MIAMI (November 18, 2025) – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Miami Book Fair, Nov. 16 – 23, announced its highly anticipated Evenings With program, which will feature acclaimed authors, musicians and cultural icons, including country music superstar Kenny Chesney, who called the Fair “a respected and iconic event” and described his Miami appearance as “a whole other homecoming”; bestselling novelist Daniel Silva with his instant New York Times No. 1 bestseller; business icon Barry Diller; acclaimed environmentalist Bill McKibben; newly appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze, winner of the 2025 Bollingen Prize for lifetime achievement; and international book world darling Mercedes Ron, among others.
The Miami Book Fair will take place at MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. 2nd Ave. Most evening author events require a ticket. For tickets, to become a Friend of the Fair or for more information, visit www.miamibookfair.com.
Complete list of Evenings With events:
An Evening With Lihi Lapid in conversation with Rochelle B. Weinstein
Sunday, Nov. 16, at 3:30 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Free for Fairgoers
Journalist Lihi Lapid discusses “I Wanted to Be Wonderful: A Novel,” a tale that follows the lives of two women in their first years of marriage and motherhood. One is a fictional character trying to live the happily-ever-after many imagine for themselves; the second is inspired by the author herself, relating the most intimate moments of her life. In trenchant, thoughtful prose, Lapid tells a braided story of women struggling to live up to modern pressures, one about shattered dreams and finding the strength to gather up the pieces and learn to smile again.
An Evening With Bill McKibben
Sunday, Nov. 16, at 4:30 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Tickets $35 (includes book and access to Street Fair) Acclaimed environmentalist and bestselling author Bill McKibben discusses his latest book, “Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization.” McKibben traces the arrival of plentiful, inexpensive solar energy and shows how it’s more than just a path out of the climate crisis: it’s a chance to reorder the world on saner and more humane grounds.
An Evening With Daniel Silva in conversation with Jamie Gangel
Sunday, Nov. 16, at 6 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Tickets $35 (includes book and access to Street Fair)
New York Times bestseller Daniel Silva returns with the latest installment of his Gabriel Allon series, the instant No. 1 bestseller “An Inside Job: A Novel,” a dazzling thriller of murder, greed, and corruption. The action moves at breakneck speed from the galleries and auction houses of London to an enclave of unimaginable wealth on the French Riviera and a shocking climax in St. Peter’s Square.
An Evening with Kenny Chesney in conversation with co-author Holly Gleason
Sunday, Nov. 16, at 7:30 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Tickets $35 (includes book and access to Street Fair)
Country music superstar Kenny Chesney, who has sold over 30 million albums and will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year, discusses his highly anticipated first book, “Heart • Life • Music.” The book shares the stories of a kid from small-town East Tennessee with a dream fueled by sports and music. Chesney explores his quest to find himself as an artist and a man, from college with a guitar to Nashville’s vibrant creative scene. These are the stories of the unlikely game changer who became the sound of coming of age in the 21st century, rocked stadiums, and founded a No Shoes Nation.
An Evening With Dr. Theodore H. Schwartz
Monday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Free for Fairgoers
Dr. Theodore H. Schwartz discusses “Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery,” a book that pulls back the surgical drapes on the mysterious profession of brain surgery. Through riveting case studies of U.S. presidents, actors, and sports figures, Schwartz brings readers into his world, sharing what it’s like to hold the scalpel, wield the drill, and remove a blood clot; when every second can mean life or death.
An Evening with Barry Diller
Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Tickets $35 (includes book and access to Street Fair)
In a wonderfully candid and engaging memoir, American business icon Barry Diller reveals his successes, failures, and struggles with surprising intimacy. Writing in his singular voice, he delivers an astute business memoir, an unvarnished look at Hollywood, a primer on media, and a surprisingly frank coming-of-age story in “Who Knew.”
An Evening with Sally Mann
Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Tickets $35 (includes book and access to Street Fair)
Artist and New York Times bestselling author Sally Mann discusses “Art Work: On the Creative Life,” her much-anticipated new book about the challenges and transcendent pleasures of the creative process. In the same fearless tone as her memoir “Hold Still,” Mann offers a spellbinding mix of stories, practical advice, and life lessons on risk-taking, rejection, and the value of hard work, in a generous and provocative exploration of creativity.
An Evening with Arthur Sze in conversation with Robert Casper and Campbell McGrath
Thursday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Free for Fairgoers
The nation’s newly appointed 25th U.S. Poet Laureate and winner of the 2025 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry for lifetime achievement, Arthur Sze discusses his twelfth book of poetry, “Into the Hush.” With imaginative power and emotional force, Sze harnesses a range of innovative forms to respond to the challenges of climate change, endangered cultures, and our nuclear age, exploring what it means to live on an endangered planet.
An Evening with Mercedes Ron
Friday, Nov. 21, at 6 p.m. | MDC Wolfson Campus | Tickets $18 (includes book and access to Street Fair)
New York Times bestseller and global book world darling Mercedes Ron discusses the first iteration of her wildly popular “Tell Me” series, now translated into English. Kamila Hamilton is caught between the two Di Bianco brothers – her best friends and greatest downfall – after they burst back into her life, and the secrets they still carry threaten to bring down her fragile walls. Ron will share her global successes in all their formats and languages in conversation with María Contreras, Amazon head of movies and scripted international originals. With special appearances by the stars of the Amazon Prime film adaptation, “Dímelo Bajito”: Alicia Falcó, Fernando Lindez, and Diego Vidales.
About Miami Book Fair
Founded in 1984 by Miami Dade College and partners, Miami Book Fair engages the community through inclusive, accessible programs that promote reading and support writers year-round. The annual eight-day festival has grown into the largest and most comprehensive community-rooted literary gathering in the United States, generating discourse on contemporary literature and current issues of international importance. Throughout the rest of the year, Miami Book Fair hosts an ongoing schedule of activities, including The Little Haiti Book Festival; creative writing and publishing workshops; author presentations; reading campaigns; and Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books a year to children in Miami-Dade County. Miami Book Fair programming is made possible through generous support from the State of Florida and the National Endowment for the Arts; City of Miami; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau; Miami Downtown Development Authority; and Friends of the Fair; as well as many corporate partners. Miami Book Fair: Building community, one reader at a time. Follow the Miami Book Fair on social media @miamibookfair #miamireads.
Miami Book Fair Media Contacts:
Rachel Pinzur, Pinzur Communications | 305-725-2875, rachel@pinzurPR.com
Alicia Rivas, Pinzur Communications | 646-338-2517, alicia@pinzurPR.com
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