Fiction + Literary Speakers

Our thought-provoking fiction and literary author speakers are masters of craft, innovation, and storytelling. They connect with audiences to provide an intimate glimpse into their writing process and inspiration.

Geraldine Brooks

Author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning March and the international bestselling People of the Book

Celeste Ng

Author of the New York Times bestseller Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere

Tommy Orange

MacArthur Fellow, bestselling novelist and author of There There and Wandering Stars

Ocean Vuong

MacArthur Fellow and New York Times-bestselling author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and Oprah's Book Club pick The Emperor of Gladness

Colson Whitehead

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys

More Fiction + Literary Speakers

Elliot Ackerman

International relations expert, bestselling novelist, journalist, and U.S. Marine Corps Veteran

Rumaan Alam

Bestselling author and National Book Award-finalist

Brit Bennett

Novelist of National Book Award nominated, New York Times-bestselling The Vanishing Half, and National Book Foundation 2016 5 Under 35 Honoree

Caro Claire Burke

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Yesteryear and co-host of Diabolical Lies podcast

Ta-Nehisi Coates

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Between the World and Me and The Message

Vinson Cunningham

Pulitzer Prize finalist, staff writer and theatre critic at The New Yorker, author

Hernan Diaz

Pulitzer Prize winning author of Trust and In the Distance

Junot Díaz

Author of New York Times bestsellers The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and This is How You Lose Her; winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Jennifer Egan

Author of The Candy House and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad

Nathan Englander

Finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in fiction and author of Dinner at the Center of the Earth and kaddish.com

Percival Everett

Author of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning novel James

Karen Joy Fowler

Award-winning and bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club and We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves

Lauren Groff

National Book Award finalist and bestselling author of Fates and Furies and Matrix

Tess Gunty

National Book Award-winning author of The Rabbit Hutch

Yaa Gyasi

Author of Homegoing and Transcendent Kingdom, and recipient of the National Book Foundation's 'Under 35' award

Mohsin Hamid

Bestselling author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, and Exit West

Carl Hiaasen

Bestselling novelist, Newbery Honor winner, and former Miami Herald columnist

Rachel Khong

Award-winning author of Goodbye, Vitamin and Real Americans

Phil Klay

U.S. Marine Corps veteran and author of Redeployment, winner of 2014 National Book Award for Fiction

Jean Kwok

Award-winning author of Girl in Translation

Ariel Lawhon

New York Times bestselling historical fiction author of The Frozen River

Chang-rae Lee

New York Times-bestselling author of The Surrendered and Native Speaker

Kelly Link

MacArthur “Genius Grant” fellow, writer of celebrated short stories and The Book of Love

E. Lockhart

New York Times-bestselling author of We Were Liars and inventor of DC Comics superhero Whistle

Rebecca Makkai

Author of Pulitzer Prize-finalist The Great Believers and I Have Some Questions for You

Yann Martel

Author of the Man Booker Prize-winning Life of Pi and New York Times bestseller Beatrice and Virgil

Dinaw Mengestu

Named one of The New Yorker "20 Under 40" writers to watch and author of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and How to Read the Air

Tara Menon

Associate professor of English at Harvard University and author of Under Water

Leila Mottley

Award-winning author of Oprah’s Book Club selection Nightcrawling and former Youth Poet Laureate of Oakland

Sigrid Nunez

Author of the 2018 National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller, The Friend

Stewart O’Nan

Bestselling novelist of Last Night at the Lobster, The Odds, Emily, Alone, and Henry, Himself

Delia Owens

#1 New York Times-bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing and wildlife scientist

Kiley Reid

Author of Come and Get It and instant New York Times-bestseller Such a Fun Age

Karen Russell

MacArthur winner and bestselling author of Swamplandia!, Orange World, and The Antidote

Dani Shapiro

Bestselling author of Hourglass and Inheritance, host of the Family Secrets podcast.

Gary Shteyngart

New York Times-bestselling author of Little Failure, Super Sad True Love Story, Absurdistan, and Our County Friends

Cheryl Strayed

Author of the #1 New York Times-bestselling memoir Wild and "Dear Sugar" columnist

Elizabeth Strout

Author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kitteridge and New York Times bestsellers My Name is Lucy Barton, Tell Me Everything, and more

Hanya Yanagihara

Bestselling author of A Little Life and To Paradise and editor in chief of T

Nicola Yoon

#1 New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist

Charles Yu

National Book Award-winning author of Interior Chinatown

Michelle Zauner

Frontwoman of Japanese Breakfast and author of New York Times bestselling Crying in H Mart

Gabrielle Zevin

New York Times-bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

C Pam Zhang

Novelist of How Much of These Hills is Gold and Land of Milk and Honey, and a National Book Foundation 2020 "5 Under 35" Honoree

Markus Zusak

#1 New York Times- bestselling author of The Book Thief
Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau