Albany Book Festival

The New York State Writers Institute presents the Albany Book Festival, a high-profile, broad-impact, family-oriented celebration of authors, readers and books. The festival will kick off on Friday, September 28th with the presentation of the NY State Author and State Poet Awards and a public reception. On Saturday, September 29th, the Albany Book Festival will bring together dozens of acclaimed authors for a series of panel discussions on a diverse range of genres including mystery, history, memoir, and food writing. Some of the featured panel authors include: Julissa Arce, Linda Fairstein, Maeve Higgins, Gilbert King, Mark Kurlansky, Laura Lippman, and Michael Twitty. There will be areas dedicated to children’s literature and Young Adult books. The festival will also include book signing sessions and how-to workshops for aspiring authors on the craft of writing and the changing business of publishing. Bookstores, publishers, literary organizations and vendors of book-related merchandise will fill numerous display tables in the exhibit area. Local authors, UAlbany professors and emeritus faculty will be highlighted. The Albany Book Festival will be held in the University at Albany’s impressive new Campus Center expansion, which includes a grand concourse, 380-seat auditorium, multi-purpose rooms, conference areas, courtyards, a Starbucks café and a dozen food vendors. It will bring together our 18,000-student campus and the Capital Region community in an exciting new way.