunday, October 17 at 6:15pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Wanting to become more aware about oppressive structures and how to end them.
What you’ll find in this session: Tracy Swinton Bailey, Priscilla H. Douglas, and Steven S. Rogers will share their experiences working to end systemic oppression by increasing childhood literacy, documenting leaders working to end inequality, and raising awareness around racial wealth disparity. They’ll be in conversation with Steve Grossman.
What you’ll take away from it: A better understanding of those doing the work to change society, and recognizing areas in which you might need to get woke yourself.
Session is sponsored by Other Press.
The Chinese Question
Mae Ngai, with host Jia Lynn Yang
Tuesday, October 19 at 6:00pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: A history of the Chinese diaspora and the post–Gold Rush immigration debate.
What you’ll find in this session: The Gold Rush years saw a massive increase in Chinese immigration to the US, and Mae Ngai and Jia Lynna Yang will discuss the history of the challenges to that wave of immigration known as “the Chinese question,” early 19th c. immigration quotas, and the impacts those decisions have on our society today.
What you’ll take away from it: A better understanding of Chinese immigrants in America, and the roots of racism still prevalent today.
Session is hosted by New England Historic Genealogical Society, and presented in partnership with the Boston Public Library and GBH Forum Network.
Period. End of Sentence.
Anita Diamant, with host Meredith Goldstein
Friday, October 22 at 5:00pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Increasing their awareness around the stigmas and challenges of those who menstruate worldwide.
What you’ll find in this session: Following similar themes as her novel The Red Tent, Anita Diamant turns her attention to the history, stories, and pop culture accounts of menstruation around the globe, and the fight for the end of that shame and stigma. She’ll be in conversation with the Boston Globe‘s Meredith Goldstein.
What you’ll take away from it: More awareness and normalization to the conversation around what should no longer be a taboo subject.
Memoir: Finding Your Way as a Black Person in a White World
Brian Broome, Kim McLarin, and Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, with host Kelley Chunn
Saturday, October 23 at 10:00am | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Hearing personal narratives of unique experiences and common humanity.
What you’ll find in this session: Brian Broome, Kim McLarin, and Chanda Prescod-Weinstein discuss their recent works, all of which articulate their experiences as Black individuals navigating white spaces, including being a Black woman in science, a queer coming-of-age, and finding guidance in James Baldwin’s work. They’ll be in conversation with Kelley Chunn.
What you’ll take away from it: A glimpse into others’ lives and experiences, as well as the artistry involved in crafting compelling personal narratives.
Session is sponsored by Arbella Insurance Foundation.
Building Up Their Own: The Legacy, Power, and Potential of Black Organizing and Institution Building in America
Eddie R. Cole, Martha S. Jones, and Kate Masur, with host Jelani M. Favors
Saturday, October 23 at 11:30am | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: Learning more about the history of Black institutions and how they’ve pushed forward civil rights and Black liberation.
What you’ll find in this session: Three scholars—Eddie R. Cole, Martha S. Jones, and Kate Masur—will discuss their work on how Black organizations and institutions pushed voting rights forward, fought pre-Civil War racist legislation, and challenged racist policies on college campuses. They’ll be in conversation with Jelani M. Favors, 2020 MAAH Stone Book Award winner.
What you’ll take away from it: A history of the individuals who fought for equity and equality.
Session is presented in partnership with Boston’s Museum of African American History and is sponsored by the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation
History Keynote
Tiya Miles, with host Lee Pelton
Saturday, October 23 at 5:15pm | Virtual
This session is for readers interested in…: A story of two slaves and the investigation to learn their history through the objects they left behind.
What you’ll find in this session: National Book Award finalist Tiya Miles will tell the story of Ashley’s sack, the information born upon the fabric that is the only historical record of two enslaved people, and how it led to the uncovering of previously unknown lives. She’ll be in conversation with President and CEO of the Boston Foundation Lee Pelton.
What you’ll take away from it: That many people have been lost to history, and what we can do to discover who they were and keep their memory alive.
Session is sponsored by the Wagner Foundation.
I hope this guide has helped you get a glimpse into the vast array of writers and what they’re working on who will join us for the 2021 Boston Book Festival. Head to the main schedule to browse all sessions and for registration links, and we’ll see you there!
