Author Panels and Conversations
Friday, October 3
10:30 am
Children’s Keynote: Tui Sutherland (*ticketed event)
Kick off the 2025 NH Book Festival with superstar Children’s Keynote
Tui Sutherland, beloved author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Wings of Fire series, the Menagerie trilogy, and the Pet Trouble series, as well as a contributing author to the bestselling Spirit Animals and Seekers series (as part of the Erin Hunter team). Each ticket includes an exclusive Special Edition of book 1 of her best-selling Wings of Fire series.
Moderated by NHPR’s Taylor Quimby
Location: Capitol Center for the Arts
7:00 pm
Opening Keynote: Walter Mosley with Hank Phillippi Ryan (*ticketed event)
The NH Book Festival is thrilled to welcome Walter Mosley as its 2025 keynote author. Author of the beloved long-running Easy Rawlins mystery series, Mosley has published 60 works of fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and playwriting. He’s also had a number of works adapted for movies and TV, including Devil in a Blue Dress, with Denzel Washington playing Easy Rawlins, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned, The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey with Samuel Jackson, and The Man in My Basement with Willem Dafoe.
Moderated by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Location: Capitol Center for the Arts
Saturday, October 4
9:00 am
Costume Parade
Come dressed as your favorite book character! Join kids and kids at heart at the north entrance of the NH Book Festival Village.
9:30 am
Thrills and Chills
Welcome to spooky season! If you’re a suspense, mystery, or horror fan, you’ll want to hear how these authors—Nat Cassidy (When the Wolf Comes Home), Paula Munier (The Night Woods), Christine Murphy (Notes on Surviving the Fire), and Lisa Williamson Rosenberg (Mirror Me)–keep readers turning pages, sometimes scaring us, but always drawing us in. They’ll share some of their favorite suspenseful reads, too.
Christine Murphy, Nat Cassidy, Paula Munier, Lisa Williamson Rosenberg; moderated by Margot Douaihy
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Words, Rhythm, Silence and Songs
Picture books are often described as the crown jewels of children’s literature, but what is it about them that captures the hearts of early readers and listeners? Come learn from some of today’s most celebrated picturebook authors Matt Forrest Esenwine (A Universe of Rainbows), Cheryl Willis Hudson (When I Hear Spirituals), Aaron Becker (The Last Zookeeper), and David Elliott (Boar and Hedgehog) about what draws them to this incredible art form, and hear about the unique approaches they take to engage young audiences.
Matt Forrest Esenwine, Cheryl Willis Hudson, Aaron Becker, David Elliott; moderated by Emilie Christie Burack
Location: KidLit Stage
10:45 am
Love and Other Disasters
Authors Jilly Gagnon (What If It’s You), Cara Bastone (Promise Me Sunshine), and Lori Gold (Romantic Friction) will share why love and love-related disasters make for such great reading, and why we need these stories now more than ever.
Cara Bastone, Jilly Gagnon, Lori Gold; moderated by A.H. Kim
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Caldecott Spotlight Conversation: Jason Chin and Aaron Becker
Each year, the highly coveted Caldecott Medal and Honor, selected by the children’s division of the American Library Association, are awarded to the artists of the most distinguished picture books published in the United States. Panelists Jason Chin (2022 Caldecott Medalist for Watercress, and Caldecott Honor for Grand Canyon 2018) and Aaron Becker (2014 Caldecott Honor for Journey) discuss their artistic journeys and what drew them to create these beloved masterpieces for children.
Moderated by Marty Kelley
Location: KidLit Stage
Poetry Reading
Poets Jennifer Militello, New Hampshire’s Poet Laureate; Abbie Kiefer; and Iain Haley Pollock will read from their recent collections. Sponsored in part by the Academy of American Poets.
Location: Poetry Salon
12:00 pm
Family Portraits
These four distinctive debut novels—Robert Baird’s The Nimbus, Allison King’s The Phoenix Pencil Company, Sharon Kurtzman’s The Lost Baker of Vienna, and Eli Zuzovsky’s Mazel Tov–are wildly different stories, yet family, and mystery, lie at the heart of each novel. Come hear how these novelists landed on their compelling stories.
Robert Baird, Allison King, Sharon Kurtzman, Eli Zuzovsky; moderated by Tim Weed
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Keeping Secrets
Secrets are never easy to keep, especially in middle school. Join our amazing panelists Sarah Clawson Willis (Band Nerd), Miriam Chernick (The ZuZu Secret), Melissa Dassori (Greta Ever After), and Naomi Milliner (The Trouble with Secrets), as they discuss the secrets burning at the heart of their protagonists, and why secrets, and the trouble they inevitably cause, make for irresistible stories.
Sarah Clawson Willis, Miriam Chernick, Melissa Dassori, Naomi Milliner; moderated by Amanda Gokee, The Boston Globe
Location: KidLit Stage
Headliner Poet: Jennifer Chang
The NH Book Festival welcomes Jennifer Chang as its first headliner poet. Jennifer Chang is the author of three poetry collections, most recently An Authentic Life, which was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. She teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, and serves on the board of Kundiman, an organization dedicated to furthering Asian American writing. Sponsored in part by the American Academy of Poets.
