News

ReedPop, the producer of pop culture events, announced that BookExpo and BookCon are going virtual with a full slate of free online programming to take place on May 26-31, the originally scheduled week of BookExpo and BookCon 2020.

BookExpo Online 2020 will offer the marquee programming that attendees look forward to each year, including the Children’s & Adult’s Book & Author Dinners, the Buzz Book panels, spotlights on New Graphic Novels and Picture Books, and curated content for librarians. BookExpo will also hold an additional day of programming in July featuring timely content curated with booksellers’ goals in mind.

On Tuesday, May 26, BookExpo Online will kick off with Librarians’ Day, offering a full day of library content. A list of sessions will be announced in the coming days.

Librarians’ Day will be followed by the Adult and Children’s Book & Author Dinners, now presented as evening events to accommodate viewers in different time zones, on Wednesday, May 27 and Thursday, May 28, respectively.

The 2020 Adult Book & Author Dinner will find Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, Carmen Maria Machado, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Rebecca Roanhorse taking the virtual stage for a discussion of their forthcoming works and initiatives with MSNBC political analyst and SiriusXM radio personality Zerlina Maxwell as host.

The Children’s Book & Author Dinner will bring together several of literature’s most esteemed children’s and young adult authors for a lively discussion, featuring  Judy Blume, Natalie Portman, Marie Lu, Raj Haldar, Misty Copeland, and Kwame Mbalia.

BookExpo Buzz Day will take place on Friday, May 29 and offer the Adult, Young Adult, and Middle Grade Editor’s Buzz panels, along with the New Picture Book and New Graphic Novel Showcases. The Editor’s Buzz panels will be presented in an updated format that brings together a discussion between editor and author for each featured title.

BookConline 2020, the event where storytelling and pop culture collide, will offer fans a virtual gathering place to interact with their favorite authors and publishers. On Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31, the two-day event will feature a full slate of Q&As and panel discussions with nearly 100 bestselling and debut authors including Cassandra Clare, Zoraida Cordova, Jenny Han, Judy Blume, Jodi Picoult, Nic Stone, and Mike Curato, discussing topics including the new age of super heroes, LGBTQ+ characters in young adult and middle grade literature, social justice, and much more. The full schedule of events will be announced in the coming days.

“We know how valuable it is for our community to gather and we felt it was important to reimagine the experiences you look forward to each year at BookExpo and BookCon to fit our current reality. We are excited to bring you BookExpo Online and BookConline this year, two unique digital events that will certainly be one for the books,” Jenny Martin, event director for BookExpo and BookCon, said.

BookExpo Online 2020 will also present an additional day of bookseller programming in late July that will include education sessions, speed dating, UnBound content, and publisher showcases. More details and a full schedule of content will be announced in the coming weeks.

All programming for both BookExpo Online and BookConline 2020 is open to the general public and presented free of charge. All BookExpo Online programming will be viewable on the BookExpo Facebook page and all BookConline programming will be viewable on the BookCon Facebook page and BookCon Facebook group.

For more information, visit www.BookExpoAmerica.com.