With BookExpo scheduled to begin May 27 in New York City, event organizer ReedPop has announced the lineup for the Adult Book & Author Breakfast set for May 28 as well as some upgrades to its bookseller grant program.
Moderating the breakfast will be radio host and MSNBC political analyst Zerlina Maxwell, whose new book of political commentary, The End of White Politics: How to Heal Our Liberal Divide, will be released by the Hachette Book Group in July.
Joining Maxwell will be Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, who will discuss the forthcoming When the Light of the World was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry. Harjo edited the book, which gathers the work of more than 160 poets representing nearly 100 indigenous nations. Also appearing at the breakfast will be bestselling horror writer Carmen Maria Machado, who will talk about her comic book debut, The Low, Low Woods, to be published by DC as part of horror maven Joe Hill’s Hill House Comics imprint.
With 2020 being an election year, U.S. Representative for Minnesota Ilhan Omar will join the panel to discuss her memoir, This Is What America Looks Like, set for released by Dey Street Books on May 26. The fifth member of the breakfast panel will be Rebecca Roanhorse, who will present her fantasy novel Black Sun, from Saga Press, the first installment of a new epic fantasy trilogy inspired by the Anasazi cliff dwellings and the Mayan and Aztec cultures.
“We’re humbled to be able to showcase such a powerful group of authors whose latest works come from such varied and meaningful perspectives,” said Jenny Martin, event director of BookExpo in a statement. “The Adult Book & Author Breakfast allows us to bring together important writers who reflect the current publishing climate, and I can’t wait for out attendees to learn from their invaluable insights.”
Martin also announced that Reed's Bestsellers Grant Program, aimed at making it easier for ABA members to attend BookExpo, will have some new features this year. Recipients will have their hotel covered for three nights at the official ABA Hotel, the Wyndham New Yorker, and will also receive $150 in UnBound Bucks to be used to place orders with any vendor within UnBound, the sideline show that will run concurrently with BookExpo.
Martin said early registration for BookExpo is encouraging, reporting that to date registration is up 70% over this time last year. The biggest drivers so far are a 200% increase in book club leaders, a 87% rise in the school education category, and a 56% increase in librarian registration. Bookseller is on par with last year, Martin said, noting that, “given the timing of Winter Institute, we are just ramping up marketing to that group now.”
BookExpo will start on Wednesday, May 27, with a day of panels, and the show floor will be open May 28-29. BookCon immediately follows BookExpo in New York's Javits Center, running May 30-31.
