2012

HIGHLIGHTS

Variety, vitality, and vigorous discussion characterized the atmosphere at the fourth edition of the Boston Book Festival on October 27, 2012. Page to Screen, our Friday night kickoff event, set the tone right away, with a lively conversation among authors whose books have been adapted for film and television. Close to eight hundred cinephiles filled Old South Church to hear Buzz Bissinger, Rachel Cohn, Andre Dubus III, Nick Flynn, and Daniel Handler discuss—and vigorously debate—the pros and cons of adaptation.

On Saturday, BBF’s illustrious lineup of nearly 150 presenters continued to dazzle attendees at close to four dozen sessions held in venues in and around Copley Square. Popular sessions included those on The Hobbit, British literature, and Whitey Bulger, as well as a dynamic discussion on the future of reading, a star-studded panel of short story writers Junot Diaz, Jennifer Haigh, and Edith Pearlman, and the pairing of Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel with noted futurist Ray Kurzweil. Festivalgoers discovered new and unexpected voices at our Readings in the Forum series and at our BBF Unbound community-curated sessions.

Hundreds of kids (and more than a few grown-up fans as well!) packed Old South Church to see Lemony Snicket as our Kids Keynote-and to hear Daniel Handler, Snicket’s “representative,” play the accordion, too! Kids had plenty to keep them busy and happy all day long, from the appearance of costumed characters like Frog and Toad, Curious George, and Max the Bunny in StoryPlace to Hyde Square Task Force’s Youth Literacy Theatre’s energetic dramatization of favorite stories. Older kids who attended the “Whodunit?” session on mysteries could then practice their own detection skills in our “Read a Mystery, Solve a Mystery” workshop.

The glorious fall weather drew thousands to tour our 70+ exhibitor booths, including small presses, bookstores, literary nonprofits, and vendors offering services to aspiring writers. The centerpiece of our street fair was the big BBF tent, where BBF merchandise and info shared space with Brookline Booksmith and Presenting Partner 90.9 WBUR, whose on-air hosts chatted with visitors throughout the day. The Drum Literary Magazine encouraged attendees to take a stroll in the warm sunshine while listening to the collaborative “Books, Actually” interactive audio project set at the BBF.

The Houghton Mifflin Harcourt hospitality tent, with its Curious George photo booth, was a popular stopping place, as was the Berklee Stage, where an eclectic music repertoire engaged music fans all day long. 826 Boston’s booth—where attendees were invited to discover their inner superhero—was a highlight for kids completing the Passport to Imagination scavenger hunt. Many who attended sessions or visited exhibitors went home with armfuls of new books, stocking up for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, which we dodged by a matter of hours!

If you missed this year’s BBF, or just want to relive it, check out the audio recordings from some of our events—and be sure to watch our slide show! See you next year for our fifth anniversary!

2012 AUDIO

Audio recordings are available for the following sessions from BBF 2012:

(Note: clicking the title of a session will play the audio file in a new window. To download the file to your hard drive, right-click (PC) or ctrl-click (Mac) and select “Download linked file” from the menu that appears.)

Page to Screen (BBF 2012 kick-off event): Buzz Bissinger, Rachel Cohn, Andre Dubus III, Nick Flynn, Daniel Handler, Host: Wesley Morris

