Presented by Miami Dade College, the eight-day festival returns Nov. 15-22, 2026, with hundreds of authors from around the world
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MIAMI (October 13, 2026) — Miami Book Fair, the longest-running literary festival in the United States, today announced the lineup for its 43rd edition, returning to Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Wolfson Campus from November 15-22, 2026.
This year’s lineup includes nearly 500 authors, including two-time Booker Prize winner and author of the seminal work “The Handmaid’s Tale”, Margaret Atwood, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead, Booker Prize winner Marlon James, Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe winner Tony Shalhoub, and Bonnie Garmus, author of “Lessons in Chemistry.” They are joined by Ani DiFranco, Sophia Bush, Jeff Garlin, Susan Orlean, Edwidge Danticat, Pulitzer Prize winner Hernan Diaz, Booker Prize winner and the author of “The Life of Pi”, Yann Martel, and U.S. poet laureate Arthur Sze, alongside writers working in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
For the complete list of confirmed authors and programming, visit MiamiBookFair.com.
“One of my favorite things about the Fair is seeing people come for a writer they love and discover someone they hadn’t heard of,” said Lissette Mendez, Miami Book Fair’s executive director. “This year’s lineup gives readers so many ways to do that, whether they’re here for a novel, a family story, a favorite performer or a book to share with their children.”
Festival Highlights:
Opening Day Party — Sunday, Nov. 15
The Fair opens with a free street party celebrating Made in Miami, this year’s music theme, highlighting the sounds that have shaped South Florida across generations. Oscar G, Ciro Llerena, and other performers will take audiences through Miami’s musical history. The party also features food vendors, a full bar, and books for sale.
Evenings With Series — Nov. 15-20
The Fair’s signature evening series features Tony Shalhoub and Josie Adams, Colson Whitehead, Elena Armas, Jeff Garlin, Zibby Owens, Brad Thor, Brad Meltzer, and Victoria Aveyard. Armas appears in conversation with Meg Cabot. Garlin discusses his photography book with former “Seinfeld” writer Peter Mehlman.
Planet Money’s Alex Mayyasi and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi bring “Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life,” connecting economics to everyday decisions. PEN Open Book Award winner Willie Perdomo appears in conversation with poet and translator Mayra Santos-Febres. Miami hospitality entrepreneur David Grutman discusses “Take It Personal,” about building relationships and playing the long game in business.
Additional conversations feature Rick Sopher and Marc David Baer on Jewish-Muslim history, Santiago Roncagliolo and Jaime Bayly. Victor Dover, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz discuss the future of cities.
Lost Chapter Lounge — Nov. 16-19, 6–10 p.m.
Relax in the Lost Chapter Lounge in the Atrium of Building 1 before and after the Evenings With author events with cocktails and mocktails, and a different groove each evening. The lounge opens at 6 p.m. and closes at 10 p.m.
The Next Page Dinner — Friday, Nov. 20
The fourth annual fundraising dinner takes place at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami, honoring author Judy Blume and the Nusbaum family. The evening will also feature a special tribute to Margaret Atwood, presented by The Women’s Fund. Guests dine alongside Miami Book Fair authors and receive signed copies of their books, with proceeds supporting the Fair’s year-round programming for children. Participating authors include Margaret Atwood, Jess Gibson, Marlon James, Susan Orlean, Tayari Jones, Hernan Diaz and Sophia Bush.
Street Fair — Nov. 20-22
The three-day Street Fair transforms downtown Miami with hundreds of booksellers and publishers, author presentations, live music and food vendors. The Off the Shelf stage continues the Made in Miami music programming throughout the weekend. Friday admission is free; tickets are required Saturday, and Sunday and children 12 and under are always free.
Children’s Alley — Nov. 20-22
Beyond author presentations, Children’s Alley brings interactive storytelling, live performances, hands-on science, and creative activities to families throughout Street Fair weekend. The Fair’s broader children’s and teen author programs feature author of “The Princess Diaries” Meg Cabot, National Book Award winner Sabaa Tahir, “Dork Diaries” creators Rachel Renée Russell and Nikki Russell, Gail Carson Levine (“Ella Enchanted”), Global STEM Ambassador and American Ninja Warrior semifinalist Jay Flores, The Raven Cycle series author Maggie Stiefvater and three-time Emmy Award-winning YouTube sensation KidTime StoryTime.
