Frank Gehry, Tom Perrotta, and More Announced for 2016 Boston Book Festival

Room author Emma Donoghue will also be appearing.

MIT Stata Center

Photo of the Stata Center by Margaret Burdge

The annual October literary extravaganza that is the Boston Book Festival is starting to take shape: We now know who some of the featured presenters will be. Leading off the events is Emma Donoghue, who is the official kick-off presenter. Donoghue, who is best known as the author of Room (which you may have seen, well, everywhere during Academy Awards season earlier this year because of the acclaimed film adaptation starring Brie Larson), will be there to discuss a new book, The Wonder, which takes place in rural Ireland.

She’ll be joined by Boston-based Tom Perrotta, author of Election, Little Children, and The Leftovers, which was adapted by HBO as a TV series a few years ago. Maria Semple, author of comic novel Where’d You Go Bernadette, will also be appearing to discuss her new book, Today Will Be Different, which incorporates a twelve page graphic novel.

On the nonfiction side, Susan Faludi will be the memoir keynote presenter. Her latest is In the Darkroom, which dives into her relationship with her transgender father. Of particular note to architecture fans: Frank Gehry will be appearing as well. His design for the Stata Center on the MIT campus has become a vital stop for anyone interested in modern design in the city.

Other speakers include young adult author Kami Garcia, Boston Globe art critic Sebastian Smee, science writer James Gleick, children’s author Jon Klassen, and novelist Colson Whitehead. Additional panels and guests will be announced later in the year.