Across fiction and memoir, National Book Award–honored authors Laila Lalami (The Other Americans, 2019 Fiction Finalist; and The Dream Hotel) and Deborah Jackson Taffa (Whiskey Tender, 2024 Nonfiction Finalist) explore the borders of the US, of artificial intelligence, and of our shared histories—and our futures. Join Lalami and Taffa for readings and conversation on creating community, and how they write what comes next for characters and readers alike.

Moderated by Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, and presented in partnership with Bookmarks Festival.