The Brooklyn Book Festival has revealed its 2025 lineup, with Marlon James as the event’s honored guest.
James, the author of novels including A Brief History of Seven Killings and Black Leopard, Red Wolf, will be honored with the festival’s BoBi Award, “presented each year to an author from Brooklyn whose work best exemplifies or speaks to the spirit of Brooklyn.” Previous winners of the prize include Roz Chast, Mo Willems, N.K. Jemisin, and Jacqueline Woodson.
The event will kick off on September 14 with Virtual Festival Day, featuring authors including Mona Awad (Rouge), Karen Russell (The Antidote), Melissa Febos (The Dry Season), Jess Walter (So Far Gone), and others.
On September 20, the festival will hold Children’s Day, featuring a lineup of writers including Ibi Zoboi (First Day Around the World), Meg Medina (Graciela in the Abyss), Erin Entrada Kelly (The Last Resort), and Ryan T. Higgins (Bruce Saves the Planet).
Festival Day will be held on September 21, with authors Joyce Carol Oates (Fox), Kristen Arnett (Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One), Katie Kitamura (Audition), Stephen Graham Jones (The Buffalo Hunter Hunter), Nnedi Okorafor (Death of the Author), S.A. Cosby (King of Ashes), and Imani Perry (Black in Blues), among others.
Liz Koch, the event’s producer, said in a statement, “The Brooklyn Book Festival is New York City’s festival with events in neighborhoods in all five boroughs culminating with our big literary bash in Downtown Brooklyn. Brooklyn is home to the world and welcomes national and international authors, as well as reflecting the incredible writers living and being inspired in Brooklyn and throughout the city.”
A complete list of authors participating in the event is available at the festival’s website.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
