Festival Panels 2022

Susan Page - Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi & the Lessons of Power

Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House, is considered to be one of the most powerful speakers in U.S. history. Award-winning journalist Susan Page outlines Speaker Pelosi's rise to power, starting with learning machine politics at the feet of her father, Baltimore’s mayor and her mother, a savvy political organizer. Join the discussion about the life and career of this master political strategist, partisan lightning rod, and determined campaigner. Jennifer Palmieri, co-host of The Circus moderates.

 

 

 

 

Susan Page is the award-winning Washington Bureau chief of USA TODAY and the author of two New York Times best-sellers, Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power and The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty. Read more.

 

 

 

Moderator: Jennifer Palmieri is a co-host of Showtime’s Emmy-nominated The Circus. She served as White House communications director under President Barack Obama and was head of communications for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.  Read more.

 

 

 

Congressman Jamie Raskin - Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth and the Trials of American Democracy

Congressman Jamie Raskin’s memoir covers two major events in the nation’s history–the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and the second impeachment trial of former President Trump–and  the tragic suicide of his son, Tommy. All three of these events happening within the first 45 days of 2021 is unimaginable. Congressman Raskin will be discussing his book and taking a deep dive into those events with moderator Madeleine Carter, who spent the past three years filming the Congressman for her new documentary, Love & the Constitution.

 

 

 

 

Jamie Raskin is the U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 8th Congressional District. He served as the lead House Manager in the second Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump and was appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on the Select Committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Read More

 

 

Moderator: Madeleine Carter is a documentary filmmaker who spent over three years filming Congressman Jamie Raskin for her new 90-minute political feature documentary, Love & the Constitution, which premiered on MSNBC in February. Read More

Theodore R. Johnson & Adam Russell Taylor - At a Crossroads: Transcending Racial & Ideological Divides

The nation is at a crossroads. Authors Theodore R. Johnson and Rev. Adam Russell Taylor seek to provide a roadmap showing how America can live out its best ideals. They believe racism is a structural, existential threat to society but that by doing the hard work of grappling with the lasting impact of centuries of that racism, we can unite around common values and fulfill the American promise. This important discussion will be moderated by Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton the bishop of the Diocese of Maryland and a thought leader on the issue of racial reconciliation.

 

Theodore R. Johnson is a senior fellow and director of the fellows program at the Brennan Center for Justice where he researches the intersection of race, electoral politics and American identity. Read more.

 

Adam Russell Taylor is president of Sojourners and author of A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community. Read more.

 

 

Moderator: The Right Reverend Eugene Taylor Sutton is bishop of the Diocese of Maryland. Previously he served as canon pastor of the Washington National Cathedral. Read more.

 

 

 

Luma Mufleh & Ali Noorani - A Place for Us: Stories of the Immigrant & Refugee Experience

In an era of rising global immigration, authors and activists Luma Mufleh and Ali Noorani illuminate the immigrant experience from different perspectives but both stress building bridges. Luma Mufleh writes of her efforts to bring education equity to refugees in resettlement communities across America while Ali Noorani seeks to create coalitions between immigrants and organizations on both sides of the border between Mexico and the U.S. John Beed, the chief partnership officer for LifeRamp will moderate the panel.

 

Luma Mufleh is founder and director of Fugees Family, Inc., a non-profit organization devoted to working with child survivors of war. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Ali Noorani is president and chief executive officer of the National Immigration Forum, a nonpartisan immigration advocacy organization. Read more.

 

 

 

Moderator: John Beed is the chief partnership officer for LifeRamp, a coach-powered workforce technology company helping aspiring and young professionals launch, lead and thrive. Read more.



 

Adam Harris & Clint Smith - A Reckoning: How Systemic Racism has Shaped Our History, Policies and Education

America is coming to terms with its past. By taking a deep look into the country’s legacy of slavery and segregation, the authors on this panel attempt to show that only by acknowledging and talking about inequities that still exist today can we move to a more hopeful future. Distinguished panelists Adam Harris and Clint Smith bring a wealth of scholarship and personal experience to this important topic. Noel King, former host of NPR’s Morning Edition and new host of Vox’s daily podcast, Today, Explained, moderates.

