KPBS San Diego Book Festival
Let’s bring our community closer together through the shared experience of reading and discussing great books! The inaugural KPBS San Diego Book Festival on the University of San Diego campus is a free event for book lovers of all ages. Attendees will enjoy panel discussions with award-winning authors, activities, live entertainment, exhibitors including local authors and independent booksellers, and more.
KPBS San Diego Book Festival
Presented by
Saturday, August 23, 2025
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Let’s bring our community closer together through the shared experience of reading and discussing great books! The inaugural KPBS San Diego Book Festival on the University of San Diego campus is a free event for book lovers of all ages. Attendees will enjoy panel discussions with award-winning authors, activities, live entertainment, exhibitors including local authors and independent booksellers, and more.
Help support "Literacy for All" with the San Diego Council on Literacy (SDCOL)! Bring new or gently used books, appropriate for kindergarten through elementary school students, with you to the festival to donate to SDCOL. Every book will find a loving home within our local library branches, on the shelves of literacy program sites or in home libraries of local community members. Thank you kindly for your support!
Check back for more information as the event approaches, and follow us:
Subscribe
Stay up to date on the KPBS San Diego Book Festival. You may receive invitations and other communications from KPBS. You will be able to manage email preferences at any time.
Featured Authors
Explore the voices shaping today’s literary landscape at the 2025 KPBS San Diego Book Festival. New authors released each week!
Sally J. Pla - The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn
Charlie Jane Anders - Lessons in Magic and Disaster
Annalee Newitz - Stories Are Weapons and Automatic Noodle
Evelyn Diaz Cruz - Applied Theater and Gender Justice
Emily Reimer-Barry - Reproductive Justice and the Catholic Church
Author Exhibitors
Check out over 70 author exhibitors joining us this year in The Writers' Block area of the festival. Authors are listed in alphabetical order. The Writers' Block will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Laura Akers, Posh and Perilous
- Nicolette Andrews, Immortal Vow (Dragon Saga Book 5)
- Raynette Andrewsen, Letters to Zane
- Elissa Barber, Grouchy Bear, Grouchy Bear’s Home Run, and Grouchy Bear’s Adventure - Twice the Fun (bilingual)
- Loni Belle, Moo-Nay R U Monet? An Art Adventure at Charlie’s Farm
- Veranice Berry, An Egyptian Tale: Book of Thoth Vol 4
- S.G. Blaise, The Last Lumenian
- Gregg Brandalise, The Death of Us All
- Chancellor Brown, The Singularity: Day One
- Anna Bushi, Prince in Exile
- Camille Cabrera, A Very Coastal Christmas
- Bryan Cantrell, Pirates of the Wild West
- Alyssa Charpentier, A Maiden's Wish
- Lisa Cortez, The Adventures of Marie and LeeLee
- Erica Curtis, Max and the Imaginary Tree
- Timothy Dahms, Detachment November: The Unclassified Story of U.S. Navy Seabees in Diplomatic Security
- Jon Deam, Unbreakable You
- Michael Digby, Burn, Bomb, Destroy. The German Sabotage Campaign in America 1914-1917
- Lianne Downey, Jolibro Publishing
- Rocio Dresser, Life in my Father's Shadow
- Ama Eisa, Little Mousy’s Adventures: What Is Love?
- Jim Foley, Treasure Coast, A Crime Thriller
- Jennifer Gasner, My Unexpected Life: Finding Balance Beyond My Diagnosis
- Phil Graubart, Here There is No Why
- Anthony Green, I Wasn’t Afraid of the Dark Until I Became an Adult
- S.J. Greene, When Love Holidays
- Bonnie Hardy, Sit. Stay. Play Dead. Lily Rock Mystery Book 7
- MK Hart, The Comfortably Soaring Life of Cassia Sommersby
- Elisabeth Hartig Lentulo and Catherine Allen-Walters, Near the Danube Bridge
- Megan Haskell, Aether Crossed
- Horror Writers Association (HWA), San Diego Chapter
- Jacob Hubbard, Sounds of Yesterday
- Amir Issaa, This Is What I Live For: An Afro-Italian Hip-Hop Memoir
- Rita Joiner Soza & Frank H. Cruz, Straight Out of Barrio Hollywood: The Adventures of Telemundo Co-founder Frank H. Cruz
- Joel D. Joseph, Black Mondays: Worst Decisions of the Supreme Court, Inprint Books
- Catherine Kimbril, Robot And Red: Blood Bytes!
