2026 Festival Author
Kyra Davis Lurie
A Starred Library Journal Novel and Esquire Best Book of Summer
The Great Mann, Kyra Davis Lurie’s poignant retelling of The Great Gatsby, set among L.A.’s Black elite, is the story of a young Black veteran pulled into a new world of tantalizing possibilities—and explosive tensions. In 1945, Charlie Trammell steps off a cross-country train into the vibrant tapestry of Los Angeles and the esteemed West Adams Heights. Charlie is immediately captivated by the opulence of L.A.’s newly rechristened “Sugar Hill.” The Great Mann weaves a compelling narrative of wealth and class, illuminating the complexities of Black identity and education in post-war America. Lurie is a New York Times best-selling novelist whose work spans multiple genres. Before turning to historical fiction, Lurie was known for the Sophie Katz mystery series and the Just One Night trilogy. Her novels have been published in nine languages across six continents. Lurie was born and raised in California and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their perfect dog, Potus.
“[Davis Lurie’s] retelling adds profound depth through social commentary with its portrayal of an affluent Black L.A. community along with the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood.” Booklist
2026 Festival Author
Alice Austen
National Bestseller & Women’s National Book Association Great Group Reads 2025 Pick
Alice Austen’s novel, 33 Place Brugmann, takes its name from the address of an apartment building in a prosperous Brussels neighborhood. Set in 1939, just as the Nazis occupy the city, and told in the shifting voices of the building’s residents, the novel explores what happens to individuals faced with the choice between loyalty to the regime and loyalty to each other, and reminds us of the power of love, courage and art in times of peril. Prior to publishing 33 Place Brugmann, Austen established herself as an acclaimed filmmaker and playwright. She is a past resident of the Royal Court Theatre and her internationally produced plays include Animal Farm (Steppenwolf Theatre), Water, Cherry Orchard Massacre, and Girls in the Boat. Austen won the John Cassavetes Award for her debut film Give Me Liberty. She studied creative writing under Seamus Heaney at Harvard, where she also received her JD, after which she moved to Brussels and lived on Place Brugmann. Austen currently lives in Milwaukee and is working on a new film and her next novel.
Crème de la WWII novel.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review).
“A vivid portrait of the world during WWII . . . Quite an accomplishment — full of pathos, suspense, and drenched in humanity.” — The Center for Fiction.
2026 Festival Author
Kathy Wang
National Bestseller & Today Best Book of the Summer
The Satisfaction Café, by Kathy Wang, follows the life of Joan Liang, a Taiwanese woman who emigrates to California and navigates multiple marriages, motherhood, unexpected wealth, and assimilation in the white, upper class society that appears to accept her. Throughout her life, Joan grapples with the desire for genuine connection in an increasingly lonely world. A trip to Taiwan reveals a way for Joan to connect people to one another and to find connection for herself. The Satisfaction Cafe is Wang’s third novel. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Harvard Business School and lives in the Bay Area.
“An antidote to our global dissatisfaction… winsome… ironic but rarely biting, Wang’s narration moves nimbly just above Joan’s perplexed perspective while catching the notes of absurdity and hypocrisy around her.” — The Washington Post.
2026 Festival Author
Daria Lavelle
Most Anticipated Book: LitHub, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads
In Aftertaste, young Russian immigrant Konstantin, haunted by his father's death, develops the ability to taste the lingering flavors of the deceased through their favorite food, which he calls "aftertastes.” Driven by a desire to help others find closure, Konstantin ascends from being a dishwasher at a bar to a talented chef with the skills to open a one-of-a-kind New York City restaurant. No other chef has been capable of serving such spectral and transporting flavors, but will Konstantin’s ambition blind him to the dangers lurking in the afterlife? Lavelle’s short fiction has appeared in Dark Matter, The Deadlands, Dread Machine, and more, and has been shortlisted for prizes by The Masters Review and The Molotov Cocktail Zine. Lavelle holds a degree in Comparative Literature and Creative Writing from Princeton University, and an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College, with a focus on Speculative Fiction. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, three children and hyperactive goldendoodle.
"Delectable....the exuberant prose leavens the story’s bittersweet pathos, and the novel brims with tantalizing descriptions of international cuisines. This inventive tale of food and family is likely to whet readers’ appetites."— Publishers Weekly.
2026 Festival Author
Susanna Kwan
Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
In Susanna Kwan's "Awake in the Floating City" a submerged San Francisco of the future, ravaged by climate change, becomes the backdrop for a poignant story of connection and resilience. The novel follows Bo, a grieving artist, who chooses to stay and care for Mia, a 130-year-old woman, rather than evacuate. Through their unlikely bond, Bo rediscovers her purpose and finds solace in creating art that honors the past while navigating a world slowly being reclaimed by water. Susanna Kwan is an artist and writer from San Francisco. Her work has been supported by fellowships from Kundiman, Storyknife, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and Vanderbilt University. She teaches creative writing with The Dream Side.
“The book asks haunting questions about the ability of art to contain or transmit memory.” — The Washington Post.
"[A] tender, speculative novel that imagines [Kwan's] home city flooded and largely abandoned—and how two of its last remaining residents find unlikely connection in disaster." — San Francisco Chronicle.
2026 Festival Author
Virginia Evans
Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
The Correspondent introduces readers to Sybil, a retired lawyer and avid letter-writer, who corresponds with friends, family, literary figures, and even the younger generation (on paper with ink), revealing her strong personality, regrets, and grief. The arrival of letters from her past forces Sybil to confront a painful event and ultimately seek forgiveness, both for herself and others. Raised on the East Coast, Virginia Evans earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from James Madison University and a master’s of philosophy in creative writing from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, two children, and her red labrador, Brigid.
“Subtly told and finely made, The Correspondent is a portrait of a small life expanding. Virginia Evans shows how one woman changes at a point when change had seemed impossible. ... Google Books.