 

Adam Harris is a staff writer at the Atlantic where he has covered education and national politics since 2018. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Clint Smith is a staff writer at the Atlantic. He is the author of the narrative nonfiction book, How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which was a #1 New York Times bestseller and one of the New York Times Top Ten Books of 2021. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Noel King is a host of Vox's daily news podcast Today, Explained. Read more.

John Della Volpe - Gen Z's Fight to Save America

Gen Z is out to save America and the world. Born from the late 1990s to early 2000s, this generation grew up with technology, the internet and social media and have been stereotyped as tech-addicted, anti-social, social justice warriors. They are also more stressed, anxious and depressed than previous generations. Even so, according to author John Della Volpe in his book Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America, “Zoomers” are politically engaged, willing to disrupt the status quo, and ready to take control of our country and our future. Fish Stark, a researcher and youth program developer who focuses on youth civic engagement and social responsibility, moderates.

 

 

 

 

John Della Volpe is the author of Fight: How Gen Z Is Channeling Their Fear and Passion to Save America. He is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, where he has led the institute’s polling initiatives on understanding American youth since 2000. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Fish Stark is a researcher and youth program developer who focuses on youth civic engagement and social responsibility. Read more.

 

 

Terence Smith - Four Wars, Five Presidents: A Reporter's Journey

In his book Four Wars, Five Presidents: A Reporter's Journey from Jerusalem to Saigon to the White House, award-winning journalist Terence Smith reflects on his forty-plus year career as a political reporter, foreign correspondent, editor, and television analyst with time spent at the New York Times, CBS News, and PBS. From the White House to covering four wars, he has seen it all, including the evolution of the news business from print to digital. U.S. Naval Academy professor Stephen Wrage moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terence Smith is an award-winning journalist who has been a political reporter, foreign correspondent, editor, and television analyst over the course of an almost five-decade career. Read more.

 

 

 

Moderator: Stephen Wrage is a professor of political science at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis.

 

Craig Whitlock - The Afghanistan Papers

Investigative reporter Craig Whitlock will be discussing his best-selling book, The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War, which covers how three successive presidents and their military commanders deceived the public about the state of America's longest war. Starting with nearly unanimous public support and straightforward goals, the conflagration veered into an unwinnable guerilla conflict filled with blunders and hubris on the part of America's political and military leaders. The Afghanistan Papers was named one of the top ten books of 2021 by the Washington Post. U.S. Naval Academy professor Stephen Wrage moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Craig Whitlock is an investigative reporter for the Washington Post. In his twenty-four years at the Post, he has been a Pentagon correspondent, served as the Berlin bureau chief and covered the Maryland Statehouse, among other beats. Read more.

 

 

 

Moderator: Stephen Wrage is a professor of political science at the U.S. Naval Academy.

 

 

 

Laura Shin - The Cryptopians: Makers of the First Big Crypto Craze

Cryptocurrency has become a household word, reaching a market valuation of more than $2 trillion in a relatively short time, but few people really understand it. Join journalist and podcaster Laura Shin as she takes you inside the founding of the cryptocurrency network of out-sized personalities all vying for a piece of a seemingly limitless business opportunity.  Co-director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Assured Autonomy,  Cara LaPointe moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Laura Shin is a crypto journalist and hosts the crypto podcast Unchained. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Cara LaPointe is a futurist who focuses on the intersection of technology, policy, ethics, and leadership. Read more.

 

 

 

Suzanne Nossel - Dare to Speak: Supporting Free Speech While Battling Bigotry

Drawing on her experiences at PEN America and the State Department, Suzanne Nossel (Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All) makes the case that given our current political climate, freedom of speech is more important than ever. She provides practical advice on how individuals and society as a whole can express free speech while being respectful of the diversity of opinions in America. Director of research at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Eulynn Shiu, will moderate what promises to be a fascinating and timely discussion.

 

 

 

 

 

Suzanne Nossel is chief executive officer at PEN America and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Eulynn Shiu is proud of a career dedicated to promoting cultural expression, person-to-person engagement, and access to independent press around the world. Read more.

