Festival Panels 2025
- Katharine Hall
- Barn Commons
- Science & Library Center (Library)
- Science & Library Center (Rm 101-102)
- Farmhouse
- Amphitheater
Katharine Hall
Find the authors in Katharine Hall: Marie Arana • Keith Boykin • Christopher Cox • Melissa Deckman • Nikole Hannah-Jones • Zeke Hernandez • Eoin Higgins • Simon Shuster • Juan Williams • Jim Zervanos
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Marie Arana & Zeke Hernandez - Breaking Myths: The Diversity and Economic Impact of Immigration in America
With immigration policy so much in the news, join Marie Arana and Zeke Hernandez as they discuss the many facets of this front-and-center issue. In LatinoLand, columnist and literary director of the Library of Congress Marie Arana explores the rich diversity of Hispanic America, debunking stereotypes and celebrating a fast-growing community shaping the nation’s future. Wharton professor Zeke Hernandez dismantles myths with 20 years of research, proving that immigrants fuel jobs, innovation and economic growth, in The Truth About Immigration.
Marie Arana was born in Lima, Peru. She is the author of the memoir American Chica, a finalist for the National Book Award; two novels, Cellophane and Lima Nights; the prizewinning biography Bolivar: Silver, Sword, and Stone, a narrative history of Latin America; The Writing Life, a collection from her well-known column for the Washington Post; and LatinoLand. Ms. Arana is the inaugural literary director of the Library of Congress and lives in Washington, DC, and Lima. Latinoland was named one of the "50 notable works of nonfiction from 2024" by the Washington Post. Photo Credit - Frank Schramm - Website
Zeke Hernandez is the Max and Bernice Garchik Family Presidential Associate Professor at the Wharton School. His pioneering research linking immigration to investment and economic growth has won multiple prizes, including an unprecedented three emerging scholar awards from the top academic associations in his field. Dr. Hernandez is one of the highest-rated teachers at Wharton, one of Poets & Quants world's best 40 under 40 business professors, and one of the youngest recipients of a presidential professorship at the University of Pennsylvania. He loves his family, soccer and meeting people from all over the world. Photo Credit - Tommy Leonardi - Website • @profzeke (all platforms)
Moderator: John Beed is the chief partnership officer for LifeRamp, a global digital coaching and talent development company providing transformational leadership and career coaching for thousands of young and diverse professionals. A former U.S. diplomat who led innovative international development and global health programs in ten countries on five continents, Mr. Beed served as a three-time USAID mission director (India, Guatemala, Paraguay), and as the senior U.S. development counselor in Japan. He is a former faculty member of the National Defense University, and Congressional staff member. He is a Tulane University graduate and lives in Annapolis with his wife Christine. Linkedin
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Melissa Deckman & Jim Zervanos - Gen Z Rising: A Generation of Hope, Resilience and Influence
Gen Z is the most diverse generation in American history, with a strong emphasis on individuality and self-expression as well as a dedication to social and political issues. In The Politics of Gen Z, Melissa Deckman, chief executive officer of the Public Religion Research Institute, examines how young activists—especially women and LGBTQ+ youth—are driving progressive change, from reproductive rights to climate action. High school teacher Jim Zervanos captures a year in the lives of Gen Z students in Your Story Starts Here, which chronicles their struggles and resilience and offers an intimate look at a generation navigating uncertainty—and inspiring hope.
Melissa Deckman is the chief executive officer of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Prior to her appointment as PRRI’s CEO, Dr. Deckman was the Louis L. Goldstein Professor of Public Affairs and political science professor at Washington College. She is the author or co-author of seven books and two dozen peer-reviewed scholarly articles, including Tea Party Women (2016: NYU Press), which examines the role of women in conservative politics. Her first book, School Board Battles: The Christian Right in Local Politics, won the American Political Science Association’s Hu Morken Award for best book on religion and politics. Along with Julie Dolan and Michele Swers, Dr. Deckman is also the author of Women and Politics, a top-selling textbook on gender politics in the United States, now in its updated fifth edition. Her latest book is The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy. Website • @melissadeckman (Bluesky)
Jim Zervanos is the author of two memoirs, That Time I Got Cancer: A Love Story and Your Story Starts Here: A Year on the Brink with Generation Z, and two novels, LOVE Park and American Gyro (2025). He is a graduate of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College and Bucknell University, where he was an Academic All-American baseball player. He teaches at a high school in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he lives with his wife and two sons and has risen in the baseball pantheon as coach of two Little League teams.Your Story Starts Here: A Year on the Brink with Generation Z won Indies Today Best Memoir of 2024 while "The Zeitgeist" chapter is nominated for a prestigious Pushcart Prize. Photo Credit - Dave Berk - Website
Moderator: Maryland State Delegate Dana Jones.
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Eoin Higgins - Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left
Owned by writer and historian Eoin Higgins exposes the growing collusion between billionaire investors and right-wing media, revealing how figures like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen use journalism to silence critics and push their agendas. Many, once-independent voices now serve this alliance, exploiting journalism’s decline to undermine a free press. A chilling exposé of money, power and media manipulation, Owned tracks the rise of a billionaire-driven media takeover and its threat to democracy.
Eoin Higgins is a writer and historian based in New England. His work covers tech, politics and the intersection of both worlds.Photo Credit: Molly Haley - X • Bluesky • Linkedin • Facebook
Moderator: Nicol Turner Lee is a senior fellow in governance studies, the director of the Center for Technology Innovation and co-editor of the TechTank blog and podcast at the Brookings Institution, which is a global think tank headquartered in Washington, DC. Doctor Turner Lee is the author of the book, Digitally Invisible: How the Internet is Creating the New Underclass (Brookings Press, 2024), and has appeared throughout various news media, testified before Congress and international global governance bodies, and written extensively on tech and telecom issues. @drturnerlee (X); www.linkedin.com/in/drnicolturnerlee LinkedIn
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Juan Williams - New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of Ameria's Second Civil Rights Movement
Barack Obama’s election marked a civil rights milestone, but hopes for a post-racial America faded amid fierce opposition and a rising right-wing backlash. In New Prize for These Eyes, prize winning journalist and historian, Juan Williams, explores this new civil rights movement—its leaders, challenges and the forces driving it forward. Tracing events from Obama to Charlottesville to January 6, he examines how today’s activists, fueled by social media and demographic shifts, are reshaping the fight for racial justice. More than history, this book is a call to action for those committed to America’s future.
Juan Williams is a prizewinning journalist and historian. He is the author of the bestselling civil rights history Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954–1965, which accompanied the PBS series of the same name. He also wrote the landmark biography of the first African American on the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary, as well as the New York Times bestsellers Enough and Muzzled: The Assault on Honest Debate. Mr. Williams worked for the Washington Post as a celebrated national political correspondent, White House correspondent, and editorial writer. His NPR talk show took ratings to a new high. He has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New Yorker, the Atlantic, and Ebony. He is currently senior political analyst for Fox News Channel and a columnist for the Hill. Photo Credit - Frank Graves - @TheJuanWilliams
Moderator: Darryl Barnes is a former Maryland delegate. He is a dedicated leader and businessman who served as chief deputy majority whip in 2023 and chairman of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus for three consecutive terms. He championed equity and inclusion for minority businesses, leading efforts in sports betting, cannabis and HBCU funding. Mr. Barnes is the founder of Men Aiming Higher, a nonprofit supporting at-risk youth, and launched Quora Alkaline Water and Barnes International, Ltd. He is a U.S. Navy and Army veteran and a proud family man.
2:00-3:00 p.m.
