The National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 prize recognizes debut fiction authors at the beginning of their careers, signaling writers to watch and read for years to come. Join past honorees—all with recent releases—Hannah Lillith Assadi (Sonora, 2018 5 Under 35 honoree; Paradiso 17), Anelise Chen (So Many Olympic Exertions, 2019 5 Under 35 honoree; Clam Down: A Metamorphosis), and Grace Krilanovich (The Orange Eats Creeps, 2010 5 Under 35 honoree; Acid Green Velvet) for readings and conversation on receiving early recognition, returning to the page, and building a life in and around books.

Moderated by Natalie Green, Director of Programs & Partnerships at the National Book Foundation.

Presented in partnership with the Brooklyn Book Festival.

The National Book Foundation returns to Sam Houston State University for an annual celebration of National Book Award–honored authors. Derrick Barnes (The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze, 2025 Young People’s Literature Longlister; Victory. Stand!: Raising My Fist for Justice, 2022 Young People’s Literature Finalist), Esther Lin (Cold Thief Place, 2025 Poetry Longlister), and Sam Sax (Yr Dead, 2024 Fiction Longlister) will gather for readings and conversation on the meaning of individuality, community, and artmaking across fiction, poetry, and young people’s literature.

Moderated by Giuseppe Taurino, writer, editor, and Executive Director of Inprint.

Presented in partnership with Sam Houston State University, and sponsored by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the MFA Program in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing.

The nonfiction works of National Book Award honorees Kelly Lytle Hernández (Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands, 2022 Nonfiction Longlist; and most recently, Racist by Design: Two Centuries of U.S. Immigration Control) and Nilo Tabrizy (For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran’s Women-Led Uprising, 2025 Nonfiction Longlist) offer historical—and sometimes personal—contexts fueling present-day US immigration policies and global movements. Join the authors for readings and conversation about fusing research, reporting, and identity, from the 1791 Haitian Revolution to the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran.

Moderated by Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation.

Presented in partnership with Hay Festival Forum Dallas.

Join National Book Award–honored authors Ben Fountain (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, 2012 Fiction Finalist; Rasputin Swims the Potomac) and T. Geronimo Johnson (Welcome to Braggsville, 2015 Fiction Finalist; The Occidental Book of the Dead) to celebrate their new 2026 releases—two books that tackle the contradictions and nuances of the South, and the nation, with humor and heart. The authors will read from their books and gather for a conversation on how and why Southern stories connect with readers everywhere.

Moderated by Dr. Elizabeth M. Beard, Chancellor of Louisiana State University of Alexandria.

Free copies of the authors’ books will be distributed to attendees while supplies last.

Presented in partnership with the Rapides Parish Library.

Register here.

Join National Book Award–honored authors Ben Fountain (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, 2012 Fiction Finalist; Rasputin Swims the Potomac) and T. Geronimo Johnson (Welcome to Braggsville, 2015 Fiction Finalist; The Occidental Book of the Dead) play with language and humor to expose the most astonishing, horrifying, and honest parts of present-day American life. Join the authors for readings and conversation on deploying satire to get closer to truth, both for themselves as writers and for their readers.

Moderated by Delaney Nolan, investigative journalist and author of Happy Bad.

Presented in partnership with the Louisiana Book Festival.

The National Book Foundation returns to the Portland Book Festival to celebrate National Book Award honorees ahead of the 77th National Book Awards on Wednesday, November 18.

The to-be-revealed authors will join Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation, on stage for readings and conversation.

Presented in partnership with Literary Arts’ Portland Book Festival. Full lineup to be announced soon!

The day before the National Book Awards, the Finalists in Young People’s Literature come together for a conversation and question-and-answer session with New York City’s middle and high school students. For more information, please visit nationalbook.org/teens-read.

Registration for the in-person event and the livestream will open on Monday, September 21.

Each year, the National Book Award Finalists in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature gather the evening before the National Book Awards Ceremony to read excerpts from their honored works. Doors open at 6:30pm, and the program begins at 7:00pm EST. The event is livestreamed at nationalbook.org/awards for readers everywhere.

Presented in partnership with the NYU Creative Writing Program. Purchase in-person tickets via NYU Skirball’s box office, and register for the livestream via Eventbrite.

Join in the celebration of the 77th National Book Awards! Tune in to the Awards Ceremony for the live announcement of the 2026 Winners of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, Translated Literature, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction, as well as the presentation of the Foundation’s two lifetime achievement awards. While the in-person event is invite-only, the Ceremony is livestreamed for readers everywhere—register to watch at nationalbook.org/awards.

The 2026 National Book Award–honored authors in Young People’s Literature visit the Miami Book Fair to share from and about their books, and answer questions from Miami-Dade County students.

Presented in partnership with the Miami Book Fair. For more information and to RSVP, contact Amelia Badri at abadri@mdc.edu.

Each fall, the Miami Book Fair invites the authors and translators of 50 National Book Award Longlisted titles to gather in Miami following the National Book Awards Ceremony in New York. Throughout Saturday, National Book Award Longlisters, Finalists, and Winners gather for breakout panels by genre to read from and discuss their work and why books matter.

Events will be moderated by National Book Foundation staff and are presented in partnership with the Miami Book Fair. Full lineup to be announced soon!

Everyone’s favorite grand slam event is back at the Miami Book Fair! For 13 years and counting, the Miami Book Fair and National Book Foundation have joined together to present the biggest in-person showcase of National Book Award–honored authors anywhere in the country.

2026 honorees across all five National Book Award categories (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature) will share rapid-fire readings from their recognized works and be interviewed by the National Book Foundation’s Executive Director, Ruth Dickey.

Presented in partnership with the Miami Book Fair. Full lineup to be announced soon!