 

 

 

Cecilia Kang - An Ugly Truth: Inside Facebook's Battle for Domination

Meet award-winning New York Times journalist Cecilia Kang as she discusses the riveting, behind-the-scenes story of Facebook's fall from grace. Once a huge success that connected the world, Facebook (now Meta) was found to be mishandling user data, spreading fake news and amplifying hate speech. The book exposes the business's voracious data-mining machine and aggressive lobbying efforts and concludes that Facebook's missteps were not an anomaly but an inevitability. April Doss Falcon, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Technology Law and Policy, moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Cecilia Kang, along with her New York Times colleagues, was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize, for her coverage of Facebook. Read more.

 

 

Moderator: April Falcon Doss is executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Technology Law and Policy. Read more.

 

 

 

Jeffrey Selingo - Inside College Admissions: Who Gets In and Why

Jeffrey Selingo, award-winning higher education journalist and bestselling author, joins the Festival to talk about his newest book that outlines helpful strategies to aid in the college search. He reveals how much students and their parents have to gain by broadening their ideas of what a "good" college is and shares the complicated truth that admissions offices make choices based more on the college's agenda than the applicant's qualifications. Key School college advisor Laura Burrell Baxter moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Jeffrey Selingo has written about higher education for more than two decades and is a New York Times bestselling author of three books. Read more.

 

 

 

Moderator: Laura Burrell Baxter is Key School's Director of College Advising. Read more.

 

 

John Woodrow Cox - Children Under Fire: An Urgent Call for Practical Gun Safety Reform

Award-winning Washington Post reporter John Woodrow Cox will be talking about his newest book, Children Under Fire: An American Crisis, which highlights the devastating effects of gun violence on America's children. In a moment when the people are desperate to better understand gun violence, John Woodrow Cox weaves together personal stories and calls for practical reforms that could save thousands of young lives. JJ Janflone of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence moderates.

 

 

 

 

John Woodrow Cox is an enterprise reporter at the Washington Post and the author of Children Under Fire: An American Crisis. Read more.

 

Moderator: JJ Janflone is an experienced academic podcast host who has been the manager of Brady’s Red, Blue, and Brady (RBB) since its inception. Read more.

Laura Coates & Kristin Henning - The Color of Law: The Justice System & Black America

The intersection of Black America and the justice system is fraught. Black and Brown citizens are policed, prosecuted and judged differently than their White neighbors. These communities, and, especially Black and Brown youth, feel the chasm between what is right and what is lawful. Authors, Laura Coates (Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor's Fight for Fairness) and Kristin Henning (The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth) will be discussing these policies with retired judge Andre Davis.

 

Laura Coates is a CNN senior legal analyst, SiriusXM host, and author of Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness. Read more.

 

 

 

Kristin Henning is a nationally recognized advocate, author, trainer, and consultant on the intersection of race, adolescence and policing. Read more.

 

 

Moderator: Andre Davis has served as a judge for thirty years starting in 1987. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Edith Widder - Below the Edge of Darkness: Hard Science & High Adventure Beneath the Deep Sea

Join Dr. Edith Widder as she discusses her book Below the Edge of Darkness which takes the reader deep into our planet's oceans where we can find hidden worlds and a dazzling menagerie of behaviors and animals, many never seen before. Thrill to the life-and-death equipment malfunctions and witness breakthroughs in technology, all set against a growing awareness of the deteriorating health of our largest and least understood ecosystem. Key School Upper School Division Head and oceanography teacher, Brian Michaels moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Edith Widder is a MacArthur Fellow, deep-sea explorer and conservationist. She is a world authority on marine bioluminescence, racking up hundreds of dives in submersibles, as passenger and pilot. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Brian Michaels is the Upper School Head at Key School, and teaches an oceanography elective.

