
NBF Presents: The Work of Fiction
Three 2020 honorees for the National Book Award for Fiction Rumaan Alam (Leave the World Behind, Finalist), Megha Majumdar (A Burning, Longlist), and Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Finalist) discuss their books and fiction’s place in contemporary American culture, with Randy Winston.
The post NBF Presents: The Work of Fiction appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

Writing Women, Writing Resilience
Susan Abulhawa (Against the Loveless World), Peace Adzo Medie (His Only Wife), and Diane Zinna (The All-Night Sun) discuss their new novels and the irrepressible women whose stories they tell, including a young Palestinian reflecting on her life while in solitary confinement, a young seamstress in Ghana seeking independence while navigating marriage and family, and an American teacher traveling in Sweden who is forced to finally come to grips with her buried grief.
The post Writing Women, Writing Resilience appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

Coming of Age in YA Fiction
Novelists Mahogany Browne (Chlorine Sky), Robin Farmer (Malcolm and Me), and Ed Lin (David Tung Can’t Have A Girlfriend Until He Gets Into An Ivy League College) discuss their coming-of-age YA novels that grapple with race, social justice, family, friendship, and romance.
The post Coming of Age in YA Fiction appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

Contemporary Romance with Karen Grey, Tif Marcelo & Lorelei Parker
Karen Grey (What I’m Looking For), Tif Marcelo (Once Upon a Sunset), and Lorelei Parker (Crushing It) discuss their contemporary romance novels, featuring healthy doses of romantic comedy, passion, and heartwarming second chances.
The post Contemporary Romance with Karen Grey, Tif Marcelo & Lorelei Parker appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

Yellow Wife with Sadeqa Johnson
Novelist Sadeqa Johnson discusses her latest book, Yellow Wife, the harrowing story of an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.
The post <em>Yellow Wife</em> with Sadeqa Johnson appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

Girls in the World: Middle-Grade Fiction
Middle-grade novelists Elizabeth Bunce (Premeditated Myrtle), Hena Khan (Amina’s Song), and Angie Smibert (The Truce) discuss their new stories of girls finding their voices and using their wits to solve mysteries, overcome challenges, and bring people together.
The post Girls in the World: Middle-Grade Fiction appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

Homeland Elegies with Ayad Akhtar
Ayad Akhtar (Homeland Elegies) discusses his latest novel, a deeply personal work about identity and belonging in a nation coming apart at the seams.
The post <em>Homeland Elegies</em> with Ayad Akhtar appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

The Secrets We Keep: Literary Fiction
Bill Clegg (The End of the Day), Zeyn Joukhadar (The Thirty Names of Night), and Zak Salih (Let’s Get Back to the Party) discuss their new novels exploring the mysteries of self and community, from the bonds and breaking points of friendship across generations, to a closeted Syrian-American trans boy’s search for family, and childhood friends’ attempts to navigate queer culture in contemporary Washington, D.C.
The post The Secrets We Keep: Literary Fiction appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

The Art of the Short Story: John Lanchester & Te-Ping Chen
John Lanchester (Reality and Other Stories) and Te-Ping Chen (Land of Big Numbers: Stories) discuss their new collections of short stories which grapple with questions of interpersonal connection, technology, ambition, and distraction, through a mixture of witty literary fiction, magical realism, and cultural criticism.
The post The Art of the Short Story: John Lanchester & Te-Ping Chen appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.

BIPOC Voices in Speculative Fiction
Catherine Hernandez (Crosshairs) and Jordan Ifueko (Raybearer) discuss their works of speculative fiction for YA and adult audiences, as well as their experiences as women of color writing BIPOC characters in science fiction and fantasy.
The post BIPOC Voices in Speculative Fiction appeared first on Virginia Festival of the Book.