Schedule

For Children

Barb Rosenstock | 13:55 minutes

In "Leave It to Abigail!: The Revolutionary Life of Abigail Adams" (Little, Brown), Caldecott-winner Barb Rosenstock and artist Elizabeth Baddeley tell the story of one of the greatest founding mothers, Abigail Adams, wife and helpmeet of President John Adams, and mother of President John Quincy Adams.

Veronica Chambers | 12:39 minutes

In "Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote" (Versify), Veronica Chambers tells about the women who were at the forefront of the fight to claim their right to vote 100 years ago. That includes Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, of course, but also many others you may never have heard about and women from diverse backgrounds—Black, Asian, Latino, Native American and more.

Deborah Hopkinson | 10:35 minutes

In "Thanks to Frances Perkins: Fighter for Workers' Rights" (Peachtree), Deborah Hopkinson tells about the life of an American first, Frances Perkins, who was the first woman Cabinet member of the United States, made heroic efforts to bring about new laws to treat people better and make workplaces safer, and created our Social Security program. This year, 2020, marks the 85th anniversary of the Social Security Act. 

Chelsea Clinton | 17:13 minutes

From the former first daughter Chelsea Clinton and the illustrator Alexandra Boiger, the bestselling team behind "She Persisted," comes a new book launching at the Festival, "She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game" (Philomel), featuring women athletes who overcame all the odds and inspired the world.

Angela Dominguez | 12:16 minutes

From award-winning author-illustrator Angela Dominguez comes "Stella Díaz Never Gives Up" (Roaring Brook), a story about a shy Mexican-American girl who becomes an environmental activist and makes a difference in her community.

Kelly Yang | 16:22 minutes

Kelly Yang's "Three Keys" (Scholastic) is the sequel to the runaway hit starring Mia Tang, "Front Desk!" This time, Mia thinks she's going to have the best year ever, although 6th grade turns out to be tougher than she thought. An immigration law is looming and, if it passes, it will threaten her and everyone she cares about. But if anyone can find the key to getting through turbulent times, it's Mia Tang! Yang also has a current book for teens, "Parachutes."

Pam Muñoz Ryan | 10:40 minutes

Newbery honoree Pam Muñoz Ryan seeks to shine a light on those who help the unwanted, acting selflessly and with empathy. In "Mañanaland" (Scholastic), when Max Córdoba uncovers a buried family secret—involving an underground network of guardians who lead people fleeing a neighboring country to safety—he decides to seek answers about his missing mother on his own.

For Teens

Lucinda Robb and Rebecca Boggs Roberts | 21:01 minutes

In search of a passionate cause? Take a few tips from the suffragists who led the longest and least-known movements in American history in Lucinda Robb and Rebecca Boggs Roberts' new book, "The Suffragist Playbook: Your Guide to Changing the World" (Candlewick).

Tonya Bolden | 9:53 minutes

Award-winning Tonya Bolden tells of Black women who have changed the world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in America, including groundbreaking computer scientists, doctors, inventors, physicists, pharmacists, mathematicians, aviators and more. Her book, "Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM" (Abrams), celebrates more than 50 women who have shattered the glass ceiling, defied racial discrimination and been pioneers in their fields.

For Adults: Memoir

Madeleine Albright | 40:13 minutes

Six-time New York Times bestselling author and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright—one of the world's most admired and tireless public servants—reflects on the final stages of one's career. Her recent book is "Hell and Other Destinations: A 21st-Century Memoir" (Harper). Interview with David Rubenstein.

The Examined Self | 28:53 minutes

Carmen Maria Machado, "In the Dream House: A Memoir" (Graywolf), joins Elizabeth Tallent, "Scratched: A Memoir of Perfectionism" (Harper), in a conversation about their respective memoirs and the experience of delving deep into their pasts to better understand themselves. Machado's memoir is an engrossing and innovative account of a relationship gone bad; Tallent's memoir is equally innovative, dwelling on the ferocious desire for perfection that has shaped her writing as well as her surprising personal life. Moderated by Colleen Shogan, senior vice president and director of the David Rubenstein Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association and vice chair of the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission.

Haben Girma | 18:35 minutes

"Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law" (Twelve) is the incredible life story of Haben Girma, the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, and her journey from isolation to extraordinary accomplishment. Girma's advocacy for people with disabilities won her the Helen Keller Achievement Award as well as praise from President Obama, who named her White House Champion of Change.

For Adults: Women's Empowerment

Erica Armstrong Dunbar | 30:25 minutes

Erica Armstrong Dunbar's "She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman" (37 Ink) is a lively, informative and illustrated tribute to an American heroine whose fearlessness and activism still resonate today. Filled with rare outtakes of commentary, an expansive timeline of Tubman's life, photos and commissioned illustrations, the book is a stunning and powerful mix of pop culture and scholarship.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar | 46:47 minutes

Gail Collins, "No Stopping Us Now: The Adventures of Older Women in American History" (Little, Brown), appears in conversation with Megan Twohey, "She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement" (Penguin). Collins, a columnist and the first woman editorial page editor of The New York Times, gives us a lively, eye-opening look at women and aging in America, while Twohey—a Pulitzer Prize winner for the Times's Harvey Weinstein story—tells the disturbing story of the Weinstein investigation and its consequences for the #MeToo movement. Moderated by Anna Laymon, executive director of the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission.

Melinda Gates | 30:32 minutes

For the past 20 years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down. Her new book is "The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World" (Flatiron). Interview with David Rubenstein.

Parenting for Success | 30:02 minutes

Judith Warner, "And Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Making Sense of Middle School" (Crown), appears in conversation with Esther Wojcicki, "How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Wojcicki, the "Godmother of Silicon Valley," legendary teacher and mother of a "Super Family," shares her tried-and-tested methods for raising happy, healthy, successful children, while Warner reveals why a child's middle school years are so painful and how parents unwittingly make them worse. Moderated by the Library of Congress's director of education, Lee Ann Potter.

For Adults: Poetry & Fiction

Poets Laureate on Connection | 31:04 minutes

Rita Dove, "Collected Poems: 1974-2004" (Norton) speaks with Joy Harjo, "An American Sunrise: Poems" (Norton). Dove was the first African American Poet Laureate of the United States (1993-1995), and Harjo is the current U.S. Poet Laureate and the first Native American to serve in the position. Here they share remembrances of their time as students together and discuss changes in our culture and literature since.

Joy Harjo | 6:16 minutes

Joy Harjo is the 23rd and current United States Poet Laureate—the first Native American to receive the honor. A member of the Muskogee (Creek) nation, her most recent poetry collection is "An American Sunrise: Poems" (Norton), from which she here reads the poem "Running." Her recent anthology is "When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry" (Norton).

Kali Fajardo-Anstine | 14:14 minutes

Latinas of Indigenous descent living in the American West take center stage in "Sabrina & Corina" (One World), a haunting debut story collection from Kali Fajardo-Anstine—a powerful meditation on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands. This book was a National Book Award finalist in 2019.

Mary Robinette Kowal | 22:14 minutes

Mary Robinette Kowal continues her Hugo and Nebula award-winning Lady Astronaut series with "The Relentless Moon: A Lady Astronaut Novel" (Tor), following "The Calculating Stars" and "The Fated Sky." In this novel, planet Earth is reaching the boiling point, a meteor has left its mark and Elma York is on her way to Mars, even as political turmoil threatens her mission.