Simon Shuster - The Showman: Inside the Invasion That Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky
In this very timely discussion, Time correspondent Simon Shuster traces Volodymyr Zelensky’s transformation from comedian to wartime leader. Based on four years of reporting, the book details Zelensky’s life in a nuclear bunker during the invasion and his emergence to lead Ukraine to key victories. With a clear-eyed view of his early failures and leadership challenges, The Showman provides vital insight into his strategy, vision and efforts to counter Russia while maintaining Western support. Simon Shuster has reported from Russia and Ukraine for seventeen years, primarily as a staff writer for Time Magazine and during the 2022 invasion, spent months embedded with Zelensky’s team, securing unprecedented access to their Kyiv compound.
Simon Shuster has reported from Russia and Ukraine for seventeen years, most of that time as a staff writer for Time Magazine. His coverage of the war began in 2014, when he was the first foreign journalist to arrive in Crimea as Russian troops took over the peninsula. In 2019, he met and interviewed Volodymyr Zelensky for a profile of his presidential campaign, then continued covering his administration in the years that followed, first traveling to the war zone with the president in April 2021, as the Russians gathered their armies at the border. When the full-scale invasion began the following year, Mr. Shuster spent months embedded with the president’s team, securing unparalleled access to their compound in Kyiv, where he wrote The Showman, his first book. Photo Credit: Debora Mittelstaedt - Website
Moderator: Stephen Wrage is a professor at the Naval Academy. He earned his B.A. in classics at Amherst College and taught at Athens College in Greece and St. Albans School in Washington. He worked at the Brookings Institution and served assistant dean of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Dr. Wrage was a Pew Faculty Fellow at Harvard, a Fulbright scholar at the National University of Singapore and a visiting scholar at Oxford University. He has written for the Washington Post, the LA Times, the Asian Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic.
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Christopher Cox - Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn
Senior scholar in residence at the University of California, Irvine and former chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Christopher Cox, explores the enduring influence of Woodrow Wilson. Mr. Cox balances Wilson’s international achievements—including the Nobel Peace Prize and the founding of the League of Nations—with his opposition to racial equality and women’s suffrage. As the first southern Democrat in the White House since the Civil War, Wilson’s presidency saw federal segregation and brutal repression of suffragists. Only late in his second term did he shift on the 19th Amendment, yet still sought to protect Jim Crow restrictions. This fascinating history provides an intimate look at a critical moment in American democracy.
Christopher Cox is a senior scholar in residence at the University of California, Irvine, a life trustee of the University of Southern California, chair of the Rhodes Scholarship selection committee for Southern California and the Pacific, and a member of several nonprofit and for-profit boards. Between two decades as a practicing lawyer, he served as chair of the Homeland Security Committee in the US House of Representatives, chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, and senior associate counsel to the president. He has written for Fortune, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Forbes, the Detroit News, the Denver Post, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and dozens of other publications. Visit LightWithdrawn.com for more information. Photo Credit - Christopher Cox - @SimonBooks (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok)
Moderator: Brian Boyd, Key School Humanities teacher.
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Keith Boykin & Nikole Hannah-Jones - History, Race and the Truth: Examining America’s Story
Join an increasingly important discussion about race in America. In Why Does Everything Have to Be About Race?, TV and film producer, national political commentator, and former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, Keith Boykin debunks 25 of the most common claims used to refute America’s racist past and present. Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project and a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine will be talking about her book as well as the six-part 1619 Project docuseries which won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
Keith Boykin is an American TV and film producer, national political commentator, author, and former White House aide to President Bill Clinton. His most recent book is Why Does Everything Have to Be About Race.
Nikole Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project and a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine. The book version of The 1619 Project as well as the 1619 Project children's book, Born on the Water, were instant #1 New York Times bestsellers. Her 1619 Project is now a six-part docuseries on Hulu and won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Ms. Hannah-Jones has spent her career investigating racial inequality and injustice, and her reporting has earned her the MacArthur Fellowship, known as the Genius grant, a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards, and the National Magazine Award three times. Photo Credit - Regina Fleming - @nikolehannahjones (Instagram)
Moderator: Candace Dodson-Reed is a chief of staff and strategic leader who brings over twenty-five years of cross-sector experience—spanning government, corporate, nonprofit, and higher education—with a focus on driving inclusive leadership, organizational strategy and impactful community engagement. Her professional, political, philanthropic, and creative efforts are deeply connected—each rooted in a belief that real change happens at the intersection of strategy, service and storytelling.Outside of work, Ms. Dodson-Reed explores the world through photography and art, capturing the beauty and diversity of both built and natural environments.
Barn Commons
Find the authors in the Barn Commons: Atossa Araxia Abrahamian • Anna Bright • Craig Kofi Farmer • Jimin Han • Brigid Kemmerer • Anne Kim • Vanda Krefft • John W. Miller • Maurice Carlos Ruffin • David K. Shipler • Maxell L. Stearns • Grace L. Williams
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Anna Bright & Brigid Kemmerer - Romantasy Realms: Weaving Tales of Love and Magic
Romantasy is having a well-earned moment. Join up-and-coming writer Anna Bright (The Hedgewitch of Foxhall) and bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer (Carving Shadows into Gold & Forging Silver into Stars) as they discuss the romance, magic, darkness, and fantasy worlds of the fast-growing genre of romantasy.
Anna Bright is the author of Young Adult novels The Beholder, The Boundless, The Song That Moves the Sun, and The Hedgewitch of Foxhall. When not writing, she loves concerts, roller coasters and adventures at home and abroad. Ms. Bright lives with her family in a charming corner of Washington, DC. Website • @brightlyanna (Instagram)
Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen dark and alluring novels like Defy the Night, A Curse So Dark and Lonely, and Letters to the Lost. Her stories always feature complex characters facing the challenges of life, both in realistic settings and rich fantasy worlds, making her a beloved author among young adult readers. A full-time writer, Ms. Kemmerer lives in the Baltimore area with her husband, her boys and her dog and cats. When she’s not writing or being a mommy, you can usually find her with her hands wrapped around a barbell. Website • @ BrigidKemmerer (Instagram, TikTok)
Moderator: Maggie Nespole, currently based out of Portland, ME, is a graduate of Bates College where she double majored in English and politics with a minor in theater. During her time in undergrad, she completed a semester-long research thesis examining the role of the heroine in modern fantasy literature. Ms. Nespole works for UNUM Insurance and is returning to school to pursue a juris doctor degree. She is a Key School Class of 2019 alum. maggie_nespole (Instagram)
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
David K. Shipler - The Interpreter
Join David K. Shipler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former New York Times correspondent in Saigon, Moscow, Jerusalem, and Washington, as he discusses his novel The Interpreter. Based on the true story of a Vietnamese translator who struggles to find his place within the neat categories of allegiance imposed by Vietnam’s lifetime of warfare and foreign occupation. As he realizes he fits into none of the available boxes—not Communist, not Government, not pro-American—he tries to interpret Vietnam through an evolving comradeship with an American correspondent. Betrayals and secrets ensue within the whirlwind of panic as Saigon falls.
David K. Shipler is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of nine books and a former New York Times correspondent in Saigon, Moscow, Jerusalem, and Washington. He was executive producer, writer and narrator of two PBS documentaries on the Arab-Israeli conflict. He has taught at Princeton, Dartmouth, American University, and the University of Southern California. His book of poetry, The Wind is Invisible, was published in 2023. His latest book, The Interpreter, is a novel set at the end of the Vietnam War, fifty years ago. He writes online at the Shipler Report and co-hosts a podcast, “Two Reporters.” Photo Credit: Michael Shipler - Blog
Moderator: Robert McCarthy, Key School Humanities teacher.