Programming Highlights:
Fiction
Fiction highlights include Marlon James, Hernan Diaz, Yann Martel, Teá Obreht, Dave Eggers, Tayari Jones, Jim Shepard, Deesha Philyaw, and Rabih Alameddine, winner of the 2025 National Book Award for fiction. Bonnie Garmus, author of “Lessons in Chemistry,” presents her new novel “Peck & Peck.” Other participants include Paula McLain, author of “The Paris Wife”; Julie Orringer, whose “The Flight Portfolio” inspired the Netflix series “Transatlantic”; and Tom Perrotta, whose novels “Election” and “Little Children” became Oscar-nominated films. Horror fans can explore two standout conversations featuring Paul Tremblay, Alma Katsu and Luke Dumas, and Tananarive Due, Elizabeth Kostova and Kylie Lee Baker, bringing together leading voices in contemporary horror, suspense and supernatural fiction. Other featured authors include May Cobb, whose “The Hunting Wives” is now a Netflix series, National Book Award-winning cartoonist Nate Powell, and South Florida thriller author James Grippando. The Fair closes with a special celebration marking 50 years of Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire”, featuring her son, bestselling author Christopher Rice, alongside author and podcast producer Eric Shaw Quinn and bestselling romantasy author Carissa Broadbent. The event includes a live podcast taping of “Dinner Partners” and follows “Under the Twilight Sky,” a vampiric finale of goth and new-wave music featuring DJs Ray Milian and Carlos Menendez with a special live performance by Ordinary Boys.
Nonfiction
Nonfiction highlights include Susan Orlean, Ian Buruma, Theo Baker, Anand Giridharadas, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Kai Bird, Reza Aslan, Robert Wright and Eddie Glaude Jr. National affairs and business conversations feature White House correspondent April Ryan, former White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, Pulitzer Prize winner Ada Ferrer, former American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault and restaurateur Danny Meyer. Additional conversations include Chris Young and David Treuer, exploring experiences and perspectives that connect personal history with larger questions of justice and American life.
Poetry
The poetry lineup includes U.S. poet laureate Arthur Sze, former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky, Pulitzer Prize winner Rae Armantrout, Carolyn Forché, Adrian Matejka, Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Fatimah Asghar. Local participants include Nicole Tallman, Jen Karetnick and Julie Marie Wade.
National Book Awards Program
The National Book Awards program includes 2026 finalists Edwidge Danticat (“Dèy”), Hannah Lillith Assadi (“Paradiso 17”), Camonghne Felix (“Let the Poets Govern: A Declaration of Freedom”) and Joseph Osmundson (“Spawning Season: An Experiment in Queer Parenthood”), along with longlisted authors Marlon James (“The Disappearers”) and Kimberly Blaeser (“Red Ants: Stories”).
Stage and Screen
Music, television and theater voices include Ani DiFranco, Sophia Bush, Gina Gershon, Anna Konkle, Eliot Glazer, Annabelle Gurwitch, Jenny Hagel, Seth Rudetsky, Murray Hill, country singer Ty Herndon and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Ralph Johnson. Highlights include PEN15 co-creator Anna Konkle, television writers and comedians Eliot Glazer and Jenny Hagel, and costume designer Debra McGuire, known for her work on Friends, Freaks and Geeks and The Morning Show.
Specialized Programming:
- IberoAmerican Program: Spanish-language literary conversations featuring Santiago Roncagliolo, Jaime Bayly, David Toscana, Roberto Ampuero, Reyna Grande and Armando Lucas Correa.
- ReadCaribbean: Haitian and Caribbean literature featuring Edwidge Danticat, Tiphanie Yanique, Kwame Dawes, Mervyn Taylor, Nadine Pinede, Dimitry Elias Léger and Gaël Octavia.
- ReadingEast: Featuring Thrity Umrigar, Rabih Alameddine, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Azadeh Moaveni, Kazim Ali and Karan Mahajan.
- Jewish Life & Culture: Highlights include Zibby Owens, Jeff Garlin, U.S. District Judge Roy Altman, Roz Chast and Jason Adam Katzenstein, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Brett McGurk, Matti Friedman, Zeruya Shalev and Noa Yedlin.
- ReadingLGBTQ+: Highlights include Marlon James, Ani DiFranco, Murray Hill, Ty Herndon, Sophia Bush and Rasheed Newson.