Alexander McCall Smith: Alexander McCall Smith, Host: Robin Young
All About You: Writing Memoir: Shonna Milliken Humphrey
BBF Unbound: Books Behind Bars: William Gaul, Michael Krupa, Edson Monteiro, Host: Robert Waxler
BBF Unbound: Writing the War: Dario DiBattista, Colin Halloran, Lauren Johnson
Black Culture: Music and More: Emily Bernard, Leonard Brown, Tsitsi Ella Jaji, Host: William Banfield
The Brain: Thinking about Thinking: Eric Kandel, Ray Kurzweil, Host: Sacha Pfeiffer
The Economy: Advice for the Winner: Esther Duflo, Jeffrey Frieden, Andrew McAfee, Michael Porter, Host: Adam Davidson
Edith Wharton: Real and Imagined: Jennie Fields, Irene Goldman-Price, Francesca Segal, Host: Alan Price
Fiction: Heaven Knows: Alan Lightman, Ben Marcus, Tom Perrotta, Host: Elisa New
Fiction: The Short Story: Junot Diaz, Jennifer Haigh, Edith Pearlman, Host: Christina Thompson
Fiction: Time and Place: Alex Gilvarry, Tayari Jones, Dennis Lehane, Host: Nicole Lamy
Future of Reading: Robert Darnton, Nicholas Negroponte, Baratunde Thurston, Cheryl Toto, Maryanne Wolf, Host: Sep Kamvar
Graphic Novels: Drawing the Story: Charles Burns, Chip Kidd, Chris Ware, Host: Eugenia Williamson
Great Brits and Books: Rachel Brownstein, Leah Price, Lisa Rodensky, Maria Tatar, Host: Henriette Lazaridis Power
The Hobbit: There and Back Again: Wayne Hammond, Corey Olsen, Christina Scull, Host: Ethan Gilsdorf
How to Write a Crime Novel: Hank Phillippi Ryan
Jewish Jocks: Franklin Foer, Steven Pinker, Larry Summers, Marc Tracy, Host: Bill Littlefield
Keynote: Richard Ford, Host: Claire Messud
Kids’ Keynote: Lemony Snicket, Host: Jef Czekaj
Memoir: Parents and Children: Buzz Bissinger, Leslie Maitland, Alexandra Styron, Alex Witchel, Host: Leslie Gilbert-Lurie
An Ocean Apart: Chip Kidd, Vahram Muratyan, Host: Adeline Sire
One City One Story: Anna Solomon, Host: Ladette Randolph
Political Culture: Nancy L. Cohen, Philip K. Howard, Randall Kennedy, Lawrence Lessig, Michael Sandel, Host: Tom Ashbrook
Secrets of the Advice Columnists: Meredith Goldstein, Margo Howard
Self-Publishing with Blurb: Geary Zendejas
Serious Satire: Kevin Bleyer, Baratunde Thurston, Lizz Winstead, Host: David Bernstein
Triumph of the City: Edward Glaeser, Barbara Berke, Ayanna Pressley, Host: Bob Oakes
True Crime: The Whitey Bulger Story: Thomas Foley, Dick Lehr, Host: David Boeri
True Story: Personal Visions: Deni Béchard, Patricia Ellis Herr, John Spooner, Host: Anthony Brooks
What’s Next for Women?: Anita Hill, Madeleine Kunin, Hanna Rosin, Host: Meghna Chakrabarti
Why Picture Books Matter: Harry Bliss, Anna Dewdney, Kadir Nelson, Host: Leonard Marcus
YA: Overcoming Adversity: Kathryn Burak, Jo Knowles, Barry Lyga, Host: Amy Pattee
YA: The Future Is Now: _Rachel Cohn, Cory Doctorow, Gabrielle Zevin, Host: M.T. Anderson _

Audio is not available for the following sessions:

A Conversation about The Iliad: David Elmer, Madeline Miller
Flash Fiction Open Mic: Hosts: Steve Macone, Henriette Lazaridis Power
Page and Stage: Teen Open Mic: Host: Regie Gibson
Poems and Pints: Nick Flynn, Joan Houlihan, X. J. Kennedy, Aidan Rooney, Host: Daniel Tobin
Read a Mystery, Solve a Mystery
Readings in the Forum: Families: Jessica Keener, Michael Lowenthal, Ilie Ruby, Host: Michelle Hoover
Readings in the Forum: Two Debuts and a Forgery: Meredith Goldstein, Maryanne O’Hara, B.A. Shapiro, Host: Dawn Tripp
Readings in the Forum: Uncanny Imagination: Matthew Battles, Justin Torres, Joan Wickersham, Host: Dawn Tripp
Stories on Stage: Youth Literacy Theatre
StoryPlace: Harry Bliss, Jef Czekaj, Anna Dewdney
Whodunit? Mysteries for Middle-Graders: Peter Abrahams, Jacqueline Davies, Phoebe Stone, Host: Elissa Gershowitz
Writer Idol: Host: Christopher Castellani

2012 VIDEO

The following sessions were videorecorded by C-SPAN2 for broadcast on BookTV.