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Vanda Krefft & Grace L. Williams - Expecting More: Breaking Barriers in a Man’s World
Join this galvanizing discussion of women taking charge and taking what they deem as their just due. Author Vanda Krefft in Expect Great Things!: How the Katharine Gibbs School Revolutionized the American Workplace for Women writes of how the school instilled the self-confidence and strategic know-how necessary for them to claim equality, power, and authority in the wider world. Financial reporter Grace L. Williams’s book Give Her Credit: The Untold Account of a Women's Bank That Empowered a Generation tells the true story of a group of women in the 1970s male-run world of business, banking and finance who changed the rules and made history.
Vanda Krefft has written about women’s issues and popular culture for leading national magazines, including Elle, Redbook, Woman’s Day, and Woman’s World, as well as newspapers worldwide through syndication. She is the author of The Man Who Made the Movies, the first in-depth biography of Twentieth Century Fox founder William Fox. She has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in communication, both from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Website
Grace L. Williams is a scholar of feminism and economics who moonlights as a financial reporter and podcast co-host. Whether it's shares of a company or this season's must-have, she is passionate about what we’re buying, why we’re buying it, and how it contributes to many a bottom line. Ms. Williams is an alum of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where ironically she wrote a thesis on “Freeganism,” which is the magical art of surviving while buying nothing. Her writing has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Harvard Business Review, Yahoo Finance, Stephens, Financial Advisor IQ, and RIA Intel, among many others. @theshescribe (All platforms)
Moderator: Dana Cooksey is a partner at Brown Advisory and serves as the firm's director of corporate communications. She is responsible for creating content and experiences that convey the firm's client-first foundation, cultural DNA and dedication to thoughtful investing—including the firm's flagship Navigating Our World conferences, which explore the issues that we face as investors and as a society. In the community, Ms. Cooksey serves on the board of Rise and Shine Bakery. Most importantly, she is the proud mom of two daughters who are both Key School lifers.
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Atossa Araxia Abrahamian & Anne Kim - How the Rich Get Richer: Forces Behind Economic Inequality
Join Atossa Araxia Abrahamian and Anne Kim for a compelling discussion on the systems and policies that perpetuate wealth disparities. Journalist Atossa Araxia Abrahamian’s The Hidden Globe reveals a hidden world beyond national borders—thousands of extraterritorial zones designed to serve the wealthiest individuals and corporations. The Hidden Globe was named a top ten book of 2024 by the Washington Post. Poverty for Profit by public policy expert Anne Kim exposes how a vast network of private industries thrives on the bureaucracies meant to aid low-income Americans.
Atossa Araxia Abrahamian is a journalist and author living in Brooklyn. She is the author of The Cosmopolites: The Coming of the Global Citizen and The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World, named one of the Washington Post's top 10 books of 2024. She has worked as an editor at The Nation, an opinion editor at Al Jazeera America, and a reporter for Reuters. Website • @atossaaraxia (X and Instagram)
Anne Kim is a writer, lawyer and public policy expert who writes about social and economic policy, poverty and education. She is also a contributing editor at Washington Monthly, and her work has appeared in numerous national publications, including Governing, the Atlantic and the Washington Post. Ms. Kim is the author of Abandoned: America’s Lost Youth and the Crisis of Disconnection, winner of the 2020 Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice. Website • @anne-s-kim.bsky.social (bluesky) • LinkedIn
Moderator: Julius Clark is a vice president of market risk at Morgan Stanley. His area of specialization is private equity. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, he was a principal portfolio manager at the World Bank. Mr. Clark earned a B.A. in economics from Howard University and a M.A. in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins University. He has been married to Cynthia Clark for twenty-seven years and they have three children who are Key School students. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees at the Key School.
2:00-3:00 p.m.
John W. Miller - The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball
John W. Miller, writer, baseball coach and co-director of the PBS documentary Moundsville tells the fascinating tale of Earl Weaver, the irascible, legendary manager of the Baltimore Orioles. This is the first major biography of Weaver, who reigned over baseball as one of the sport’s greatest minds, collecting and analyzing data in visionary and ground-breaking ways.
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John W. Miller is a writer and baseball coach from Brussels, and author of the New York Times bestseller The Last Manager, and co-director of the PBS documentary Moundsville. He was a global correspondent for the Wall Street Journal for thirteen years, and his work has also appeared in TIME, NPR, the Baltimore Sun, and the Washington Post. He is a contributing writer for America Magazine and chief economic analyst for Trade Data Monitor, and lives in Pittsburgh, where he is head baseball coach at Allderdice High School. Website
Moderator: Gary Gallant is a lifelong Philadelphia Phillies fan and baseball expert who worked for the team in 1986 and later served as a lobbyist for the MLB Players Association, advising during the performance-enhancing drug investigation. He coached youth recreation and travel baseball teams for over fifteen years and, since 2018, has been the head coach of Key School’s varsity baseball program, a competitive high school team that won conference championships in 2022 and 2023.
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Maxwell L. Stearns - Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy
Maxwell L. Stearns teaches constitutional law and economic analysis of law at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. In Parliamentary America, Professor Stearns argues that the United States’ eighteenth-century political system is ill-equipped for the challenges of the twenty-first century. The rise of information-age technology and gerrymandering has turned democracy upside down, undermining our ability to address common problems. He suggests that a parliamentary democracy is the solution to this crisis.
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Maxwell L. Stearns teaches constitutional law and economic analysis of law at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law. He is an interdisciplinary scholar who applies social choice theory and game theory to study institutional decision making, including the Supreme Court. In Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy (JHU Press 2024), Professor Stearns explains the crisis of democracy we are facing in the United States, and he offers a bold yet achievable solution. He has presented his work before dozens of audiences across the United States. His many publications appear in leading academic journals. @maxwell-stearns.bsky.social (Bluesky) • @Maxwell_Stearns (X) • Blog
Moderator: Judge Danielle M. Mosley
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Craig Kofi Farmer,Jimin Han & Maurice Carlos Ruffin - Windows & Mirrors: The Power of Representation in Literature
Books have the power to be both windows—offering glimpses into experiences different from our own—and mirrors—reflecting our identities, cultures and lived realities. In this thought-provoking discussion, authors Jimin Han, Craig Kofi Farmer and Maurice Carlos Ruffin explore how literature shapes our understanding of the world, fosters empathy and affirms identity. They will discuss why diverse stories matter and how they create a more just and connected literary landscape.
Craig Kofi Farmer is a Prince George's County native, with two bachelor of science degrees from Towson University and one master of education degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. He works in higher education administration, helping students achieve work-life balance and self-actualization. When Mr. Farmer isn’t writing, he's analyzing superhero movies, watching psychological thrillers, and deciding exactly what he's going to eat that day. @State_Farmm (X) • @craigkofifarmer (Instagram) • @craigkofifarmer (TikTok)
Jimin Han is the author of The Apology, a Barnes and Noble Discover Pick; named a best audiobook of the year by Booklist, a best book of the summer by the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, Shondaland, Apple Books, and more. She is also the author of A Small Revolution. Ms. Han teaches at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College and community writing centers. Born in Seoul, she grew up in Providence, RI, Dayton, OH, and Jamestown, NY. Photo Credit - Christine Petrella - Website • @jiminhanwriter (instagram & TikTok)
Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of the national bestseller, The American Daughters, as well as The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You, a One Book One New Orleans selection, which was longlisted for the Story Prize. His debut, We Cast a Shadow, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the PEN America Open Book Prize. All three books were New York Times Editor’s Choice selections. Mr. Ruffin is the winner of the Iowa Review Award in fiction and the Louisiana Writer Award. He is an associate professor of creative writing at Louisiana State University. Website • @mauriceruffin
Moderator: Vanessa Gutierrez is the director of DEIB at Key School in Annapolis, MD. With a passion for justice, her goal is to inspire her community to collectively dream about what is possible of an equitable and inclusive school in which each member feels a deep sense of belonging. She has worked in education since 2002, transforming places and spaces into better versions of themselves. Known for her free spirit and humor, Ms. Gutierrez is dedicated to change while not taking herself too seriously.
