Lightning Round With the 2026 National Book Awards

Rapid-fire readings offer a cross-section of the year’s National Book Award-recognized literature, with authors sharing excerpts and discussing their work. The annual showcase takes place Saturday, November 21 in the auditorium at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami, as part of Miami Book Fair. Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation, leads the interviews.

Presented through a partnership between the fair and the National Book Foundation spanning more than 13 years, the program brings together 2026 honorees across all five award categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature and Young People’s Literature. The short reading format introduces audiences to a range of voices, subjects and literary approaches in a single session.

The announced participants include Camonghne Felix, Carolina Ebeid, Delali Adjoa, Edwidge Danticat, Joseph Osmundson, Keala Kendall, Kimberly Blaeser, Matthew Swanson, Robbi Behr, Rozina Ali, Susan Stewart and Wendy S. Walters. The auditorium is located in Building 1, second floor, Room 1261.