Introduced by NH Poet Laureate Jennifer Militello
Location: Poetry Salon
1:15 pm
Spotlight Conversation
Harry Bliss may be best-known as the celebrated cover artist of 24 issues of the New Yorker magazine, or alternatively, as illustrator of more than 25 children’s books. Now, in his memoir You Can Never Die, he brings his keen perception as a realistic artist to explore the drama of his childhood and family, and relationships both human and animal. The superpower he wields as a cartoonist–nuance with few strokes of a pen– rules in this poignant memoir. NHPR journalist Rick Ganley joins Bliss in conversation.
Moderated by NHPR’s Rick Ganley
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Home: Not as Advertised
How do we define home? The answer to this question has evolved since the beginning of time. Join these incredible panelists Azadeh Westergaard (The One and Only GooGoosh), Lita Judge (Old Blue is my Home), Karen Krossing (My Street Remembers), and Adina King (The House No One Sees) as they discuss the differing versions of home that define their recent works, and why “home,” in its many forms, often defines the lives of young readers.
Azadeh Westergaard, Lita Judge, Karen Krossing, Adina King; moderated by Lisa Stringfellow
Location: KidLit Stage
Creative Nonfiction: Stories from Life
Creative nonfiction takes the truth and tells it slant through lyrical prose and unmasking the human condition. Annette Binder (Child of Earth and Sky) navigates the multifaceted universes of Alzheimer's disease, Paul Lisicky (Song So Wild and Blue) harnesses the power of Joni Mitchell to foster artistic vision, and Jane Brox (In the Merrimack Valley, a Farm Trilogy) journeys through generations of New England farming histories. Join us as we discuss how these narratives shaped their past, present, and future.
Annette Binder, Paul Lisicky, Jane Brox; moderated by Jocelyn Winn
Location: Poetry Salon
2:30 pm
Unexpected Journeys
Novels are often about journeys, both interior and exterior, and that’s especially true in this trio of novels. In Rob Franklin’s Great Black Hope, Tim Weed’s The Afterlife Project, and Annie Hartnett’s The Road to Tender Hearts, characters flee the wreckage of a very bad night, cross oceans in a devastated future world, and head out on a quixotic quest to rekindle a high-school flame. Come journey with these authors.
Rob Franklin, Annie Hartnett, Tim Weed; moderated by Rachel Barenbaum
Location: CCA Authors Stage
Out of the Shadows: Women and Girls Taking Chances
True stories are irresistible, especially when their real-life heroines overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges. Learn from this panel of renowned authors, Sandra Nickel why they chose to portray the lives of world famous chef Julia Child, suffragist Lucy Stone, and the once overlooked creator of the famous Tiffany lamp, Clara Driscoll, and why so many of today’s young readers crave nonfiction.
Sandra Nickel, Kari Allen, Vivian Kirkfield; moderated by Erin E. Moulton
Location: KidLit Stage
Poetry Reading
Poets Julia Thacker, GC Waldrep, and Regie Gibson will read from their recent work. Sponsored in part by the American Academy of Poets.
Julia Thacker, Regie Gibson, GC Waldrep
Location: Poetry Salon
3:45 pm
World-Changing Women
Join authors Michelle Young (The Art Spy), Lisa Rogak (Propaganda Girls), and Stephanie Gorton (The Icon and the Idealist) for an illuminating conversation on some of the 20th century’s boldest women. These authors will talk about how they’ve brought unknown, lesser-known, and forgotten heroic women—an unsung spy for the French Resistance, key players in the OSS’s WWII propaganda campaigns, and an essential advocate for reproductive rights—back into the spotlight.
Stephanie Gorton, Lisa Rogak, Michelle Young; moderated by Laura Knoy
Location: CCA Authors Stage
YA Thrills, Magic, and First Love
Suspense, spells, and romance are the perfect draw for YA fans. Come learn why teens and adults love this genre, and why our panel of amazing authors, Wendelin Van Draanen (The Steps), Rhonda DeChambeau (Top Heavy), and Tori Anne Martin (No Charm Done) use wildly different approaches to capture their readers.
Wendelin Van Draanen, Rhonda DeChambeau, Tori Anne Martin; moderated by Adi Rule
Location: KidLit Stage
6:00 pm
Family Keynote: Wings of Fire FanNite with Tui Sutherland (*ticketed event)
Soar into an unforgettable evening at Wings of Fire FanNite! Come see Tui Sutherland, beloved author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Wings of Fire series, the Menagerie trilogy, and Pet Trouble series! You might also know her as a contributing author to the bestselling Spirit Animals and Seekers series (as part of the Erin Hunter team)! Prepare for:
A thrilling live appearance and conversation with Tui Sutherland, guided by NHPR personality Taylor Quimby!
A Wings of Fire backdrop photo opportunity (pre-show, so arrive early)!
Special Wings of Fire themed concessions!
Take home a fantastic themed gift bag just for attending!
Grab your next adventure with books for sale in the lobby!
Tui will be signing books purchased at the event following the program! (PLEASE NOTE: in anticipation of the large number of fans wanting books signed, the author will be unable to sign book collections brought from home.)
Tui Sutherland, moderated by NHPR’s Taylor Quimby
Location: Capitol Center for the Arts