Moderator: Laurel Lennon is passionate about the importance of reading and access to information, developing curriculum and sharing ideas about learning. Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to ensuring equity in education. Engaged in DEIB work, Ms. Lennon strives to create inclusive learning environments that support critical thinking. Connecting with students, colleagues and families is central to her approach, as she believes collaboration leads to the best practices in education. When she’s not working, she cherishes time with her family and continuously seeks ways to grow and inspire others in the pursuit of meaningful learning experiences.
Science & Library Center (Library)
Find the authors in the Science & Library Center (Library): Ryan Hampton • Diane Kiesel • Heath Hardage Lee • Susan Page • Patricia Roos • Maurice Carlos Ruffin • Michele Weldon • Debra Whitman
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Susan Page - The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters
Barbara Walters was a trailblazer from network TV’s rise in the 1960s to its decline in the streaming era. She didn’t just break barriers for women—she redefined the television interview and dominated the genre. In The Rulebreaker, Susan Page draws from 150 interviews and extensive research to reveal Walters’s relentless drive. Fueled by fear of instability, Walters demanded what no woman had before, defied misogynistic norms, outcompeted fierce rivals, and fiercely guarded her private life. Susan Page is the Washington Bureau chief of USA TODAY and an award-winning reporter and best-selling author.
Susan Page, the Washington Bureau chief of USA TODAY, is an award-winning reporter and best-selling author. Her latest book is The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters. Previous biographies include Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power and The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty. Ms. Page has covered twelve presidential elections and eight administrations, and she has interviewed the past ten presidents. She has won every journalism award given specifically for White House coverage and served as president of the White House Correspondents Association. In 2020, she moderated the vice-presidential debate between Mike Pence and Kamala Harris (the one with the fly). Photo Credit - Hannah Gaber - @susanpage (X)
Moderator: Page Ellerson is a NYC-based producer and filmmaker. She currently works at Wavelength Productions, in development and production across their non-scripted, scripted and branded divisions. Her latest Wavelength project is The Tides That Bind, a docuseries following the University of Alabama’s football team. Previously she spent nearly six years at CNN, where she honed her storytelling and production skills on a variety of digital shows. Post-CNN, she produced the Snapchat Original docuseries Run for Office. Projects she's worked on have earned recognition from the Emmys, Webbys and James Beard Foundation. Ms. Ellerson is a Boston University graduate and a member of Key School’s Class of 2013. @pageellerson • Website
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Diane Kiesel - When Charlie Met Joan: The Tragedy of the Chaplin Trials and the Failings of American Law
Charlie Chaplin’s beloved “Little Tramp” persona was overshadowed by scandal when he faced a sensational 1944 trial involving his former mistress, Joan Barry. Though he won the federal case, he lost a paternity suit despite evidence proving he wasn’t the father. A decade later, Cold War tensions led the U.S. to exile Chaplin, using the Barry trials as a pretext. When Charlie Met Joan revisits these cases, exploring their impact on law, celebrity power, Cold War politics, and Chaplin’s controversial personal life.
Diane Kiesel retired recently as a judge of the New York Supreme Court, criminal term, after nearly 25 years. Before law school she worked as a journalist in Washington, DC, covering Congress, the Supreme Court and various government agencies for a California newspaper chain. She was awarded the Worth Bingham Prize for distinguished investigative reporting for an article in the New Republic about legislators misusing campaign funds. Her first biography, She Can Bring Us Home: Dr. Dorothy Boulding Ferebee, Civil Rights Pioneer, was published in 2015. She is also the author of a law school textbook, Domestic Violence: Law, Policy, and Practice. Website
Moderator: Lynne Battaglia is a senior judge of the Supreme Court of Maryland, having retired from active service in 2016. She now serves as a judge on all levels of the Maryland judiciary. In 2019 she also received her MS from Johns Hopkins in clinical mental health and now serves as a licensed counselor with the Pro Bono Counseling Project.
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Maurice Carlos Ruffin - The American Daughters
Join Maurice Carlos Ruffin for a lively discussion about his novel that introduces us to Ady, a sharp-witted girl enslaved in New Orleans, who is devastated when separated from her fierce mother, Sanite. She later joins a clandestine society of spies called the Daughters. The New York Times says, “In telling this important, neglected history with imagination-fueled research, The American Daughters offers an inspiring story of people who show a way forward with their perseverance, bravery and love.”
Maurice Carlos Ruffin is the author of the national bestseller, The American Daughters, as well as The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You, a One Book One New Orleans selection, which was longlisted for the Story Prize. His debut, We Cast a Shadow, was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the PEN America Open Book Prize. All three books were New York Times Editor’s Choice selections. Mr. Ruffin is the winner of the Iowa Review Award in fiction and the Louisiana Writer Award. He is an associate professor of creative writing at Louisiana State University. Website • @mauriceruffin
Moderator: Bethanne Patrick, author of the memoir Life B, is a writer and critic. A Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellow, she serves on the board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. Ms. Patrick is currently working on a novel. She lives in Northern Virginia with her family and far too many books. Photo Credit - Michelle Lindsay Photography - @TheBookMaven (X) • @The_BookMaven (Instagram)
1:00 -2:00 p.m.
Michele Weldon - The Time We Have: Essays on Pandemic Living
In a time of collective and personal grief, award-winning author Michele Weldon explores the upheaval of the COVID pandemic era through love, connection and resilience. In this essay collection, she navigates joy, despair and triumph with empathy, humor and wisdom, weaving personal narratives with history, media and culture. Weldon examines themes of safety, remote relationships, feminism, and truth, offering readers a cathartic and insightful path toward understanding and peace in a changed world. Weldon is an award-winning author, journalist, TEDx speaker, and emerita faculty at Northwestern University.
Michele Weldon is an award-winning author, journalist, TEDx speaker, and emerita faculty at Northwestern University where she taught for eighteen years. Her books include her latest, The Time We Have: Essays on Pandemic Living (2024), I Closed My Eyes (1999); Writing To Save Your Life (2001); Everyman News (2008); Just Me and My Three Sons (2012); Escape Points (2015), and Act Like You’re Having A Good Time (2020), winner of the 2021 IPPY Award. Ms. Weldon has chapters in seven anthologies. A senior leader with the OpEd Project, her work has appeared in the New York Times, CNN, Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek, Guardian, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and more.
Moderator: Lisa Lunt is a twenty-year federal public defender. During the pandemic,she developed a passion for supporting the defender community in reimagining a sustainable future—one that prioritizes individual and collective well-being to best serve clients. In 2023, she co-founded and now co-directs the Federal Defender Leadership Center, which provides inclusive, integrated and inspiring leadership education and support for federal public defender leaders. A certified life & engagement coach, Ms. Lunt empowers clients, colleagues and communities in both executive and personal capacities. She’s also a mom (to kids and dogs), partner, friend, paddleboarder, cold-water dipper, traveler, avid reader, and vegan cook.
