Literary Fiction Speakers

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

Brit Bennett

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

Leila Mottley

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

Tommy Orange

Bestselling novelist and author of There There and Wandering Stars

Charles Yu

National Book Award-winning author of Interior Chinatown

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

More Literary Fiction Speakers

Elliot Ackerman

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

Omar El Akkad

Award-winning journalist and author of the debut novel American War

Geraldine Brooks

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

Ta-Nehisi Coates

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

Ingrid Rojas Contreras

Author of Fruit of the Drunken Tree and National Book Award finalist The Man Who Could Move Clouds

Ron Currie, Jr.

Author of Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles, Everything Matters! and God is Dead

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

Danielle Evans

Recipient of the National Book Foundation's 'Under 35' award and author of Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self and The Office of Historical Corrections

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

Ha Jin

National Book Award-winning novelist, international bestseller, and two-time winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

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

Critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction

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

Aaron Mahnke

Creator, writer, and producer of the hit podcast Lore

Megha Majumdar

Former Editor in Chief at Catapult and author of A Burning

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

Hisham Matar

Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Return, In the Country of Men, and My Friends

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

Celeste Ng

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

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

Ruth Ozeki

Filmmaker, novelist, and Zen Buddhist priest

Kiley Reid

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

Karen Russell

Author of the acclaimed bestseller Swamplandia! and Orange World

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

Ocean Vuong

Poet and author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Colson Whitehead

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

Hanya Yanagihara

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

Gabrielle Zevin

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

Markus Zusak

#1 New York Times- bestselling author of The Book Thief