 

 

 

Leslie Gray Streeter - Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief

Palm Beach Post entertainment columnist Leslie Gray Streeter navigates a new world after suddenly losing her young husband. In her sad yet laugh-out-loud funny and uplifting memoir of resiliency, she contemplates marriage, adoption, race, and death—proving there is no normal way to grieve. Writer, critic and Festival fan-favorite, Bethanne Patrick moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leslie Gray Streeter is an author, veteran journalist and speaker. whose memoir, Black Widow, was published in March 2020. For eighteen years, she was the longtime entertainment and lifestyle columnist and writer for the Palm Beach Post. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Bethanne Patrick is a writer and critic whose reviews and profiles appear frequently in the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, on NPR Books, and many others. Read more. 

 

 

Chloe Dulce Louvouezo - Life, I Swear: Intimate Stories From Black Women on Identity, Healing, and Self-Trust

This beautifully illustrated collection of essays, built on Chloe Dulce Louvouezo’s podcast, Life, I Swear, explores themes of mental health, identity and resilience, celebrating Black women and uplifting women everywhere. Jenifer Moore, Key School's Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, moderates. 

 

 

 

 

 

Chloe Dulce Louvouezo is a Congolese-American writer, mother and advocate for women whose work is driven by discourse on identity and healing. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Jenifer Moore is the director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Key School and has served children of the Washington, DC, area since 2003 as a teacher, tutor and school leader. Read more.

 

 

 

Join two masters of the thriller genre! While we seek out the adrenalin rush of impending disaster, it's good to know that all wrongs will be righted in the end. The Midnight Lock by bestselling author Jeffery Deaver, again features the ingenious investigative team of Amelia Sachs and Lincoln Rhyme. This fast paced thriller races against the clock to stop a sociopathic intruder who can break through any lock or security system ever devised. John Gilstrap’s Blue Fire takes place in the wake of a global conflict that has devastated America. Those who survive live in a world without technology or governance. They look to single mother and former West Virginia Congressperson Victoria Emerson to lead and protect those determined to rebuild all they have lost. Key School Humanities Department Head Bob McCarthy moderates.

 

Jeffery Deaver is the international number one bestselling author of 45 novels and 80 short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. Read more.

 

 

 

 

John Gilstrap is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of over two dozen thrillers. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Bob McCarthy has taught in Key School’s Upper School Humanities department, which he also chairs, for 20 years. Read more.

 

 

 

John Yeigh - The Youth Sports Game: The Challenges & Joys of Parenting Your Athlete

Join John Yeigh as he helps parents navigate the world of youth sports. Based on his experiences as a parent and coach, Mr. Yeigh’s book, Win the Youth Sports Game: How Ordinary Kids Can Thrive, highlights fifty-four adult-imposed obstacles that stand in the way of success. This discussion is a must for any sports parent who wants to help their athlete thrive. Key School athletic director Brian Boyd moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Yeigh is a sports dad, coach, outdoors enthusiast, and former financial business manager. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Brian Boyd is the athletic director at Key School and was recently named the 2022 MIAA Athletic Director of the Year. Read more.
 

 

 

William Stixrud - What Do You Say? A Parent's Guide to Build Motivation & Stress Tolerance in Children

William Stixrud (What Do You Say?: How to Talk with Kids to Build Motivation, Stress Tolerance, and a Happy Home) will share tools parents need to engage in respectful and effective dialogue with their children as well as a roadmap to handle thorny topics and family problem-solving. Lauren Cashion, child psychiatrist and mental health advocate, moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

William Stixrud is a clinical neuropsychologist and founder of the Stixrud Group, as well as a faculty member at Children’s National Medical Center and an assistant professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Read more.

 

 

Moderator: Lauren Cashion is a child psychiatrist, mental health advocate, and sixth generation Annapolitan. Read more.

Josh Mitchell - The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe

Acclaimed Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Mitchell will be discussing his book, which was named an NPR Best Book of 2021. The Debt Trap charts the seventy-year history of student loan debt and covers the scandals, predatory actors and government malpractice that led to the catastrophe of countless students becoming ensnared in this exploitative system. Greg Pearce, vice president and private client advisor with Sandy Spring Private Client Group, moderates.