- Michael Kinnamon, A Rooftop in Jerusalem: A Novel
- Susan Krechel, The Dementia Caregivers Survival Guide
- Mandy Krogh, All I Ever Wanted
- Michael Krogh, Across the Breach
- Richard Lederer, Anguished English
- John Masiulionis, Walking Each Other Home—Zachary’s Mission: A Hospice for Children
- Tim Miller, Nine Over Par
- Gaby Moreno, The Anxious Poeta
- Melissa Moreno, dreamz of a butterfly
- Phillip Mottaz, Deadly Maybe: A Gallagher Brothers Mystery
- Michelle Nott, Teddy, Let's Go! (Enchanted Lion Books)
- Phil Oakley, Runners
- Lee Obsidian, Obake: What Lies Beyond
- William OuYang, System Upon Systems in the Bible
- Michele Palmer, I Can’t Wait! Rainy, Windy, Sunny, Snowy
- Bina M Patel, Say the Quiet Part Out Loud: Liberate Your Inner Changemaker
- Ryder Phoenix, Escape from the Swamp
- Ayan Ramanathan, Listen Up Kids! Our Climate is Changing
- David Reed, Uphill And Into The Wind, A 1970s Bike and Hike Odyssey from the Garden State to the Golden Gate
- Stacey Roberts, Anna and Reggie Rapasaurus
- Heather Ryan, That's Just 1, 2, 3
- Shugri Salh, The Last Nomad
- San Diego Writers, Ink, A Year in Ink
- Richard Sargent, The Ultimate Chick Flick Cookbook
- Debra Schmidt, The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
- Beverly Schmitt, What’s for Dinner, Bo?
- H.D. Scott, Glik's Fables Vol 1, Isle of the Charred Maiden
- Emily Silva Hockstra, Sunset Gratitude: 365 Hopeful Meditations for Peaceful and Reflective Evenings All Year Long
- Susan Stapczynski, The Wrong Side of the Flame
- Lisa Summerour, Divorce Is Not A Destination: A Path to Overcoming Heartache, Rebuilding Confidence and Living With Joy After Breakup
- Bethel Swift, Conversations with Good Men
- Susan Taylor, The Electric Picnic, Poetry for Nice People and Good Dogs
- Rob Tonkin, Asshole: A Memoir
- Carl Vonderau, Saving Myles
- Gary Wallace, Renaissance Mann
- Jasmine Walls, The Last Session: Roll For Initiative
- Molly Wauson, At Least I Wasn't Eaten by a Lion
- Tristana Webster, Table for One: A Story About the Journey to Self-love
- Risa Williams, Get Stuff Done Without the Stress and The Procrastination Playbook
- Emma and Lauren Wilson, Piper the Papillon and Her Magical Bone
- Sierra Zounes, Sagittarius: Book 1 in The Urban Oracle Series
Main Stage Performances
Emcee: Ramel Wallace, Educator, Poet and Host of “CreativeMornings, San Diego”
Opening Remarks & Land Acknowledgement
Deanna Mackey - General Manager, KPBS
Noelle Norton - Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, University of San Diego
Deanna Mackey - General Manager, KPBS
Noelle Norton - Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, University of San Diego
Young Lions Jazz Conservatory
“A Way With Words, Live!” Martha Barnett and Grant Barrett
Book Sales and Signing by Warwick’s
Book Sales and Signing by Warwick’s
Write Out Loud
Pajammin', Ziggy Marley
Book Sales and Signing by Camino Books
Introduction by Marco Werman, host of the international news program "The World" from GBH and PRX
Book Sales and Signing by Camino Books
Introduction by Marco Werman, host of the international news program "The World" from GBH and PRX
One Book, One San Diego Announcement
Julianna Zachariou, Tiny Desk Contest contestant
Poetry: San Diego Poet Laureate, Paola Capó-García, Jason Magabo Perez & Karla Cordero
Book Sales and Signing by Libélula Books & Co.
Book Sales and Signing by Libélula Books & Co.
Cooking Demo: The Great American Recipe Contestant, Waigal Safi
Moderated by Julia Dixon Evans, Arts Reporter/Host, “The Finest”
Moderated by Julia Dixon Evans, Arts Reporter/Host, “The Finest”
Closing Remarks
Youth Stage Author Story Times and Performances
Emcee: Words Alive!
Opera4Kids
Story time: Georgeanne Irvine, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Press
Book Sales and Signing by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Press
Book Sales and Signing by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Press
Story time: María Dolores Águila - Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park
Book Sales and Signing by Libélula Books & Co.
Book Sales and Signing by Libélula Books & Co.