- Reading Romance: Bestselling and emerging voices explore the many sides of romance fiction, with Elena Armas, Tessa Bailey, Mia Sosa, Beatriz Williams, Carissa Broadbent, Amalie Howard, Peyton Corinne, Falon Ballard and Jordyn Taylor.
- Here in South Florida: Local writers and stories include James Grippando, Mirta Ojito, Chantel Acevedo, Ron Magill and David Grutman.
- Art + Design: Architecture, art and fashion conversations feature Paul Goldberger, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Victor Dover, Pepe Mar and Valerie Steele, plus Karen Grimson in conversation with José Carlos Diaz about “John Baldessari: The End of the Line,” in partnership with Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) and Dacra.
- Tech + Biz: Business, technology and economics conversations feature Kenneth Chenault, Robert Wachter, Danny Meyer, David Pogue, Virginia Eubanks, Steve Feldstein, Robert Wright, Gil Durán and Planet Money’s Alex Mayyasi and Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi.
Founded in 1984 by MDC and partners, Miami Book Fair brings readers and writers together in downtown Miami each November and offers literary and educational programs throughout the year.
“The Fair has always been a place where readers can hear from writers they admire and encounter a different point of view,” said Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Miami Book Fair and Books & Books. “Miami brings together so many languages and cultures. We want the Fair to reflect that, and to make room for the conversations that happen when people share their stories.”
The Fair’s year-round programming extends its mission of promoting literacy, access to the arts and diverse voices across South Florida, including The Little Haiti Book Festival, creative writing workshops, author presentations, reading campaigns and Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books annually to Miami-Dade County children.
2026 Official Poster Reveal: Created by Miami-based graphic designer and New World School of the Arts student Isabella Isaza, this year’s official poster, Foundation of Learning, reimagines Miami’s historic Freedom Tower as a structure built entirely from books, celebrating the connection between knowledge, opportunity, and the city itself.
Tickets and Access:
Tickets for Miami Book Fair 2026 are available at MiamiBookFair.com/tickets. Street Fair admission is free on Friday, Nov. 20; Saturday and Sunday tickets are $12, with discounted admission of $5 for ages 13-18 and $7 for seniors over 62. Children 12 and under are always free. Multi-day passes are available online for $18, with discounts for seniors and teens. Evenings With tickets include admission and often a copy of the featured book.
Downtown Miami Dining Guide: Looking for a bite between author sessions? Miami Book Fair visitors can explore The Infatuation’s Downtown Miami Dining Guide for recommendations on where to eat, drink and unwind while enjoying the Fair.
Next Page Dinner packages and Friends of the Fair memberships are available online. Membership supports the Fair’s year-round programs and includes advance ticket access and benefits that vary by membership level. The Fair offers programming in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
For accessibility information and accommodation requests, contact Miami Book Fair at 305-237-3258 or wbookfair@mdc.edu.
Parking:
Free parking is available at the MDC Wolfson Campus Parking Garage from Sunday, November 15, to Sunday, November 22. The garage is located at 500 NE Second Avenue and the entrance is on NE Fifth Street between First and Second avenues. $5 flat-rate parking is available at Miami Parking Authority’s College Station Garage for Miami Book Fair events Nov. 15-22, including Evenings With and Street Fair weekend. For directions and additional parking information, visit MiamiBookFair.com.
Support and Sponsors:
Miami Book Fair is made possible through the generous support of Miami Dade College; the Miami Downtown Development Authority; Miami Parking Authority; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; and the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners. Additional support comes from Platinum Sponsors The Stacey and Eric Mindich Fund for Jewish Stories, Green Family Foundation, Achieve Miami and Teacher Accelerator Program; The Nusbaum Family; Premier Sponsors Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, Amazon, Linda Sawyer Frankel and JW Marriott Marquis Miami; and Major Sponsors ThigsBook, The Batchelor Foundation, Meredyth Anne Dasburg Foundation, Ansin | Stewart, The Women’s Fund, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, Knight Foundation, along with additional corporate and media sponsors.
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; the Stories We Share initiative celebrating Jewish voices; 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: Building community, one reader at a time. Follow Miami Book Fair on social media @miamibookfair #miamireads.
Miami Book Fair Media Contacts:
Rachel Pinzur, Pinzur Communications | 305-725-2875, rachel@pinzurPR.com
Cristina Fonseca, Pinzur Communications | 561-644-1726, cfonseca@pinzurPR.com