 

 

 

 

Josh Mitchell writes for the Wall Street Journal. Based in Washington, DC, he has previously written for the Baltimore Sun and the Palm Beach Post. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Greg Pearce is a vice president and private client advisor with Sandy Spring Private Client Group. Read more.

 

 

 

Cultures of War, Poetry & Violence

Featuring: Sunu P. Chandy, Zein El-Amine, Sarah Marsh, Leeya Mehta, & Vivek Narayanan

Bringing together poets, academics and practitioners of human rights and activism, the panel will discuss how they have wrestled with conceptualizing and writing about the culture of war; a culture that influences peace time as well. 

Sunu P. Chandy is a poet lives in Washington, DC, and is the daughter of immigrants from Kerala, India. Read more.

 

 

 

Zein El-Amine is a Lebanese-born poet and writer. He has an MFA in poetry from the University of Maryland. Read more.

 

 

 

Sarah Marsh is appointed jointly in American University's Department of Literature and Department of Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies, where she teaches courses in eighteenth-century literature and culture. Read more.

 

 

 

Vivek Narayanan teaches in the MFA Creative Writing Program at George Mason University. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Leeya Mehta is a prize-winning poet, fiction writer and essayist. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robin Hemley & Xu Xi - A Different Narrative: The Art & Craft of Asian Stories

Authors Robin Hemley and Xu Xi will explore the diverse literary traditions of Asia, including the stories of Japan, China, India, Singapore and beyond as well as those from Asian diasporas in Europe and America. They will go beyond the stories of the western canon and introduce storytelling in ways many readers may never have encountered before. Matthew Davis, the founding director of the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center, moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Robin Hemley has published fifteen books of nonfiction and fiction. His awards include fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, and three Pushcart Prizes. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Xu Xi is Indonesian-Chinese from Hong Kong and author of fourteen books of fiction and nonfiction. Read more.

 

 

 

Moderator: Matthew Davis is the founding director of the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center. Read more.

Nadia Hashimi - Sparks Like Stars: A Story of America, Afghanistan, Tragedy, & Survival

International bestselling author Nadia Hashimi will be at the Festival to discuss her bold, illuminating, heartbreaking, yet hopeful novel, Sparks Like Stars. It is a story of home, of America and Afghanistan, tragedy and survival, reinvention and remembrance in which an Afghan American woman returns to Kabul to learn the truth about her family and the tragedy that destroyed their lives. Ernest Tucker, professor of Middle Eastern history at the Naval Academy, moderates.

 

 

 

 

Nadia Hashimi is a pediatrician turned internationally bestselling author. Her novels for adults and children are inspired by the people and history of Afghanistan and have been translated into sixteen languages. Read more.

 

 

 

Moderator: Ernest Tucker has been professor of Middle Eastern history at the US Naval Academy for the past three decades since he earned his PhD from the University of Chicago. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Lydia Kang & Constance Sayers - Historical Fiction with Magic & Unexpected Twists

Let these amazing historical fiction authors transport you to new worlds!  Lydia Kang's Opium and Absinthe reveals a world of mystery, the occult and intrigue in 1899 New York City. The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers is a magical story of a family's secrets and lost love spanning from Jazz Age Paris to modern-day America. Writer, critic and Festival fan-favorite, Bethanne Patrick moderates.

 

 

 

 

Lydia Kang is an author of young adult fiction, adult fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. She graduated from Columbia University and New York University School of Medicine. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Constance Sayers is the author of the best-selling novel, A Witch in Time as well as The Ladies of the Secret Circus, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Ms. Sayers was a finalist for Alternating Current’s 2016 Luminaire Award for Best Prose.  Read more.

 

 

Moderator: Bethanne Patrick is a writer and critic whose reviews and profiles appear frequently in the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, on NPR Books, and many others. Read more. 

 

 

 

Jenn Bouchard & Melissa Scholes Young - Sisterhood: Novels of Loss, Love, Purpose, & Second Chances

 

Dig into a sweet conversation with Jenn Bouchard (First Course) and Melissa Scholes Young (The Hive) about their wonderful novels. The themes cover loss, romance, sisterhood, family, and survival.  First Course was a finalist for the 2021 American Fiction Award for Women's Fiction and an honorable mention at the 2021 Paris Book Festival for General Fiction. The Hive won the 2021 Indie Best Contest and was a finalist for the American Book Fest's 2021 Best Book Award. Key humanities teacher Jane Zanger moderates.