2:00-3:00 p.m.
Ryan Hampton & Patricia Roos - When Policy Fails: The Toll of the Overdose Epidemic
This policy discussion will cover how the U.S. deals with the overdose epidemic from the country-wide level to the family level. In Surviving Alex: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction, Patricia Roos, professor emerita of sociology at Rutgers University, explores how a punitive system failed her son and calls for a community of action that would improve care for substance users and reduce addiction, realigning public health policy to address the overdose crisis. Recovery advocate Ryan Hampton, in Fentanyl Nation, argues that instead of more police, more incarceration and harsher penalties for those caught in the addiction cycle, the U.S. should invest in education, harm reduction and effective treatment.
Ryan Hampton is a national addiction recovery advocate, author, media commentator, and person in long-term recovery. He has worked with multiple non-profits nationwide to end overdose and served in leadership capacities for various community organizing initiatives. Mr. Hampton is in recovery from a decade of active opioid use and is a leading voice in America's rising recovery movement. He is the author of American Fix, Unsettled and Fentanyl Nation and lives in Nevada with his husband, Sean, and their boxer dog, Quincy. @RyanForRecovery (X) • @ryanjhampton (instagram) • @AddictionXAmerica (Facebook)
Patricia Roos is a professor emerita of sociology at Rutgers University. In 2015, she lost her 25-year-old son Alex to a heroin overdose. Her training as a sociologist led her on a quest to better understand what happened to her family. Building on her professional and academic perspectives, she wrote a sociological memoir, Surviving Alex: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss, and Addiction, published May 2024 by Rutgers University Press. Website • roos.p (instagram) • patroos.bsky.social (bluesky)
Moderator: Jessie Dunleavy, with firsthand knowledge of the suffering inflicted by the war on drugs, particularly for vulnerable populations, champions policies based on human rights and scientific research and is committed to combating stigma and other impediments to reducing the harms of drug use. Beyond lending her voice through opinion pieces, speaking engagements, broadcast interviews, blogs, and social media, she has joined forces with multiple like-minded groups at the national, state and local levels, and she lobbies for her cause within the Maryland General Assembly. She has a master’s degree in library and information science and lives in her hometown of Annapolis. Website • @jessiedunleavy (X) • @jessiedunleavy.bsky.social (Bluesky) • Jessie Dunleavy (Facebook) • @jess.dunleavy (Instagram)
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Debra Whitman - The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond
Americans are living decades longer than previous generations, offering exciting possibilities but also raising important questions. In her groundbreaking book, Debra Whitman provides a roadmap for navigating and celebrating the second half of life. Her findings are often surprising: Americans over fifty are an economic asset, not a drain; dementia rates are declining as education and healthier lifestyles rise; and social connections are not only vital for mental health but also linked to a stronger immune system and longer life. Whitman is chief public policy officer for AARP, an economist and an expert on aging issues.
Debra Whitman is the author of The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond. She is an economist and expert on aging issues with an extensive background in policymaking and research. As chief public policy officer for AARP, Dr. Whitman leads global policy and research to help communities, lawmakers and the private sector improve our lives as we age. Previously, as staff director for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, she worked across the aisle to increase retirement security, lower health care costs, protect vulnerable seniors, make the pharmaceutical industry more transparent, and improve our long-term care system. Dr. Whitman is a writer and public speaker, mom and an advocate for those whose voices need to be heard. LinkedIn
Moderator: Bethanne Patrick, author of the memoir Life B, is a writer and critic. A Virginia Center for the Creative Arts fellow, she serves on the board of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. Ms. Patrick is currently working on a novel. She lives in Northern Virginia with her family and far too many books. Photo Credit - Michelle Lindsay Photography - @TheBookMaven (X) • @The_BookMaven (Instagram)
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Heath Hardage Lee - The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington's Most Private First Lady
Pat Nixon, often perceived as enigmatic, was a remarkably empathetic and adventurous First Lady. While the media portrayed her as elusive and “plastic,” the real Pat was a self-made woman who defied expectations throughout her life. Married to Richard Nixon in 1940, she traveled the world, meeting with tragedy victims, and playing a key role in US diplomacy. She championed women’s rights, supported the Equal Rights Amendment, and backed women’s advancement in government. A progressive figure on many fronts, Pat’s true legacy is her deep connection with people, making them her primary focus throughout her life. Heath Hardage Lee is an award-winning historian, biographer and curator and currently serves on the boards of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) and Biographers International Organization (BIO).
Heath Hardage Lee is an award-winning historian, biographer and curator. Her narrative nonfiction book entitled The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home from Vietnam (St. Martin’s Press in 2019) is currently being developed as a television series. Ms. Lee's new book The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: Washington’s Most Private First Lady is the first commercial biography of First Lady Pat Nixon in almost forty years. She currently serves on the boards of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) and Biographers International Organization (BIO). Website • heath_hlee (Instagram) • @HeathLee1 (X)
Moderator: Nancy Kegan Smith
Science & Library Center (Rm 101-102)
Find the authors in the Science & Library Center (Rm 101-102): Charlotte Taylor Fryar • David Gendell • Philip Greene • Jefferson Holland • Erica Howsare • Alison Humphreys • Diane Kiesel • Heath Hardage Lee • Joanne Leedom-Ackerman • Susan Page • Patricia Roos • Maurice Carlos Ruffin • Ena Selimović • Jessie Sheehan • Michele Weldon • Debra Whitman • Katherine E. Young
10:00-11:00 a.m.
David Gendell - The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at the Annapolis Warship Factory
Join sailor and author David Gendell for a fascinating discussion about the schooner America. In 1851, just weeks after launching, she won a shocking victory that sparked the world’s most coveted sailing competition. Over the decades, she saw adventure, neglect and wartime service, carrying spies and enforcing blockades. By 1940, the once-great vessel lay rotting at the U.S. Naval Academy, awaiting a restoration rumored to have been championed by Franklin Roosevelt. But as the Annapolis Yacht Yard shifted to warship production for WWII, America’s revival never came.
David Gendell is a sailor and author with an extensive sailboat racing and passage-making background. The Annapolis native is the cofounder of SpinSheet and PropTalk magazines. Mr. Gendell is the author of three non-fiction books including Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse: A Chesapeake Bay Icon (History Press, 2020) and The Last Days of the Schooner America: A Lost Icon at the Annapolis Warship Factory (Lyons Press, 2024). His third book will be published by Lyons Press in August 2025. Website
Moderator: Gary Jobson is an America's Cup Hall of Fame sailor, author of twenty-three books on sailing, long time television commentator for ESPN and NBC Olympics, winning tactician for America's Cup, and Annapolis resident. He is the past chair of Luminis Health, Visit Annapolis, Chesapeake Trust, US Naval Academy Fales Committee and current chair of Friends of St. John's College, Annapolis Film Festival, and National Sailing Hall of Fame. Website
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman , Ena Selimović & Katherine E. Young - The International Political Writer
Exploring themes of artistic freedom, book banning, war, and exile, three local writer-activists read from their latest books and discuss bringing international writers to audiences in America.
