From Jack London to Gertrude Stein, Oakland has long been a home and haven literary greats. And now there is a festival to celebrate Oakland’s literary past and present. “Dedicated to books, ideas, and the pleasures of literacy, ” the first annual Oakland Book Festival (Sunday, May 31, 2015) features panels and discussions on everything from “Lost Utopias” and “The Genius of the Metropolis” to sex, faith, and social justice.
The founding directors, Timothy Don and Kira Brunner Don, hail from the smart and eclectic lit mag Lapham’s Quarterly, and they have partnered with local organizations such as PEN Oakland, Oaklandish, Litquake, and Fairyland to celebrate all things this thing we call thought and Oakland’s place in it. In addition to panels and discussions, expect music performances and a children’s play area.
Sunday, May 31, 2015; 10:30am-6pm
City Hall and Frank Ogawa Plaza
Full schedule
