Concord Festival of Authors 2024
For 32 years, the Concord Festival of Authors (CFA) has celebrated the written and spoken word throughout the town of historic Concord, Massachusetts. Every October, the CFA collaboratively honors the narrative arts by featuring dozens of literary and performative programs, the majority of which are free to the public. This year's festival will run from October 17 to October 30 in locations around Concord. This year features Keynote Speaker Rajani LaRocca “Connections: Four Books, Four Connections, and the Stories They Inspired” on Thursday, October 17, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. in the Goodwin Forum, Main Library.
Below are the Concord Festival of Authors events affiliated with the Concord Free Public Library. All events are sponsored by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and/or the Concord Free Public Library Corporation unless otherwise indicated. Free admission. [Visit the Festival Website]
Keynote Speaker Rajani LaRocca
Thursday, October 17 at 5:30 p.m., Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Join us as we kick off the 2024 Concord Festival of Authors with Newbery Honor-winning author Rajani LaRocca!.
The 2024 Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award for Excellence in American History Winner Jacqueline Jones
Saturday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m., Goodwin Forum, Main Library
The 2024 Miller Award will be presented to Historian Jacqueline Jones, winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in History for "No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston's Black Workers in the Civil War Era". Free and open to all.
Poetry At The Library: Andrea Cohen and Heather Treseler
Sunday, October 20 at 3:00 p.m., Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Join us for an in-person afternoon with award-winning poets Andrea Cohen and Heather Treseler who will read and engage in a Q & A about their inspirations and craft.
Richard Higgins Author Talk
Wednesday, October 23 at 6:00 p.m., Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Local author Richard Higgins will give a talk on his new book Thoreau’s God.
Breakfast with the Authors
Saturday, October 26 at 8:30 AM, Colonial Inn, Concord, MA
This event features Steve Almond, Crystal King and Margot Livesey, and will be moderated by Suzanne Koven, MD. Tickets are available on the Festival website and at the Barrow Bookstore in early October.
The Leslie Riedel Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature
Sunday, October 27 at 3:00 p.m., Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Cartoonist Lincoln Peirce, author of the Big Nate series, will be honored with the 12th annual Leslie Riedel Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature for his impressive body of literary work for young people. Sponsored by the Concord Free Public Library Corporation.
Mystery Night 2024
Monday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m., Goodwin Forum, Main Library
The CFA 2024 Mystery Night panelists include Gary Braver, Joanna Schaffhausen and James W. Ziskin, and will be moderated by local author Kate Flora.
Natalie Dykstra Author Talk
Tuesday, October 29 at 6:00 p.m., Goodwin Forum, Main Library
Join author Natalie Dykstra for an illustrated talk on her new book Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner.
Fowler Afoot Book Club with Author Jean Duffy
Wednesday, October 30 at 10:00 a.m., Fowler Branch
For October, Jean Duffy will join Fowler Afoot to discuss her book, Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World.
The Joel Meyerson Annual Lecture Series
Wednesday, October 30 at 6:00 p.m., Goodwin Forum, Main Library
"The scrolls of the past burn my fingers": Reviving Margaret Fuller in the Library of America and Edinburgh Editions. Presented by Professors Brigitte Bailey (University of New Hampshire), Leslie Eckel (Suffolk University), and Megan Marshall (Emerson College). Sponsored by the Concord Free Public Library Corporation.
