BookCon returns to the Javits Center this weekend with more than 150 authors participating in panels, book signings and meet and greets.
Since it’s impossible to see all the storytelling and pop culture celebration provides, here’s a rundown of some of the top panels scheduled to take place, which are first-come, first-served.
SATURDAY
Novel Suspects 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., room 1E14
This year BookCon responded to demands for more mystery/thriller programming with panels such as this one, featuring powerhouses of the genre: David Baldacci (“End Game”), Sandra Brown (“Seeing Red”), Walter Mosley (“Down the River Unto the Sea”) and Brad Meltzer (“The Escape Artist”) and moderated by Megan Abbott (“You Will Know Me” and HBO’s “The Deuce”), who will share insights like what it’s like to “spend so much time thinking about murder.”
LBGTQ+ Authors on Gender and Identity in Science Fiction and Fantasy 12:45-1:30 p.m., room 1E16
BookCon also saw a demand for more science fiction programing, and responded in kind with this panel featuring Charlie Jane Anders (“All the Birds in the Sky”), Seth Dickinson (“The Traitor Baru Cormorant” and forthcoming “The Monster Baru Cormorant”), S.L. Huang (“Zero Sum Game”) and V.E. Schwab (“Shades of Magic”), who will discuss how identity factors into their world-building.
Abbi Jacobson 2:45 p.m.-3:30 p.m., room 1E12/1E13/1E14
You may know her from one-half of “Broad City,” but Jacobson is also an accomplished illustrator and bestselling author (“Carry This Book”). She discusses her work and future projects, like her new book, “I Might Regret This,” out in October, with Mashable books editor M.J. Franklin.
Social Justice Warriors 3-3:45 p.m., room 1E10
YA fans will want to head to this panel, with will have big names in the genre who explore social justice in their works. Participants include Jason Reynolds (“Long Way Down,” “Track” series), Angie Thomas (“The Hate U Give”), Jacqueline Woodson (“Brown Girl Dreaming”) and DeRay Mckesson (the forthcoming “On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope,” host of “Pod Save the People”), in a conversation moderated by author Kwame Alexander.
Chuck Palahniuk 3:45-4:30 p.m., room 1E14
It’s all about the celebrated “Fight Club” author at this event, as Palahniuk discusses his first novel in four years, “Adjustment Day,” released earlier this month, in this solo panel.
SUNDAY
President Bill Clinton and James Patterson 11-11:45 a.m., main stage
Their “The President is Missing” book signing may be sold out, but you can still catch the former president and his fiction collaborator in this main stage event, in which they’ll discuss their forthcoming thriller, out June 4.
“Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel”12:15-1 p.m., room 1E10
Whether or not you’ve seen the Tony Award-winning musical, you can get an inside look at the production with this panel with the show’s creators, songwriting team Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and book writer Steven Levenson, who collaborated on the adaptation coming out this fall with writer Val Emmich. All four will be in a discussion moderated by MTV News entertainment editor Crystal Bell.
Romance and the Resistance 1:30-2:15 p.m., room 1E16
See how the #MeToo movement has influenced writers in the romance genre in this panel featuring novelists Sarah MacLean, K.M. Jackson, Aya de Léon and Roni Loren, moderated by Tina Jordan of The New York Times Book Review.
BookCon is Saturday and Sunday at the Javits Center, 655 W. 34th St., tickets from $30/adults, $10/ages 6-12 at thebookcon.com