Clicking the title of the session will take you to BookTV’s website, where you can watch the videos online.

Future of Reading: Robert Darnton, Nicholas Negroponte, Baratunde Thurston, Cheryl Toto, Maryanne Wolf, Host: Sep Kamvar
Triumph of the City: Edward Glaeser, Barbara Berke, Ayanna Pressley, Host: Bob Oakes
What’s Next for Women?: Anita Hill, Madeleine Kunin, Hanna Rosin, Host: Meghna Chakrabarti

2012 PRESENTERS

Peter Abrahams
M.T. Anderson
Tom Ashbrook
William Banfield
Matthew Battles
Deni Béchard
Gabrielle Bell
Barbara Berke
Emily Bernard
David Bernstein
Buzz Bissinger
Kevin Bleyer
Harry Bliss
David Boeri
Anthony Brooks
Leonard Brown
Rachel Brownstein
Kathryn Burak
Charles Burns
Christopher Castellani
Meghna Chakrabarti
Nancy L. Cohen
Rachel Cohn
Ann Collette
Jef Czekaj
Robert Darnton
Adam Davidson
Jacqueline Davies
Anna Dewdney
Junot Diaz
Dario DiBattista
Cory Doctorow
Esther Duflo
David Elmer
Jennie Fields
Katherine Flynn
Nick Flynn
Franklin Foer
Thomas J. Foley
Richard Ford
Jeffry Frieden
Elissa Gershowitz
Regie Gibson
Leslie Gilbert-Lurie
Ethan Gilsdorf
Alex Gilvarry
Edward Glaeser
Irene Goldman-Price
Meredith Goldstein
Paul Grogan
Jennifer Haigh
Colin Halloran
Wayne Hammond
Esmond Harmsworth
Patricia Ellis Herr
Anita Hill
Michelle Hoover
Joan Houlihan
Margo Howard
Philip Howard
Shonna Milliken Humphrey
Tsitsi Jaji
Lauren K. Johnson
Tayari Jones
Sep Kamvar
Eric Kandel
Robert Kane
Jessica Keener
Randall Kennedy
X.J. Kennedy
Chip Kidd
Jo Knowles
Michael P. Krupa
Madeleine Kunin
Ray Kurzweil
Nicole Lamy
Dennis Lehane
Dick Lehr
Lawrence Lessig
Alan Lightman
Bill Littlefield
Michael Lowenthal
Barry Lyga
Steve Macone
Leslie Maitland
Ben Marcus
Leonard Marcus
Andrew McAfee
Alexander McCall Smith
Claire Messud
Madeline Miller
Edson Monteiro
Vahram Muratyan
Nicholas Negroponte
Kadir Nelson
Elisa New
Bob Oakes
Maryanne O’Hara
Corey Olsen
Amy Pattee
Edith Pearlman
Tom Perrotta
Sacha Pfeiffer
Steven Pinker
Michael E. Porter
Henriette Power
Ayanna Pressley
Alan Price
Leah Price
Ladette Randolph
Carmen M. Reinhart
Lisa Rodensky
Aidan Rooney
Hanna Rosin
Ilie Ruby
Hank Phillippi Ryan
Michael Sandel
Christina Scull
Francesca Segal
B. A. Shapiro
Adeline Sire
Lemony Snicket
Anna Solomon
John Spooner
Phoebe Stone
Alexandra Styron
Larry Summers
Maria Tatar
Christina Thompson
Baratunde Thurston
Daniel Tobin
Justin Torres
Cheryl Cramer Toto
Marc Tracy
Dawn Tripp
Chris Ware
Robert Waxler
Joan Wickersham
Eugenia Williamson
Lizz Winstead
Alex Witchel
Maryanne Wolf
Robin Young
Youth Literacy Theater
Geary Zendajas
Gabrielle Zevin

2012 SLIDE SHOW

Boston Book Festival 2012 Slideshow from Boston Book Festival on Vimeo.