The 15th Nantucket Book Festival has revealed its lineup of authors for the June 2026 event. Featured writers include Ann Patchett, Jenna Bush Hager, and Richard Russo among others. The festival aims to bring diverse voices to the island community.
The Nantucket Book Festival, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will take place from June 11 to 14, 2026, with a preview event featuring new Nantucket fiction on the evening of June 10. Organized by the Nantucket Book Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the four-day event offers author readings, panel discussions, and social gatherings in an informal setting that fosters conversations between writers and readers. Most events are free and located within walking distance of the ferries, making it accessible for visitors.
Featured authors include award-winning novelist Ann Patchett; Jenna Bush Hager, co-host of TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle and founder of the Read with Jenna Book Club; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Russo, known for Empire Falls; Carnegie Medal winner Ruta Sepetys, author of historical fiction and the foundation's 2025 Fall Visiting Author in Schools; Marlon James, 2015 Man Booker Prize winner for A Brief History of Seven Killings; Nicholas Boggs, best-selling author of Baldwin: A Love Story; Norah O’Donnell, award-winning journalist and author of We the Women; Belle Burden, author of Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage; Julian Brave Noisecat, author of We Survived the Night, Oscar-nominated filmmaker, champion powwow dancer, and student of Salish art and history; Patrick Ryan, author of the 2025 novel Buckeye; and Angela Flournoy, author of the 2025 novel The Wilderness.
Additional presenting authors from June 11 to 14 include Liaquat Ahamed, Dr. Joshua Bennett, Emma Brodie, Juliet Faithfull, Isaac Fitzgerald, Shannon Garvey, Julie Gerstenblatt, Alice Hoffman, Mitchell S. Jackson, Pamela Kelley, Kyleigh Leddy, Vanessa Riley, Lois Romano, Julian Sancton, Jamie Siminoff, James Sulzer, Adriana Trigiani, Rick Tulsky, John Vaillant, and Laura Zigman. A few more authors may be added in the coming weeks.
The festival's Literary Committee seeks to present diverse voices capturing the human experience and the power of literature, spanning genres like literary fiction, memoir, and biography. It has become a major summer destination for book lovers. Full event schedule and tickets for the Friday night Author Dinner presented by The White Elephant will be available in April at nantucketbookfestival.org. A complete reading list of books by participating authors is at https://nantucketbookpartners.com/list/nantucket-book-festival-2026.
The Nantucket Book Foundation runs year-round literacy programs and author events, collaborating with island educators, organizations, and businesses to promote reading and writing.