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman is the author of international political thrillers, including The Far Side of the Desert, Burning Distance, The Dark Path to the River, and short story collection No Marble Angels. Her nonfiction includes PEN Journeys: Memoir of Literature on the Line, and she is senior editor of The Journey of Liu Xiaobo: From Dark Horse to Nobel Laureate. Former reporter for the Christian Science Monitor, Ms. Leedom-Ackerman is vice president of PEN International and serves on the boards of the American Writers Museum and Words Without Borders. Website • Substack
Ena Selimović is a translator, writer and co-founder of Turkoslavia, a translation collective and journal. Her work has appeared in Words Without Borders, the Paris Review, Los Angeles Review of Books, World Literature Today, and others. She holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Washington University in St. Louis and is the translator of Maša Kolanović’s novel Underground Barbie, which she will be presenting at the Festival. Ms. Kolanović is the author of the poetry collection Leeches for the Lonely, the prose poem Jamerika, and the short story collection Dear Pests and Other Creepy Stories, which received the 2020 EU Prize for Literature. @enaselimo (X) • @yugaduga (Instagram) • @enaselimo (Bluesky)
Katherine E. Young is the author of two poetry collections, Day of the Border Guards and Woman Drinking Absinthe, and editor of Written in Arlington. Her translations of Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Russian, and Ukrainian writers have received international recognition. From 2016-2018, she served as the inaugural poet laureate of Arlington, VA. Ms. Young is the translator of Azerbaijani novelist, playwright, editor, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Akram Aylisli. She is the translator of Mr. Aylisli’s novel People & Trees, which she will be presenting at the Festival.The publication of Mr. Aylisli’s 2012 novella Stone Dreams led to government-sponsored burnings of all his books in Azerbaijan. Since 2016, he has lived under de facto house arrest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo Credit - Samantha H. Collins Website • @katherineeyoung (Bluesky) • Facebook
Moderator: Leeya Mehta is a prize-winning poet, fiction writer and essayist. She is the author of The Towers of Silence and A Story of the World Before the Fence, about which Tim Seibles, former poet laureate of Virginia writes, “is a lush, lyrical study of memory and history.” She is the director of the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center. In 2024 Ms. Mehta received the Faculty Civic Excellence Award for her work within the classroom, and the curation of the thirteen-month-long Baldwin100 project that celebrates the centennial of James Baldwin's contribution to the contemporary imagination: imagining a world that deepens our individual humanity. Website • @leeyamehta on all platforms
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Jefferson Holland & Alison Humphreys - Adventure Awaits: Exploring Nature in Annapolis and Beyond
Join Jefferson Holland (A Walk Around Arundel) and Alison Humphreys (50 Hikes with Kids Virginia and Maryland) for an inspiring conversation about the natural beauty that surrounds us and the deep connections between people and place. Through their vivid storytelling and passion for the outdoors, these two authors invite you to discover the hidden trails, waterways and wild wonders of the region—while exploring how nature shapes our sense of home, adventure and stewardship.
Jefferson Holland, poet laureate of Annapolis, is a modern-day Chesapeake troubadour: singer, songwriter, poet, and storyteller, performing all original material inspired by decades of life on the Bay. He served as the director of the Annapolis Maritime Museum and the riverkeeper for the West and Rhode Rivers. Mr. Holland was a founding member of the band, Them Eastport Oyster Boys. He writes an outdoors column in the Annapolis Capital and has published a collection of essays, Walk Around Arundel, 52 Places to Hike with Your Dog (and Other Best Friends). He lives in Annapolis with his emotional support spouse, Louise White and Millie the wonder retriever. Website
Alison Humphreys holds a master's degree in clinical psychology and is a college professor and licensed psychologist in private practice. With her background in psychology and early childhood education, she has made a career of helping individuals and families improve their quality of life and has spoken at several national conventions on the topics of mental health and education. Ms. Humphreys homeschools her four young children, with an emphasis on hands-on, child-led learning and unstructured time in nature. She and her family believe in making the world their classroom. As part-time travelers and full-time adventurers, they opted to run their own businesses so they would have more time to go on adventures, travel and chase sunsets. In addition to taking road trips and exploring nature with her family, Ms. Humphreys enjoys running, reading, photography, and writing. 50hikeswithkids (Instagram) • raisingmavericks (Instagram)
Moderator: Mark Hendricks is an award winning author and photographer. His latest book, The Central Appalachians: Mountains of the Chesapeake (Schiffer Publishing) was released in 2024. His writing and images have appeared in National Geographic, the Guardian, the Washington Post, Audubon, and many others. Mr. Hendricks is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at Towson University and serves as co-director of the Animal Behavior Program. He is currently writing a new collection of essays about trees as well as his first film about shark conservationist Captain Mark Sampson. Website • Facebook
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Philip Greene - Sours: A History of the World’s Most Storied Cocktail
Whether you’re a seasoned cocktail enthusiast or just starting out, this presentation by Philip Greene will be of interest to all lovers of spirits. His book Sours offers 100 expertly crafted recipes for classic and contemporary cocktails, showcasing the irresistible appeal of citrus and sour flavors in combination with spirits. With fascinating histories and stories behind iconic drinks like the daiquiri, sidecar, margarita, whiskey sour, and cosmopolitan, this collection provides the perfect guide to making each cocktail as it delves into special ingredients and creative variations.
Philip Greene is an award-winning attorney, historian and writer. He is trademark counsel for the U.S. Marine Corps at the Pentagon and was one of the founders of the Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans. He has presented at food and drink events worldwide. Mr. Greene is the author of five books: To Have and Have Another–A Hemingway Cocktail Companion; The Manhattan: The Story of the First Modern Cocktail; A Drinkable Feast: A Cocktail Companion to 1920s Paris; Cheers! Cocktails and Toasts to Celebrate Every Day of the Year; and, his fifth book, Sours: A History of the World’s Most Storied Cocktail. He was also a contributing author for the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails (2021), and was a columnist for the Daily Beast. Mr. Greene was recently profiled in the New York Times. Photo Credit - Leah Painter Roberts - Philipgreene (Facebook) • PhilipGreene61 (Instagram) • @PhilipGreene (X) • Website
Moderator: Michael Glass
2:00 -3:00 p.m.
Jessie Sheehan - Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes
Savory baking just got an upgrade! Meet Jessie Sheehan who will bring her signature quick-and-easy approach to the world of salty, cheesy, crispy, and herby treats. Her newest book gives you bold, snackable recipes perfect for brunch, game night or the ultimate “girl dinner.” Sheehan is a celebrated cookbook author, recipe developer, baker, and host of Cherry Bombe’s baking podcast, “She’s My Cherry Pie.”
Jessie Sheehan is a celebrated cookbook author, recipe developer, baker, and host of Cherry Bombe’s baking podcast, “She’s My Cherry Pie.” She is the self-proclaimed queen of “easy-peasy baking;” and has contributed recipes and writing to the New York Times, the Washington Post, Epicurious, Food52, Bon Appetit, and more. Her third cookbook, Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes for Exceptionally Scrumptious Sweets and Treats was a New York Times best cookbook of 2022. Its savory sibling Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes, was published in the fall of 2024. Photo Credit - Pauline Chatelan - @jessiesheehanbakes (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok • Website
Moderator: Seton Rossini is an accomplished designer, baker and author of Sweet Envy: Deceptively Easy Desserts, Designed to Steal the Show. When she’s not baking, she’s art directing and designing for clients that range from Michelin-starred chefs to Burlap & Barrel Spices. Ms. Rossini lives with her husband Tom, two boys, and two black labs in Annapolis. @setonrossini
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Erica Howsare - The Surprising Wildness of Nearby Nature
Join Erica Howsare, the author of The Age of Deer, as she discusses the complex and contradictory relationship humans have with deer, who have coexisted with us for millennia. Her book, through stories of scientists collaring fawns, hunters displaying trophies and animal-control officers managing deer populations, delves into the historical and cultural attitudes toward these animals, offering a unique perspective on how our connection to deer reflects broader human involvement in the natural world.
