Dawn Tripp is the nationally bestselling author of the novel Jackie and the novel Georgia, finalist for the New England Book Award, and winner of the Mary Lynn Kotz Award for Art in Literature. She is the author of three previous novels: Game of Secrets, Moon Tide, and The Season of Open Water, which won the Massachusetts Book Award for Fiction. Tripp and author/Festival co-chair Sara DiVello, will kick off the 2025 Festival with a dynamic conversation about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a First Lady with a formidable intellect, a legendary editor, and a lifelong, passionate booklover.
Those of us who love success stories will be inspired to hear author Meena Ahamed talk about her new book, Indian Genius: The Meteoric Rise of Indians in America. To learn their secret sauce for success, Ahamed, who came to the U.S. from India as a student in 1970, sat down with some of the highest achievers in her community – transformational figures in tech, health care, politics and journalism. She will share her insights in this conversation with Michael Schulder, creator and host of Wavemaker Conversations.
Kim Coleman Foote’s debut novel Coleman Hill is a powerful family saga spanning generations and pulling from her own family story. Named a New York Times Notable Book and longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the book explores identity, inheritance, and resilience. A former fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center, Foote has received numerous literary honors. She will be in conversation with Kaley Kokomoor, Executive Director of the Nantucket Book Foundation, to discuss history, memory, and the stories that shape us.
Betsy Lerner is a memoirist, novelist, and longtime literary agent known for her sharp insight and irreverent wit. She is the author of the popular advice book to writers, The Forest for the Trees, and the memoirs Food and Loathing and The Bridge Ladies. Her debut novel, Shred Sisters, was longlisted for the Center for Fiction’s Debut Novel Award and named one of The New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of the year. Join us to hear Lerner bring her signature voice to a conversation about creativity, reinvention, and the stories that stay with us.
Victor Luckerson is a journalist and the author of Built from the Fire, winner of the Museum of African American History, Boston/Nantucket’s Stone Book Award. His compelling account of Tulsa’s Greenwood District spans generations of tragedy, resistance, and resilience. A former writer for Time and The Ringer, Luckerson’s work has also appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times, among other publications. He will be in conversation with Shantaw Bloise-Murphy, Nantucket Book Foundation Board Director and Director of Culture and Tourism for the Town of Nantucket.
Media powerhouses Jenny Johnson and Billy Costa bring their decades of broadcast experience and deep love for New England’s vibrant food culture to the page in A Taste of Boston, a flavorful tribute to the city’s culinary legends. Co-hosts of NESN’s Dining Playbook, Meet Boston with Billy and Jenny, and the popular WBZ radio show Food for Thought, this Emmy Award-winning duo shares behind-the-scenes stories and recipes from Boston’s most iconic chefs and restaurants. Johnson and Costa promise an engaging conversation full of warmth, insight, and delicious recommendations!
Bestselling author Ann Leary returns to the Nantucket Book Festival with her sharp, hilarious, and heartfelt new essay collection, I’ve Tried Being Nice. Known for novels like The Good House and The Foundling, Leary brings her signature wit and keen observations to stories about family, fame, aging, and identity. She’ll be joined by fellow Festival presenting author Lisa Genova for a lively conversation about finding humor in the everyday, and embracing all the messy, beautiful chapters of life.
Prepare to enjoy, appreciate and even laugh at this series of ten-minute playswritten by Nantucket teens, under the mentorship of award-winning filmmaker,Jay Craven. Students worked this spring to develop and revise their original shortplays - which will be performed by professional actors in a staged reading at the Nantucket Atheneum.
Each year’s program is different - but all feature complex characters, muscular plots - and surprising insights that come fully to life in these compelling slices of life - real and imagined. Nantucket Young Playwrights is produced and sponsored by Kingdom County Productions, White Heron Theatre, Nantucket Atheneum and the Nantucket Book Festival, working in association with Nantucket High School.
Join several of this year’s authors in a comfortable after-hours setting, while enjoying your favorite beverage. Admission is free, and there will be a cash bar.