Center for World Music: Nomsa Burkhardt, South African-born storyteller, artist, and cultural educator performing “Connecting Our Worlds Through Stories"
Story time: Susie Ghahremani, Rosemary Long Ears & Zohreh Ghahremani, Memory Garden
Book Sales and Signing by Joyride Bookshop
Book Sales and Signing by Joyride Bookshop
Story time: Devin Elle Kurtz, Bakery Dragon
Book Sales and Signing by Joyride Bookshop
Book Sales and Signing by Joyride Bookshop
Story time: Minh Lê, Built to Last
Book Sales and Signing by Joyride Bookshop
Book Sales and Signing by Joyride Bookshop
Story time: Andrea Zuill, Bob the Vampire Snail
Book Sales and Signing by Joyride Bookshop
Book Sales and Signing by Joyride Bookshop
Story time: 2025 OBOSD Kids Selection
Clifford: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Cat in the Hat: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Curious George: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Cat in the Hat: 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Curious George: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Get Involved!
Share your organization with book lovers and storytellers from across our region.*
*The sponsor interest form is closed.
*The sponsor interest form is closed.
It takes a village! Help us make the festival a success.*
*The volunteer interest form is closed.
*The volunteer interest form is closed.
Inquire about author opportunities at the 2025 festival.*
*The author interest form is closed.
*The author interest form is closed.
For many of us, our love of stories began in a library. Now it’s your turn to tell us your personal library story.
Related Events for Book Lovers
2025 One Book, One San Diego Announcement - August 23, 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Entertainment Stage, KPBS San Diego Book Festival
Verbatim Books Presents the 2025 North Park Book Fair - October, 18 North Park Mini Park
Sponsors
Many thanks to our 2025 Festival Sponsors and Partners!
Presenting Sponsor
Premier Sponsor
Endorsing Sponsor
Contributing Sponsor
Exhibiting Sponsor
Community Partners
Frequently Asked Questions
The KPBS San Diego Book Festival will take place on Saturday, August 23, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the University of San Diego campus. The event is rain or shine.
This is the inaugural KPBS San Diego Book Festival, presented by the University of San Diego. It is a free event for book lovers of all ages. Attendees will enjoy panel discussions with award-winning authors, activities, live entertainment, exhibitors including independent booksellers, and more.
As your trusted PBS and NPR station, KPBS is all about community. We’ve been sharing stories that inspire and inform for 65 years, providing locally and nationally-produced news, entertainment, educational, and lifestyle programming for all ages, as well as events and resources that help build a strong and vibrant community.
KPBS offers a number of engagement initiatives annually, with one specifically focused on celebrating reading and books.
Our One Book, One San Diego program has focused on bringing our community closer together through the shared experience of reading and discussing great books since 2007. One Book, One San Diego is our region's premier literary program, presented in partnership between KPBS and over 80 public libraries, service organizations, and educational institutions. The One Book program reaches 70,000+ people through engagement efforts and 1 million+ via radio, TV, social media and other media platforms.
Now we’re celebrating our passion for literacy and community, with a festival made for San Diego readers like you. Our newly added KPBS San Diego Book Festival will provide opportunities for locals of all ages to come together around their shared love of books, learning, and literacy.
KPBS offers a number of engagement initiatives annually, with one specifically focused on celebrating reading and books.
Our One Book, One San Diego program has focused on bringing our community closer together through the shared experience of reading and discussing great books since 2007. One Book, One San Diego is our region's premier literary program, presented in partnership between KPBS and over 80 public libraries, service organizations, and educational institutions. The One Book program reaches 70,000+ people through engagement efforts and 1 million+ via radio, TV, social media and other media platforms.
Now we’re celebrating our passion for literacy and community, with a festival made for San Diego readers like you. Our newly added KPBS San Diego Book Festival will provide opportunities for locals of all ages to come together around their shared love of books, learning, and literacy.
General admission is free. Registration is strongly encouraged. Select panels will have a small fee. The Entertainment Stage and Kids’ Stage are free with open seating and are on a first come first serve basis.
Parking on the USD campus is complimentary for the San Diego Book Festival. Trams will be available from designated parking lots.
Share your organization with book lovers and storytellers from across our region. Complete this form to explore partnership opportunities for the 2025 Festival.
*The sponsor form is now closed. Thank you!
*The sponsor form is now closed. Thank you!
It takes a village! Help us make the festival a success. Please complete this form to volunteer for the 2025 Festival.
*The volunteer form is now closed. Thank you!
*The volunteer form is now closed. Thank you!
Feel free to reach out to us at bookfestival@kpbs.org with questions or concerns.