Erika Howsare's first nonfiction book, The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship with Our Wild Neighbors, was published in 2024 by Catapult Books. She previously published two books of poetry and has worked in local journalism for more than twenty years. Ms. Howsare’s reviews, interviews and essays have appeared in the Atlantic, Orion, the Los Angeles Review of Books, LongReads, the Boston Review, and many other outlets. With Tyler Carter, she created an award-winning podcast miniseries, “If You See a Deer.” She holds an MFA in writing from Brown University and lives in central Virginia, where she teaches writing privately. Photo Credit - Meredith Coe - Website • @erika.howsare (Facebook) • @erika_howsare (Instagram)
Moderator: Brian Michaels, Key School Upper School Head
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Charlotte Taylor Fryar - Potomac Fever: Reflections on the Nation's River
Writer, historian and educator Charlotte Taylor Fryar joins the Festival to talk about the Potomac River. Using its geography and ecology to explore Washington, DC’s troubled history and through its flora and fauna, she delves into America’s past, uncovering the origins of a racially divided nation and capital. Blending historical, environmental and personal narratives, Potomac Fever maps the hidden histories of the U.S. capital, offering a critique of national myths and concludes with a hopeful vision for a future shaped by the values and ethics of the places we inhabit.
Charlotte Taylor Fryar is a writer, historian and educator. Her writing has been published in Fourth Genre, Lit Hub and the Southern Humanities Review, among other publications. She holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and lives in Glen Echo, MD, less than seven hundred feet from the banks of the Potomac River. Potomac Fever: Reflections on the Nation’s River is her first book. Website
Moderator: Dan Sherman has presented talks on movies, music and film to many groups in the Washington, DC, and Baltimore area over the past fifteen years. He is a retired economist who obtained his PhD from Cornell, but has had a love of music and film since his teenage years in Maine. His most popular talk is "Hamilton: Man and Musical," which he has given over 200 times, including a well-attended session presented by Historic Annapolis.
Farmhouse
Find the authors in the Farmhouse: Jenny Adams • Nicole Chung • Evan Friss • Katherine Haas • Jimin Han • Jennifer Klepper • Cynthia Pelayo • Rudy Ruiz • Leslie Gray Streeter • Vicki Valosik • Bailey Van Tassel
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Jenny Adams & Cynthia Pelayo - Thrills and Chills: The Dark Corners of Fiction
Join Jenny Adams (A Poisonous Silence - A Deadly Twenties Mystery) and Cynthia Pelayo (Vanishing Daughters) for a gripping discussion of the shadowy worlds, twisted characters and spine-tingling suspense that define their work. Explore how they craft tension, blur the lines between reality and nightmare, and keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Jenny Adams has always had an overactive imagination. She turned her love of books and stories into a career as a librarian and mystery novelist. She holds degrees in medieval studies and library science from the Ohio State University and Drexel University, and currently lives in Alexandria, VA, with her family. Photo Credit - Daria Maidenbaum - Website, @jadamswrites (Instagram, Threads & Bluesky)
Cynthia Pelayo is the Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Forgotten Sisters, Children of Chicago, and The Shoemaker’s Magician. In addition to writing genre-blending novels that incorporate fairy-tale, mystery, detective, crime, and horror elements, Ms. Pelayo has written numerous short stories, including the collection Lotería, and the poetry collection Crime Scene. The recipient of the 2021 International Latino Book Award, she holds a master of fine arts in writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She lives in Chicago with her family. Photo Credit - Magdalena Iskra - Website • Substack • Instagram
Moderator: Valerie Constantine writes with her sister Lynne under the pen name Liv Constantine. They are New York Times and international bestselling authors with over three million copies sold worldwide. Their books are in development for both television and film. Their debut novel The Last Mrs. Parrish was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club selection. Early in her career, Ms. Constantine served as a White House assistant in the President’s Scheduling and Advance Office, planning presidential trips and travel and has visited over forty foreign countries. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in English literature and lives in Annapolis. Website •: livconstantine2 & valerieconstantine47 (Instagram) • (liv constantine & valerie constantine (Facebook)
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Evan Friss - The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
Best-selling author and history professor Evan Friss explores the rich history of bookstores, from Benjamin Franklin’s first store to legendary shops like the Strand, Gotham Book Mart and Parnassus. This discussion is for anyone who loves bookstores and wants to preserve their future.
Evan Friss is a professor of history at James Madison University and the New York Times Bestselling author of The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore. He lives with his wife (a bookseller) and two children (occasional booksellers) in Harrisonburg, VA. Photo Credit - Joanna Morrissey - @evanfriss (instagram and X)
Moderator: Joann Vaughan has a thirty-year career in nonprofit management, but her first job was in her mother’s independent bookstore. After a career in journalism, she served as the inaugural staff member of the Annapolis Book Festival, supporting its activities from 2002-2008. In 2008, she became the executive director of Maryland Federation of Art, a state-wide visual arts nonprofit. An avid reader, Ms. Vaughn’s literary taste runs from soup to nuts—probably from having to read all the fiction and nonfiction bestsellers so she could make recommendations to customers. While her bookshelves indicate a preference for historical nonfiction and classic children’s books, she also serves on the Holt Medallion Juror Board for the Holt Medallion Award given by the Virginia Romance Writers.
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Jimin Han & Rudy Ruiz - Bridges & Borders: The Ghosts of the Family You Inherit
Join authors Jimin Han and Rudy Ruiz for a powerful discussion on family, identity and the past’s enduring grip. In Jimin Han’s The Apology, 105 year old Hak Jeonga enters the afterlife, confronting a family curse triggered by a buried secret. The Apology was chosen as best book of the year by Booklist. In The Border Between Us, award-winning author Ruiz explores ambition, sacrifice and the cost of the American dream.
Jimin Han is the author of The Apology, a Barnes and Noble Discover Pick; named a best audiobook of the year by Booklist, a best book of the summer by the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, Shondaland, Apple Books, and more. She is also the author of A Small Revolution. Ms. Han teaches at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College and community writing centers. Born in Seoul, she grew up in Providence, RI, Dayton, OH, and Jamestown, NY. Photo Credit - Christine Petrella - Website • @jiminhanwriter (instagram & TikTok)
Rudy Ruiz is the author of The Border Between Us, Valley of Shadows and The Resurrection of Fulgencio Ramirez. His fiction work has garnered the Jesse H. Jones Award for Best Book of Fiction, the Gulf Coast Prize in Fiction, and eight International Latino Book Awards. He is a member of PEN America and was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. Mr. Ruiz earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Harvard University. He resides in Texas and New England with his wife and children. Mr. Ruiz has been named to the prestigious Joyce Carol Oates Prize long list. Read more about it. Photo Credit - Lorenzo Z. Ruiz - Website • @Rudy_Ruiz_7 (X)
Moderator: Heather Webb is the USA Today and international bestselling author of eleven historical novels, including her most recent Queens of London, The Next Ship Home, and Strangers in the Night. Her up-and-coming novel, The Hope Keeper, about the curse of the Hope Diamond, the last woman who owned it, and the beginnings of women working at the Smithsonian museum, will be released in spring of 2026. An award-winning author, Ms. Webb’s books have been translated to eighteen languages. She lives in New England with her family and two mischievous cats.
