American Writers Festival Schedule

Stay tuned for the latest developments!

All programs are entirely free to attend and no prior registration is required.

SEATING IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE AT ALL PROGRAMS.

All times listed are Central Time. No programs will be livestreamed. Join us in person!

American Writers Festival Homepage

American Writers Festival Programs

Main Stage – Pritzker Auditorium

Writing Chicago Food & Comedy
12:00 pm
Jamie Loftus, Chelsea Hood, and David Hammond

Level Up: Writing & Gaming
1:00 pm
Keith Ammann, Derek Tyler Attico, Keisha Howard, Samantha Ortiz, and Carly A. Kocurek

Writing Politics Today
2:00 pm
Mark Bowden, Matthew Teague, and Natalie Y. Moore

Writing the Story of Jazz
3:00 pm
Larry Tye and Gregory Royal Pratt, with live jazz from the Richard D. Johnson Trio

Writing Literary Fiction
4:00 pm
Renée Watson and Jabari Asim

History & Bio Stage – South Hall

Writing About Writers
12:30 pm
Mary V. Dearborn, George Getschow, Harold Holzer, Monika Zgustova, and Peter Coviello

Writing the Dark Testament: Black History
1:30 pm
Charisse Burden-Stelly, Andrew W. Kahrl, and Arionne Nettles

Writing Latino History
2:30 pm
Marie Arana and Juan Martinez

Writing Family History
3:30 pm
Paul Hendrickson and Elizabeth Taylor

Writing Labor History
4:15 pm
Steve Watkins and Rosemary Feurer

Fiction/Genre Stage – Reception Hall

Writing Love Stories
12:30 pm
Xio Axelrod, Swan Huntley, Claire Legrand, and Pamala Knight

Making up True Stories: Novels and Books About Real People
1:15 pm
Amanda Flower, Sarah James, Brianna Labuskes, Brianna Madia, and Dipika Mukherjee

Writing Other Worlds
2:00 pm
Darcie Little Badger, Suzanne Walker, and Michi Trota

New Fiction
2:45 pm
Donna Hemans, Jessica Shattuck, Yukiko Tominaga, and Michael Zapata

Writing Memoir
3:30 pm
Nicole Chung, Lydia Millet, and Donna Seaman

Writing True Crime
4:15 pm
Shawn Cohen, Philip Eil, and Evan F. Moore

Partner Stage – Third Floor

Indigenous History & Memory
12:00 pm
Rose Miron and Jean O’Brien;
Presented by the Newberry Library

Worlds and Words of Chicago: Immigrant Stories
12:45 pm
Nestor Gomez, Lani T. Montreal, Ugochi Nwaogwugwu, and Jane Hseu;
Presented by the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

Freedom to Read
1:30 pm
Heather Booth, Anna Claussen, Sara Paretsky, and Donna Seaman;
Presented by the American Library Association

Melvin Dixon & Black Queer Poetry
2:15 pm
CM Burroughs and Adrian Matejka;
Presented by the Poetry Foundation

Polarizing America: Chicago 1968
3:00 pm
Heather Hendershot and Kevin Boyle;
Presented by the Newberry Library

Forms & Fissures
3:45 pm
Diana Khoi Nguyen and Cindy Juyoung Ok;
Presented by the Poetry Foundation

Children's and Young Adult Literature

All of these programs, storytimes, book sales, and book signings take place in the Children’s Library. Fun for the whole family!

Music & Movement Storytime
12:30 pm
Jennifer Wagh
(Eggasaurus)

Storytime: Dancing in Thatha’s Footseps
1:15 pm
Srividhya Venkat
(Dancing in Thatha’s Footsteps)

The Next Phase of Representation in Children’s Lit
2:00 pm
Malcolm Newsome and Clothilde Ewing
(Sydney’s Big Speech and Stella Keeps the Sun Up)

Interactive Storytime
2:45 pm
DJ Corchin
(A Thousand NO’s and the I Feel… series)

Fake News & Media Literacy for Young Learners
3:30 pm
Rebecca Siegel
(Loch Ness Uncovered)

YA Lit Today
4:00 pm
Samira Ahmed and Jas Hammonds
(This Book Won’t Burn and Thirsty)

Winter Garden Activities

SIGNING SCHEDULE
These book signings take place in the Winter Garden, 9th Floor.

12:30 pm
Shawn Cohen
Philip Eil
Steve Watkins

1:00 pm
Marie Arana
Jabari Asim
Jamie Loftus
Rose Miron
Renée Watson

1:30 pm
Xio Axelrod
Mary V. Dearborn
George Getschow
Harold Holzer
Swan Huntley
Claire Legrand
Monika Zgustova

2:00 pm
Keith Ammann
Derek Tyler Attico
Amanda Flower
Sarah James
Carly A. Kocurek
Branna Labuskes
Brianna Madia
Sara Paretsky

2:30 pm
Charisse Burden-Stelly
Heather Hendershot
Andrew W. Kahrl
Dipika Mukherjee
Arionne Nettles

3:00 pm
Mark Bowden
CM Burroughs
Darcie Little Badger
Natalie Y. Moore
Matthew Teague
Suzanne Walker

3:30 pm
Donna Hemans
Jessica Shattuck
Yukiko Tominaga
Michael Zapata

4:00 pm
Diana Khoi Nguyen
Cindy Juyoung Ok
Gregory Royal Pratt
Larry Tye

4:30 pm
Nicole Chung
Paul Hendrickson
Lydia Millet

All of the writing workshops, partner tables, special activities, and book sales and signings (for non-Children’s Lit) take place in the Winter Garden, ninth floor. Guests include StoryStudio Chicago, ACLU Illinois, Chicago Books to Women in Prison, Silent Book Club, and more.

Schedule