Your Guide to 2026 NH Book Festival Author Conversations & Panels
The 2026 NH Book Festival is only two weeks away, and we’re excited to share more details about all our author conversations, panels and readings!
Friday, October 2
10:30 am
Children’s Keynote: Jeff Kinney (*ticketed event)
Kick off the 2026 NH Book Festival with superstar Children’s Keynote Jeff Kinney, beloved author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series! Each ticket includes an autographed copy of Jeff’s latest book, Spooky Stories 2!
7 pm
Opening Keynote: Jodi Picoult, in conversation with NHPR’s Rebecca Lavoie
The NH Book Festival is thrilled to welcome Jodi Picoult, the New York Times-bestselling author of 30 novels, including her brand-new book Hollow Bones. Picoult will be in conversation with NHPR’s Rebecca Lavoie. Each ticket includes a signed hardcover copy of Hollow Bones.
Saturday, Oct. 3
9:30 am
Love and Obsession
Authors Eloisa James (The Last Lady B), Christine Pride (All the Men I've Loved Again), and Bonnie Friedman (Don't Stop) will talk about love, loss, and obsession, and the roles these emotions and issues play in their novels. Join them to hear more about the love (and obsession) stories they had to write, and what makes a great love (or obsession) story.
Bonnie Friedman, Eloisa James, and Christine Pride; moderated by Rebeca Pereira
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Picturebook Showcase: Love Through Different Lenses
Reading to a child is often described as a transformative act of love. Come explore with some of today’s most celebrated picturebook authors, Winsome Bingham (On Fridays), Carrie Finison (Plenty of Pancakes), and Kate Hosford (You and I are Stars and Night), the different ways love is expressed in this incredible art form, and learn about the unique approaches they use to engage young audiences.
Winsome Bungham, Carrie Finison, and Kate Hosford; moderated by Kari Allen
Location: KidLit Stage
10:45 am
Family Dramas and Sagas
For sheer intensity, there’s nothing quite like family relationships. Expectations and rejections, untold histories and secrets, head-spinning reversals and inevitable surprises. Come hear about the power that “the ties that bind” hold over identity and belonging. Celebrated authors Susan Donovan Bernhard (Westerly), Shannon Sanders (The Great Wherever) and Dan Simon (Ashland) explore the prismatic nature of home.
Susan Donovan Bernhard, Shannon Sanders, Dan Simon; moderated by Rachel Barenbaum
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Bold Hearts, Brave Voices
What does it mean to be brave? Come hear about four new books about kids standing up for what is right, even when the odds are stacked against them. Join panelists Kate McGovern (Maple for the People), Kate Schoedinger (Death by Molasses), Rebeccca Bendheim (When You Are Brave Enough), and Valerie Bolling (The March for Hope) as they discuss the inspiration for their new works.
Rebecca Bendheim, Valerie Bolling, Kate McGovern, and Kate Schoedinger; Moderated by Julie Hubble
Location: KidLit Stage
A Poetry Reading
Join acclaimed poets Wyn Cooper, Meg Kearney, and NH Poet Laureate Jennifer Militello as they read from their most recent works.
Location: CCA Poetry Salon
12 pm
Spotlight Conversation: Singular Lives
Immersing ourselves in the origin stories of unique individuals who touched our hearts and shaped our culture forms one of reading’s great joys. Keith O’Brien (Heartland) provides an unparalleled look at Larry Bird and the Indiana culture that made him. Carla Kaplan (Troublemaker) throws back the veil on Jessica Mitford, the most radical of the six legendary Mitford sisters. Noted author Christopher C. Gorham moderates this fascinating special session.
Carla Kaplan and Keith O’Brien; moderated by Christopher Gorham
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Beyond the Last Page: The Power of YA
YA novels continue to be the beloved genre of tweens, teens, and beyond. Join our amazing panelists Cait Levin (Imposter: Code Like a Girl), Rajanni LaRocca (Such Great Heights), Mindy McGinnis (How Girls Are Made), and Alexandra Villasante (Fireblooms), as they discuss their latest novels, what draws them to the YA voice, and how they create characters that linger in our imagination.
Rajani LaRocca, Mindy McGinnis, Cait Levin, and Alexandra Villasante; moderated by Julie Dao
Location: KidLit Stage
A Poetry Reading
Poets Rena Mosteirin, Maggie Dietz, and Elaine Sexton will read from their most recent collections. Introduced by NH Poet Laureate Jennifer Militello.