 

 

 

 

Jenn Bouchard is an author whose short stories have appeared in the Bookends Review, Litbreak Magazine, the Penmen Review, and the Little Patuxent Review.  First Course is her debut novel. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Melissa Scholes Young is the author of the novels The Hive and Flood and editor of Grace in Darkness and Furious Gravity, two anthologies by women writers.  Read more.

 

 

 

Moderator: Jane Zanger has over 30 years of experience working as a teacher and administrator in independent schools in the Mid-Atlantic and New England states.  Read more.

 

 

 

Dan Fesperman - The Cover Wife: A Gripping Tale of Terrorism, Espionage, Love, & Secrets

Meet award-winning author Dan Fesperman and spend an entertaining hour diving into his newest book The Cover Wife. It's a gripping tale that the New Times Book Review calls "a sharp, smart novel that hits fast and hard, its reverberation echoing after the last page is turned."  CIA agent Claire Saylor goes undercover in Hamburg as the wife of a professor who has written a controversial interpretation of the Koran's promise to martyrs. Love, radical groups and maverick agents entwine as the danger grows. Thriller writer Doug Norton moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Dan Fesperman enjoys writing about dangerous and unseemly people and places, a habit he formed as a foreign correspondent for the Baltimore Sun. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Doug Norton writes international thrillers, drawing on twenty-six years of seagoing and diplomatic service in the navy, from Vietnam to Desert Storm. Read more.

 

 

 

Jay Fleming - Island Life: The Beauty and Perils of a Life Dependent on the Chesapeake Bay

Join photographer Jay Fleming as he discusses his absolutely gorgeous book Island Life which focuses on Smith and Tangier Islands—the Chesapeake Bay's last inhabited 'water-locked' islands. He has made countless trips to the islands to document the unique way of life and environment that have been shaped by isolation and the waters of the Chesapeake. This body of work comes at an important time for the islands, as their populations continue to decline and the unrelenting forces of the Bay threaten the working waterfronts that have sustained the communities for centuries. Outdoor columnist and riverkeeper Jefferson Holland moderates.

 

 

 

 

Jay Fleming is an Annapolis-based professional photographer and writer whose work documents the complex interactions between humans and the environment. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Jefferson Holland is a modern-day Chesapeake troubadour: singer, songwriter, poet, story-teller, performing all original material inspired by decades of life on the Bay. Read more.

 

Nilah Magruder - Wutaryoo

Wutaryoo, the newest picture book by author and illustrator Nilah Magruder, confronts the topic of identity in an age-appropriate way. Not knowing who she is or from where she came, the creature known as Wutaryoo sets off on an adventure to discover her origin story only to find out that she has the power to create her own story and define who she is. Ms. Magruder has also written for Marvel Comics, illustrated children’s books for Disney-Hyperion, Scholastic and Penguin, and worked as a writer and storyboard artist in television animation. Grades: PS-3.

 

Nilah Magruder is an author who has also written for Marvel Comics, illustrated children’s books for Disney-Hyperion, Scholastic and Penguin, and worked as a writer and storyboard artist in television animation. Read more.

 

Ellen Oh - Finding Junie Kim

When Junie Kim, title character in Ellen Oh's latest middle-grade book, Finding Junie Kim, is faced with bullying and middle school racism, she refuses to join her friends in speaking up and slips into a cloud of depression. When a school project has Junie interviewing her grandparents about their experiences as children during the Korean War, she comes to admire their strength in overcoming impossible odds and in doing so finds her own strength to fight racism at school. Drawing on her mother's real-life experiences during the Korean War, We Need Diverse Books co-founder Ellen Oh weaves together history, racism and mental health in this timely and important story. Grades 3-7.

