Julian Sancton is a journalist who has reported from every continent including Antarctica, and an author who brings gripping true stories to life with vivid detail and an eye for marvelously entertaining and one hundred percent true stories. His latest book, Neptune’s Fortune, uncovers the riveting true story of a legendary Spanish galleon that sunk off the coast of Colombia with over $1 billion in gold and silver—and one man’s obsessive quest to find it. In it, we follow the larger-than-life Roger Dooley into the dusty archives of Spanish shipping records where he stumbles across what he believes to be the real location of the San Jose. Sancton will be in conversation with author and festival co-chair Sara DiVello. They will explore the real-life events that inspired his work, the challenges of reconstructing history, and why tales of the ocean continue to captivate readers.
Angela Flournoy is the author of The Wilderness, a novel that follows five women over two decades as they navigate their evolving relationships, adulthood, and modern times. Angela will be joined by Shantaw Bloise-Murphy, Nantucket Book Foundation Board member and the Town of Nantucket’s Director of Culture and Tourism. Angela and Shantaw will chat about friendship, the transition from young adulthood to midlife, career, and family, along with social justice and the many twists and turns of life.
Nicholas Boggs embarked on a years long odyssey with his masterpiece on the great 20th century writer, James Baldwin, in BALDWIN: A LOVE STORY. Through a lens of love, Boggs examines a complicated life through the prism of four key figures in Baldwin’s life, producing a singular biography of a writer whose works have shaped American art and activism. Nicholas will be joined in conversation with Pulitzer Prize winning writer Mitchell Jackson, author of The Residue Years, Survival Math: Notes on an All American Family and Fly: The Big Book of Basketball Fashion.
Belle Burden hit a nerve with her instant New York Times bestselling memoir, Strangers: a Memoir of Marriage. “The memoir of the year”, said VOGUE Magazine about a book that continues to pick up steam and has spawned conversations that are running through book clubs, podcasts and now, a film deal with Netflix who will bring her story to the screen. Belle will be joined in conversation with Nantucket’s own Elin Hilderbrand, author of over 31 New York Times bestselling novels and the co-host of the podcast: Books, Beach & Beyond.
Richard Russo is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of numerous books, including the novel Empire Falls, celebrating its 25th Anniversary in print this year and Life and Art, a 2025 collection of essays. Richard will be in conversation with the Nantucket Book Foundation's Administrative Director Chrissy Brown for reflections on Russo's signature portrayal of small town American living, the nuances of family dynamics, the challenges of contemporary literature, and his many years of reading and writing.
Alice Hoffman is the bestselling author of more than thirty works of fiction. In The Best Dog in the World, Hoffman wrote and curated a collection of essays in celebration of our furry, four-legged best friends. She will be joined in conversation by her fellow authors, presenters, and essay contributors Laura Zigman and Adriana Trigiani. Dog lovers are required to attend, cat people also welcome.
Join Jenna Bush Hager, co-host of TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle and the founder of the wildly popular Read With Jenna book club, as she introduces Nantucket to her newest venture, Thousand Voices Media. Jenna will first be joined by President of the Nantucket Book Foundation and creator of Tim Talks Books, Tim Ehrenberg, to discuss Jenna's passion for reading and her numerous literary enterprises. The second half of the event will feature Jenna and three authors from her brand-new book imprint in collaboration with Random House Publishing Group, Thousand Voices; Emma Brodie, author of Into the Blue, Juliet Faithfull, author of Liar's Dice, and Shannon Garvey, author of June Baby. This is a special 75 minute event because “one story can spark a hundred conversations that inspire a thousand voices.”
A fifteenth celebration is traditionally honored with crystal, and like a crystal, the mission of the Foundation in our 15th Festival year has been to radiate light, illuminating the power of words to inspire and enlarge our world and connect us to our shared humanity. Please join us as visionary authors Ann Patchett, Patrick Ryan, Julian Brave Noisecat, and Tayari Jones tell us through their own prism how reading and writing informs and brightens their understanding of the world and each other.
Enjoy a sumptuous buffet dinner in the heart of Nantucket while rubbing elbows with your favorite authors. The Dinner, presented by The White Elephant Hotel, is the perfect ending to a day filled with inspiring author conversations. As the only event designed to fundraise for the Book Festival, your ticket purchase helps to keep our author sessions free and open to everyone. Purchase tickets HERE.
