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New York, NY (August 26, 2026) – The National Book Foundation today announced its fall NBF Presents lineup of 15 events taking place in five states—Florida, Louisiana, New York, Oregon, and Texas—and online from September through November 2026. NBF Presents, the moniker for all the Foundation’s public programs, connects readers of all ages across the United States with National Book Foundation–honored authors, translators, and their books. NBF Presents is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. This fall season will be presented alongside new and long-standing partners, with select in-person events streamed online or recorded at no cost to attendees, and culminating with the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony.
Authors confirmed to appear at this fall’s NBF Presents events have been honored by the National Book Foundation through the National Book Awards and 5 Under 35, including Hannah Lillith Assadi, Derrick Barnes, Anelise Chen, Ben Fountain, T. Geronimo Johnson, Grace Krilanovich, Esther Lin, Kelly Lytle Hernández, Sam Sax, and Nilo Tabrizy, as well as soon-to-be-announced 2026 National Book Award Longlisters. Recognized moderators include university chancellor Dr. Elizabeth M. Beard, author and investigative journalist Delaney Nolan, and Inprint Executive Director Giuseppe Taurino.
“Each season of NBF Presents represents our sustained commitment to building community through books and reading,” said Ruth Dickey, Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. “We are thrilled to collaborate with our local partners to provide readers across the country access to engaging conversations with the writers and translators of today’s most exceptional literature.”
The Foundation’s national public programs are co-presented and co-curated with book festivals, cultural and performing arts centers, literary arts nonprofits, two- and four-year colleges and universities, and public libraries. The events presented this fall will explore the intersection of individuality and community, personal and historical contexts for global movements, the humor and heart of Southern storytelling, and what it means to build a life around books. Events will be curated alongside returning partners at the Brooklyn Book Festival, Hay Festival Forum Dallas, Literary Arts’ Portland Book Festival, the NYU Creative Writing Program, the Miami Book Fair, and Sam Houston State University. This season, events will also be presented in collaboration with new partners at the Louisiana Book Festival and Rapides Parish Library.
“The National Book Foundation has given the Rapides Parish Library and the community we serve a truly extraordinary opportunity,” said Celise A. Reech-Harper, Director of the Rapides Parish Library. “It is an honor to welcome acclaimed authors Ben Fountain and T. Geronimo Johnson to central Louisiana and provide our community with the chance to hear their insights firsthand. Opportunities such as this one remind us that books have the power to spark understanding, inspire conversation, and bring people together in meaningful ways.”
The fall 2026 season of NBF Presents culminates with a week-long celebration of to-be-announced 2026 National Book Award honorees. On Tuesday, November 17, the National Book Foundation hosts Teens Read the 2026 National Book Awards, an in-person event for New York City–area middle and high school students featuring conversation, readings, Q&As, and book signings with the 2026 National Book Award Finalists for Young People’s Literature. That evening marks the annual Finalist Reading, which gathers all 2026 National Book Award Finalists to read excerpts from their honored works, presented in partnership with the NYU Creative Writing Program at NYU Skirball. On Wednesday, November 18, the Winners of the 2026 National Book Awards will be revealed live at the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony. Teens Read, the 2026 Finalist Reading, and the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony will be livestreamed for free for readers everywhere via the Foundation’s website.
Following the Awards Ceremony on November 18th, 2026, Longlisters, Finalists, and Winners will travel to the Miami Book Fair for Teens Read the 2026 National Book Awards – Miami, genre breakout panels, and a one-of-a-kind showcase featuring the 2026 National Book Award honorees alongside Executive Director Ruth Dickey for rapid-fire readings, Q&A, and celebration.
The full list of confirmed fall NBF Presents events can be found below with additional details and registration information soon. For the most up-to-date NBF Presents calendar, please visit the Foundation’s website. Events are free unless otherwise noted, but tickets are limited, and readers are encouraged to RSVP directly at the Foundation or partner website as directed to secure a spot.
Sunday, September 27, Time TBA
In-Person & Recorded | Brooklyn, NY
Brooklyn Book Festival
NBF Presents: Returning to the Page
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.
Thursday, October 15, 5:00pm CDT
In-Person & Recorded | Huntsville, TX
Sam Houston State University
NBF Presents: Points of View
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.
Saturday, October 17, 12:00pm CDT
In-Person | Dallas, TX
Hay Festival Forum Dallas
NBF Presents: The Heart of Nonfiction
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.
Thursday, October 29, 6:30pm CDT
In-Person | Alexandria, LA
Rapides Parish Library
NBF Presents: Southern Storytelling
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.
Saturday, October 31, Time TBA
In-Person & Recorded | Baton Rouge, LA
Louisiana Book Festival
NBF Presents: Southern Satire
In their new novels, 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.
Saturday, November 7, Time TBA
In-Person & Recorded | Portland, OR
Literary Arts’ Portland Book Festival
NBF Presents: An Afternoon with the National Book Awards
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!
Tuesday, November 17, 11:00am EST
In-Person & Livestreamed | New York, NY
Symphony Space
Teens Read the 2026 National Book Awards
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.
Tuesday, November 17, 7:00pm EST
In-Person & Livestreamed | New York, NY
NYU Creative Writing Program
2026 National Book Awards Finalist Reading
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.
Wednesday, November 18, 8:00pm EST
In-Person & Livestreamed | New York, NY
77th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner
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 free for readers everywhere.
Friday, November 20, 10:00am EST
In-Person | Miami, FL
Miami Book Fair
Teens Read the 2026 National Book Awards – Miami
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.
Saturday, November 21, All Day
In-Person | Miami, FL
Miami Book Fair
NBF Presents at the Miami Book Fair
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!
Saturday, November 21, Time TBA
In-Person & Livestreamed | Miami, FL
Miami Book Fair
NBF Presents: Lightning Round with the 2026 National Book Awards
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!
For event locations and additional details, please visit www.nationalbook.org or the websites of any of our partners.
