Festival of the Book, 2025, Tenth Anniversary

The latest Festival of the Book, held in Harbor Springs, Michigan September 25th-29 th kicked

off with the documentary film, “American Symphony.” This chronicled the 2021 FotB

author/presenter, Suleika Jaouad’s struggle with cancer, juxtaposed with her then boyfriend/later

husband’s attempt to compose a symphony that will be performed at Carnegie Hall. It’s a love

story, a story of strength and courage and the healing power of creativity. It was provided by

Netflix, so if you haven’t viewed it, look it up. It’s a strong message to treasure our time.

The festival is well organized. In one location we picked up name tags and a festival program

booklet that outlines all the offerings: programs and lunches requiring additional payments or

reservations as well as all the names, locations, times of presentations under the umbrella price,

as well as a one-paragraph blurb about each session, a blurb about each author and each

moderator.

On display is a large selection of the books for sale by the authors presenting this year.

Sessions generally run for an hour, although the “Book & Bag Readings are longer, but designed

so that attendees can come and go, or enjoy a bag lunch while listening.

On Friday, September 26 th the various program sessions began. Debbie, Nancy R. and I attended

“Book & Bag Readings.” We listened to four authors. Nikki Erlick previously worked as a travel

and ghost writer. The Measure was a “Read with Jenna” pick. Erlick read from her latest novel,

The Poppy Fields. Shelby VanPelt was an instant New York Times bestseller (over two million

copies!) with her debut novel, Remarkably Bright Creatures, colloquially known as “the octopus

book.” Having read it, readers learn how bright octopuses really are, in a heartwarming story.

Eowyn Ivey (pronounced A-oh-win) lives and writes about Alaska. She previously worked in an

independent bookstore and as a local news reporter. Her newest novel is Black Woods, Blue Sky

after two other books, one of which, The Snow Child was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Allegra

Goodman is the author of six novels, her latest, Isola, a story of defiance, faith and survival is an

historical novel based on the real character Marguerite de la Rocque, a 16 th C. French

noblewoman marooned on an island with her lover and nurse. Debbie found this on Kindle for

$1.99! So, we purchased that bargain on the spot! Other authors highlighted in this session were

Adam Roberts’ Food Person, a first novel, Alafair Burke, a former prosecutor and daughter of

the famous mystery writer, James Lee Burke whose latest of fourteen suspense novels is The

Note and Scott Anderson, author of both novels and nonfiction has a new nonfiction narrative

history of the Iranian Revolution.

Authors are combined in sessions of two to four with a moderator. The moderators are well

prepared and appear to have read the latest works of the authors on the panel. They discuss such

items as a rugged, wild setting. In “Wilderness and Transformation” authors Goodman, Ivey (see

above) and M. Bartley Seigel, former poet laureate of the UP and author of In the Bone-Cracking

Cold discuss with moderator Lillian Li (author of an NPR Best Book of the Year) historical and

contemporary landscapes and how their characters are transformed from these experiences.

Other interesting sessions on Friday and Saturday included “Humanity Through Humor,” “Using

Genre for Reflection,” “The Power of Secrets,” “Well That Didn’t Go as Planned,” “Stories That

Carry Us: Indigenous Voices from Across Turtle Island” and “Nature as Spirituality.” A

comment from Joseph Finder, author of sixteen suspense novels in “The Power of Secrets”

session has a method for his chapters: surprise, reveal, divert, repeat. In other words, the tension

must keep moving, the author must continually surprise the main characters, and thus readers,

then reveal more clues, divert the characters to other plot threads, red herrings, etc. then continue

to do this chapter after chapter until the climax and conclusion.

If you’re interested in Indigenous authors, several recommended in the Indigenous Voices

session are Louise Erdrich (a favorite of mine), Ned Blackhawk, Phil Deloria, Jim Welch, Leslie

Silko, David Troyer, M. Scott Momaday and Julian Brave Noise Cat as well as those on the

panel: Kyle Edwards (Small Ceremonies), Rebecca Lee Kunz (picture book author of Chooch

Helped), and Rebecca Nagle (By the Fire We Carry) The moderator Jordan Shananaquet serves

the Odawa Nation as a Tribal Councilor and within the Michigan Department of Education’s

Indigenous Education Initiative.

A good thought to end with: Jordan Shananaquet views storytelling as medicine—holding

memory, carrying truth and creating connection across generations.

Mark your calendars for 2026, the Eleventh Annual Festival of the Book, is slated for Thursday,

September 24-Sunday, September 27 th . 2025 boasted 1500 attendees and sold out in four hours!