Join us for the third annual literary celebration founded by Adelphi alumna and novelist Alice Hoffman, headlined this year by New York Times best-selling authors Susan Lucci and Jodi Picoult.
Celebrate the joy of storytelling. Come to Adelphi for three days of book talk at the 2026 Writers & Readers Festival, Wednesday–Friday, April 15–17.
- It’s a novel event, with:
- Susan Lucci, the star of daytime television’s All My Children, in an opening-night keynote conversation about her new memoir, La Lucci, with best selling author Adriana Trigiani
- Jodi Picoult and Alice Hoffman in a keynote conversation about writing, reading and the power of storytelling in a time of book bans
- Alice Hoffman shares heartwarming stories with contributors to her upcoming anthology, The Best Dog in the World: Essays on Love, moderated by bestselling author Julie Klam
- Musical director Tim Weil discusses the landmark musical by Adelphi alum Jonathan Larson ’82, the subject of his new book, Making Rent: The Story Behind the Music That Changed Broadway
- Novelist and memoirist Darcey Steinke and science writer Michael Rossi talk about their new books, which explore the impact of fake science and superstition
- A look at the career of Zora Neale Hurston, with Patrik Henry Bass, executive editor of Amistad Books, an imprint devoted to the works of Black writers
- Joan Silber, Ed Park and Luis Jaramillo discuss the art of time in fiction
- Novelists Fiona Davis, Ann Leary and Alyson Richman discuss the craft of writing historical fiction
- Featured faculty author Marcos Gonsalez, PhD, on his award-winning novel Pedro’s Theory
- Best Selling Novelists Jessica Knoll and Alice Hoffman talk about the writer-editor relationship with Marysue Rucci, publisher of Scribner Books
Featured Authors
Join these celebrated writers in this year’s keynote conversations.
Photo Credit: Justice Apple
Susan Lucci
Susan Lucci is an Emmy Award-winning actress and New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and advocate for women’s heart health. The most famous actress in the history of daytime television, she is known to generations of fans for her vivid portrayal of Erica Kane on ABC-TV’s All My Children. She later starred on Broadway in Annie Get Your Gun and in the television dramas Devious Maids and Deadly Affairs. Her new memoir, La Lucci, an instant New York Times bestseller, is a follow-up to her 2011autobiography, All My Life, which reached No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Photo Credit: Tim Llewellyn
Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels, including By Any Other Name, Mad Honey (co-authored with Jennifer Finney Boylan), Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with her daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Her work is celebrated not only for its emotional depth and meticulous research but also for tackling complex moral and ethical issues with nuance and compassion. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband.
Festival Schedule
All events will take place in the Ruth S. Harley University Center on the Adelphi campus, except where noted.
Wednesday, April 15
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 7:00pm | An Evening With Susan Lucci Performing Arts Center Concert Hall |
Thursday, April 16
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 9:30am | The MFA and First Books: Puja Shah ’03 and Robin Boyle-Laisure |
| 11:00am | Keynote Conversation: Jodi Picoult and Alice Hoffman |
| 1:30pm | Historical Fiction Panel: Ann Leary, Alyson Richman, Fiona Davis |
| 1:30pm | Making Rent: Tim Weil and Jennifer Tepper |
| 3:00pm | The Best Dog in the World: Alice Hoffman, Ann Leary, Laura Zigman, Julie Klam |
| 4:30pm | Poetry: The Voice on the Page: Ed Mabrey, Emily Lee Luan |
Friday, April 17
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 9:30am | The Editor/Author Relationship: Alice Hoffman, Jessica Knoll and Marysue Rucci |
| 11:00am | Publishing Panel: Elizabeth Mitchell, Catherine Tung and Courtney Paganelli |
| 1:30pm | Science and Superstition: Darcey Steinke, Michael Rossi |
| 1:30pm | Faculty Conversation: Marcos Gonsalez |
| 3:00pm | Fiction and the Art of Time: Joan Silber, Luis Jamarillo, Ed Park |
| 4:30pm | Amistad: Zora Neale Hurston and The Life of Herod the Great |
| 4:30pm | High School Poetry Contest Awards |
| 5:00 pm | Closing Reception |
Photos from the 2025 Writers & Readers Festival
The annual celebration founded by Adelphi alumna and novelist Alice Hoffman ’73, ’02 (Hon.), welcomed approximately 400 guests for two days of workshops, panel discussions and addresses by bestselling authors. Launch Gallery
Photos from the 2025 Writers & Readers Festival
The annual celebration founded by Adelphi alumna and novelist Alice Hoffman ’73, ’02 (Hon.), welcomed approximately 400 guests for two days of workshops, panel discussions and addresses by bestselling authors. 10 Photos-
Adelphi University’s 2025 Writers & Readers Festival convened on April 9-10, providing opportunities for attendees to participate in moderated discussions, book signings and networking.
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The festival kicked off with a lively keynote conversation, moderated by author Adriana Trigiani, with award-winning actress Sarah Jessica Parker and her mother, Barbara Forste.
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Audience members included students, aspiring authors, book lovers, and industry insiders.
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Senior adjunct faculty member Rob Linne, PhD (left) led a discussion on banned books, featuring panelists (from left): Nicole Melleby, Robin Gow MFA ‘20 and Coe Booth.
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Best-selling author Adriana Trigiani signs her most recent book, View from Lake Como.
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Festival founder Alice Hoffman (Practical Magic) and Lisa Genova (Still Alice) participated in the “Book to Film: Behind the Scenes” panel discussion moderated by Ann Leary (The Good House).
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Lise Olsen, author of The Scientist and the Serial Killer, discusses her process with current MFA student, Chee Gates.
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Alvin Hall (left) speaks with current MFA student Ed Mabrey about Hall’s book Driving the Green Book.
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Raisa Tolchinsky showcased her Public Poetry Project, where she turned a single line suggested by an attendee into an original poem.
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Festival attendees enjoyed having the questions answered during the Q&A portion of the moderated panels.
Thank you for helping to bring writers and readers together to celebrate our shared love for literature and the magic of the stories that change our lives.
Alice Hoffman ’73, ’02 (Hon.),
New York Times bestselling author
2025 Festival Recap
Authors and speakers who shared their stories about the art of writing included award-winning actress Sarah Jessica Parker, Adriana Trigiani, Ann Leary, Elinor Lipman, Jennifer Baker, Matthew Klam, Lisa Genova, Alvin Hall, Lee Woodruff, Laura Zigman, and founder of the festival, Alice Hoffman.
What attendees had to say about the 2025 festival
Such a winner! Prompt presentations from world-class authors. Bravo!”
This festival was excellent. It was well-organized and professional. The facilities at Adelphi are phenomenal. I live in Garden City so it was easy for me to attend. SJ Parker was wonderful, as were all the other panelists. I I loved being able to attend this right here. I invited two of my classmates who live in Brooklyn to attend as well.”
Thank you so much! It was a dream day!”
Thank you for an incredible event. It was my first time attending and I didn’t know what to expect. Such an amazing group of writers who were so approachable. I am a big fan of Adriana Trigiani and Sarah Jessica Parker, which was my initial reason for registering when I saw the information on Facebook. I spread the word to my friends and co-workers who joined me for the two days and were very impressed with the agenda.”
Festival Coordinator
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Contact-
516.877.6890
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Nexus Building 210