Summer is almost here, and with it comes the end of an exciting slate of spring events for Alta Journal, from issue parties to bookseller conferences to high-energy festival weekends. To close out this successful season, Alta spent this past Sunday with the folks of Berkeley, enjoying gorgeous weather and meeting authors, readers, and community members at the 10th annual Bay Area Book Festival.
The Bay Area Book Festival featured two days of enriching literary events, among them panels with Alta contributors including José Vadi, Greg Sarris, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Jane Hirshfield, Faith Adiele, Charlie Jane Anders, Lauren Markham, and many more. On Sunday, Alta dedicated the day to the fest’s outdoor book fair, which hosts literary establishments and organizations from around the Bay Area. Gathered in one place, book festival visitors found their next great read, explored residency and writing programs, and connected with fellow literature fans. Oriented around four outdoor stages bustling with book events, this year’s book fair was particularly lively.
“Alta Journal has been attending the Bay Area Book Festival since we launched in 2017—and it’s always a great time. What a treat to get to spend a sunny day in Berkeley connecting with the festival’s enthusiastic and curious attendees, catching up with so many of our local contributors, and continuing to build our Bay Area literary community,” Alta’s digital editor and head of events, Beth Spotswood, said. “I especially loved this year’s four outdoor stages, beautifully integrated with the rest of the fair. 10/10. Recommend.”
One of the many values of events like this is Alta’s opportunity to expand our ever-growing community in person, meeting up with subscribers, contributors, friends from previous festivals and events, and those who Zoom in to our regular digital event programming. Writers and friends of the magazine such as Vadi, Adiele, Kate Gale, Keenan Norris, and Markham stopped by to chat with editors and meet new members. And one booklover had an especially great time, winning our giveaway of a $100 gift card to local independent bookseller Books Inc.
Thank you to all who came by the booth and enjoyed Berkeley’s book scene with us. Stay up-to-date on all of Alta’s upcoming events at altaonline.com/events. We’ll see you at the next one! •