 

 

 

 

Ellen Oh is an award-winning author of middle grade and young adult (YA) books such as Finding Junie Kim, The Dragon Egg Princess, The Spirit Hunters series (Books 1 and 2), and the Prophecy trilogy (Prophecy, Warrior, and King). She is the co-founder of We Need Diverse Books (WNDB). Read more.

 

Kate Albus - A Place to Hang the Moon

Kate Albus's debut book, A Place to Hang the Moon, follows three young orphaned siblings who flee London to the countryside during World War II in search of their forever family. Despite the various hardships they encounter, the children never lose hope or their love for one another. This sweet and heartwarming read-aloud story for all ages will stay with you and leave you longing for more. Grades 4-7.

 

 

 

 

Kate Albus writes historical fiction for young people. She grew up in New York and now lives with her family in rural Maryland. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah Howard - Plenty: A Memoir of Motherhood, Friendship & Women in the World of Food

Hannah Howard went searching for fellow food people, aka women who had carved out a place for themselves in the male-dominated world of food. Hear how she traveled around the world meeting female chefs, cheesemakers, culinary instructors, and others, learning how the global network of food professionals really works. Author and food director at Real Simple Jenna Helwig moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah Howard is a writer and food person based in New York City and Frenchtown, NJ.  Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Nancy Donnelly is a documentary producer for National Geographic, and a mom who loves concocting delicious meals for her family and friends.

 

Dotty Holcomb Doherty & Marisa Zeppieri - Living & Thriving When There Is No Cure

Overcoming disease and spiritual questioning, authors Dotty Holcomb Doherty (Buoyant: What Held Us Up When Our Bodies Let Us Down) and Marisa Zeppieri (Chronically Fabulous: Finding Wholeness and Hope Living with Chronic Illness) offer books of heroism and healing. Through food, nature, herbs, and love, they have found ways to move forward and live life to its fullest. Psychotherapist Jessie Rhines moderates.

 

 

 

Dotty Holcomb Doherty is a writer, birder, wildlife photographer, and outdoorswoman who lived in Annapolis for 22 years but now resides in New Hampshire. Read more.

 

 

 

Marisa Zeppieri is a former journalist, speaker and author of the memoir/cookbook hybrid Chronically Fabulous. She is also the founder of the nonprofit, LupusChick. Read more.

 

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Jessie Rhines is a somatic psychotherapist who is passionate about infusing western psychology with body awareness and breath work. Read more.

Jeffrey Greene - Masters of Tonewood: The Story Behind the Finest Stringed Instruments Ever Made

Join Jeffrey Greene, the author of Masters of Tonewood: The Hidden Art of Fine Stringed-Instrument Making, as he takes us through the forests of Italy, France, Switzerland, Romania, and Poland to introduce us to the "hidden life" of stringed instruments. Beginning with the unique wood, expertly chosen and cured for decades, we learn how master craftsmen create the world's most legendary instruments, which are prized for their incredible sound and as works of art in and of themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

Jeffrey Greene is the author of five collections of poetry, a memoir, four personalized nature books, and a book of mixed-genre writing.  Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: J. Ernest Green, artistic director of Live Arts Maryland, moderates.Read more.

 

Ivan Leshinsky - Brooklyn, Basketball & Baltimore: Life-Lessons Through Sports

Begun as a book written for family members, this memoir, titled Teaming Up: A Memoir About Sports, Work, Travel, Family, and Neighbors, tells the story of a life filled with sports, work, travel, and family. Author Ivan Leshinsky starts with the revelation of how his grandparents escaped the pogroms of Russia to carve out a life in America and goes on to chronicle his childhood memories, basketball career and work as a waiter, cab driver, professional basketball player, teacher, and executive director of the Chesapeake Center for Youth Development in Baltimore. His son, Eric Leshinsky, moderates.

 

 

 

 

 

Ivan Leshinsky grew up in Brooklyn and was exposed to experiences that broadened his horizons and exposed him to opportunities he never even dreamed of. Read more.

 

 

 

 

Moderator: Eric Leshinsky is a native Annapolitan who recently returned to the city after 25 years of self-imposed exile. Read more.