Location: CCA Poetry Salon
1:15 pm
The Edge of Your Seat
Heart-thumping narratives, evil forces, dark secrets, reluctant heroes. Who doesn’t love a great mystery or supernatural thriller—or a parody of them? This session has it all. Jenna Blum (Murder Your Darlings); Christopher Golden (Carry Me to My Grave); T. Greenwood (Everything Has Happened); and Edwin Hill (What Happened Next) know how to draw readers in and get their juices flowing. Acclaimed mystery writer Sarah Stewart Taylor moderates our suspenseful panel.
Jenna Blum, Christopher Golden, T. Greenwood, and Edwin Hill; moderated by Sarah Stewart Taylor
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Onward! Books that Inspire Environmental Advocacy
The Earth needs our help, but where do we begin? As stories of climate disasters continue to dominate the headlines, most of us are searching for answers. Join authors Emilie Christie Burack (Dominic Bean and the Mammoth Melt) Maria Gianfarrari (Just One Oak), and Nicholas Lund (World Without Birds) as they discuss their books of inspiration and hope.
Emilie Christie Buarck, Maria Gianferrari, Nicholas Lund; moderated by Evan Griffith
Location: KidLit Stage
Excavating Identities
These bold works of creative nonfiction mine sexuality, family, race, class, and ancestry in search of identity. Lynette D’Amico (men i hate) grapples with what it means to be married to a Trans man, Hester Kaplan (Twice Born) rediscovers her father and herself through the pages of his Mark Twain biography, and Michael Lowenthal (Place Envy) chronicles his quest for orientation in search of a Queer Jewish lineage. Join us as we discuss how these narratives unearth, reshape, and relabel identities of self.
Lynette D’Amico, Hester Kaplan, Michael Lowenthal; moderated by Jocelyn Winn
Location: CCA Poetry Salon
2:30 pm
Redemption at Last
Oh, the challenges of being a human! Andrew Krivak (Mule Boy), Brinda Charry (Hocus Pocus) and Diane Les Becquets (Where the Water Meets the Sky) will talk about how their novels pull us right into their characters’ turbulent, intriguing lives—the secrets their characters keep, and the ways they move through the world. These authors will also speak about their astoundingly different writing styles, and much more.
Diane Les Becquets, Brinda Charry, Andrew Krivak; moderated by Jennifer Anne Gordon
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Magic, Myth, and Adventure
Join authors MT Anderson (Stealing St. Nick), SJ Taylor (Helga the Fair), Jacquelyn Stolos (Asterwood), and Christine Hartman Derr (Raven Rising), as they discuss what draws them to stories beyond our world.
Christine Hartman Derr, Jacquelyn Stolos, S.J. Taylor, and M. T. Anderson; moderated by Lisa Stringfellow
Location: KidLit Stage
3:45 pm
Women Charting Their Own Path
These immersive novels –Lee Kelly’s The Midnight Show, Lisa Borders’ Last Night at the Disco, and Julie Carrick Dalton’s The Forest Becomes Her–feature heroines with thrilling agency, though they’re often mysterious to the people around them. These stories will transport you into a volatile ‘80s late-night comedy troupe, the dizzying scene of ‘70s rock, and the magical realism of an extraordinary landscape hidden in a “perfect” suburban development.
Lisa Borders, Julie Carrick Dalton, Lee Kelly; moderated by Lisa Williamson Rosenberg
Location: CCA Authors Stage
All in the Family: Writing Through Generations
Join four celebrated New Hampshire authors, mother and daughter Rebecca and Adi Rule (Who Loves Blueberries, Ghost Chickens), and father and son David and Eli Elliott (Bonebag) as they discuss their new 2026 titles and the highs, lows, and hijinks of parent-child writing endeavors.
David Elliott, Eli Elliott, Adi Rule, and Rebecca Rule; moderated by Emilie Christie Burack
Location: KidLit Stage
6:30 pm
Family Keynote: Spooky Stories 2 with Jeff Kinney (*ticketed event)
Cap off the 2026 NH Book Festival with superstar Jeff Kinney, beloved author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series! Each order (1 book per family) includes an autographed copy of Jeff’s latest book, Spooky Stories 2!
Location: Capitol Center for the Arts
Ready to make your festival plans?
With so many incredible authors and conversations to choose from, there’s plenty to explore at the 2026 NH Book Festival. Check out the full festival schedule, build your itinerary, and get ready for a weekend celebrating books, authors, and the joy of being a reader.