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Jennifer Klepper & Leslie Gray Streeter - Bad Decisions, Big Mistakes and Fresh Starts
In journalist, lifestyle columnist and podcaster Leslie Gray Streeter’s Family and Other Calamities, journalist Dawn Roberts returns to Baltimore with her husband’s ashes and is forced to confront past betrayals, a scandalous exposé casting her as the villain, and the mentor who sold her out. But in the end, she seizes the chance to set the record straight, heal old wounds, and maybe even rekindle a lost love. In best-selling author Jennifer Klepper’s The Last Road Trip, four sorority sisters reunite 20 years after a tragedy to finish a road trip interrupted by betrayal and secrets. As they confront painful truths, they learn the consequences of silence.
Jennifer Klepper is the USA Today bestselling author of Unbroken Threads and co-founder of Early Works. Born and raised in Iowa and Nebraska, she attended college in Dallas, law school in Charlottesville, and worked in Texas and Massachusetts before settling for good in Maryland. She's worked for “big law,” small law, start-ups, and Google. Ms. Klepper lives in a forest by a river near Annapolis. Photo Credit - Heather Crowder - Website • Instagram
Leslie Gray Streeter is a veteran journalist whose debut novel, Family & Other Calamities (Lake Union Publishing) will be released in May. Her memoir Black Widow, was published in March 2020 by Little, Brown and Company. She is the lifestyle columnist for the Baltimore Banner, and the co-host of the pop culture podcast “Fine Beats and Cheeses.” A native of Baltimore, she and her work have been featured in the Washington Post, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Atlantic, the Today Show, SiriusXM, O, The Oprah Magazine, and more. She lives with her son in her hometown of Baltimore. Website • Bluesky • Threads • Linkedin • Instagram • Facebook
Moderator: Kate Myers is the author of the national bestseller Excavations, which is now being adapted into a series on Peacock starring Amy Poehler. Her writing has appeared in Elle, Self and BuzzFeed and she's worked for CBS Television and CollegeHumor in New York and Los Angeles. Her next novel, Salty, comes out with HarperCollins on June 24. She lives in Annapolis with her husband, daughters and dog. @frontdoorsofannapolis
2:00-3:00 p.m.
Vicki Valosik - Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water
Meet author and master synchronized swimmer Vicki Valosik for a discussion of her book about how female swimmers have balanced strength and beauty, athleticism and artistry. In Swimming Pretty, Valosik traces the sport’s evolution from vaudeville spectacles to the Olympic stage, spotlighting the fearless women who defied expectations in and out of the water. Collegiate synchronized swimmer and coach, Swimming Pretty is Ms. Valosik's debut book and was selected as a staff pick for NPR Books We Love 2024 as well as an Amazon Editor’s Pick for Best History Books. The work is also shortlisted for the 2025 Charles Tyrwhitt Sports Book Awards in the category of Women's Sports Writing.
Vicki Valosik is the author of Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water (W.W. Norton, 2024). She is a masters synchronized swimmer and an editorial director at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she also teaches graduate-level writing courses. Her writing has appeared in publications such as the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and Slate. @vickiswims (Instagram ) • @vvalosik (X) • Facebook • Website
Moderator: Michele Perry-Boucher spent a good part of her childhood wearing noseclips and hanging upside down in pools as a member of the Worcester Synchromaids. She swam in college for the University of Pennsylvania Pennguinettes and then coached for Vassar and UC Davis club teams before hanging up her noseclips. She is a parent of two Key School alum's (2013 and 2017). https://www.facebook.com/Michele.Perry.Boucher/ (Facebook) • @micheleperry28 (Instagram)
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Nicole Chung & Katherine Haas - The Weight of Our Stories: Memoirs of Enduring Family Bonds in the Face of Hardship
Join Katherine Haas (Little Jade) and Nicole Chung (A Living Remedy) for a heartfelt discussion on the power of memory, resilience and love in the face of adversity. Through their deeply personal and moving works, they explore how family histories shape us, the struggles of identity and belonging, and the enduring strength found in the ties that bind us together.
Nicole Chung’s A Living Remedy was named a Notable Book by the New York Times and a Best Book of 2023 by over a dozen other outlets, including Time, USA Today, Esquire, Harper's Bazaar, Electric Literature, and TODAY. Her 2018 debut All You Can Ever Know was a national bestseller and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Ms. Chung has written for the New York Times Magazine, the Guardian, the Atlantic, Esquire, and many other publications. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she currently lives in the Washington, DC, area. Photo Credit - Carletta Girma - @nicolechung (bluesky) • @nicolesjchung (instagram and X) • Website
Katherine Haas was born in 1937 in Germany. Shortly thereafter, her family moved first to Italy, then to China and, when Katherine was eleven, to the United States. Adjusting to new languages and cultures was challenging, and often discouraging. Ms. Haas hopes readers will never be ashamed to be different, as she was. She lives in Maryland with her second husband, Robert Feldmann, who found her as a merry widow in 2014. She spends her retirement having fun learning new languages.
Moderator: Ernie Tucker
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Bailey Van Tassel - Kitchen Garden Living: Seasonal Growing and Eating from a Beautiful, Bountiful Food Garden
Kitchen gardening is more than just growing food—it’s a lifestyle choice that shows your commitment to health, sustainability and family. Author Bailey Van Tassel of the Kitchen Garden Society will discuss creating your own kitchen garden and involving the whole family in this rewarding, peaceful escape. Whether you have a small space or a large plot, this discussion will inspire you to bring freshness and joy to your life and community.
Bailey Van Tassel is a home gardener, writer and founder of the national gardening club, the Kitchen Garden Society. She helps vegetable gardeners from each US hardiness zone learn how to grow year-round as well as live seasonally and intentionally. Ms. Van Tassel is married with three children and on a mission to make gardening a pastime that families can enjoy together while learning a skill that can be passed down for generations. Photo Credit - Kami Arant Photography - @baileyvantassel (Instagram)
Moderator: Hilarey Leonard began her professional career producing television shows for cable networks like Discovery, National Geographic and HGTV. Throughout her life, she had always enjoyed working in hospitality during college and between jobs, so when she met her husband, Brian, they realized they shared a passion for entertaining. They opened their first bar, Lost & Found, in Shaw, DC, in 2014, their second, Free State, in Chinatown, DC, in 2017, and their newest location, Leo restaurant in Annapolis, in 2023. Ms. Leonard handles private and special events, web and social media marketing, and community outreach for the businesses. She is also a sommelier and curates the wine programs at all locations. She is a proud wife and mom and enjoys volunteering and making connections in her community.
Amphitheater
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Larry Tye - The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America
Larry Tye, author of The Jazzmen will be discussing his fascinating book about jazz legends, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie. The hour will open with musician, Cornelius Young, playing some jazz favorites. Grab a seat and enjoy!
Larry Tye is a New York Times bestselling author. In The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Satchmo Armstrong and Count Basie Transformed America, Mr. Tye examines how these maestros wrote the soundtrack for the civil rights revolution. His previous works include biographies of Satchel Paige, Robert F. Kennedy and Joseph McCarthy. Mr. Tye runs the Harvard-based Health Coverage Fellowship, which helps the media do a better job reporting on critical health-related issues. He has taught journalism at Boston University, Northeastern and Tufts. Website
Live Music Provided by Cornelius Young, Director of Bands and Music Theory Teacher at Key School
Moderator: Garnet Mowatt, Music & Performing Arts Department Head
Also Available in the Amphitheater
Go to "Family Activities, Entertainment & Food" for more information.
10:00 AM - Club Scikidz
11:00 AM - Louis the Magician
12:00 PM - Klohverleaf Dance Academy
1:00 PM - School of Rock
2:00 PM - Eco Adventures