Boston Book Festival Announces List of 2017 Presenters

Get ready to see Tom Perrotta, Dennis Lehane, and more.

Tom Perrotta Claire Messud Ben Mezrich

Images of Tom Perrotta (L) and Ben Mezrich (R) provided. Photo of Claire Messud by Ulf Andersen

Sure, it’s 75 degrees out and humid as heck, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start thinking about one of autumn’s best events: the annual Boston Book Festival. The literary bonanza takes place on October 28, and festival organizers have released an initial list of presenters. Get ready for panels from locals including Tom Perrotta, Claire Messud, and Ben Mezrich, as well as honorary local but current Angeleno Dennis Lehane.

Other attendees include oft-controversial (remember the pot candy bar?) New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd and National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson. Somehow, clearly through some kind of high tech shenanigans, both Lemony Snicket and Daniel Handler will be in attendance.

And if that list hasn’t gotten you interested, there’s also young adult author M.T. Anderson, New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik, historian Stephen Greenblatt, MSNBC anchor and author Chris Hayes, young adult author E. Lockhart, poet Eileen Myles, relationship expert Esther Perel, and novelist Dani Shapiro.

This is the 9th iteration of the festival, and you can expect more presenters to be announced over the course of the summer. Might we suggest a Massachusetts native who has a new book coming out in October?

October 28, Copley Square, bostonbookfest.org.