The Tucson Festival of Books will be virtual this year, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of thrilling and interesting authors speaking to their fans.

You can find Pulitzer Prize winners, including Anne Applebaum, Héctor Tobar, Jane Smiley, Gene Weingarten and David Maraniss; Edgar Award winners, Hugo and Nebula Award winners and numerous authors who have received other awards for their writing. There’s an Emmy winner — David Pogue — among the presenting authors as well.

Tucson Festival of Books favorites J.A. Jance, Thomas Perry and Luis Urrea, who have presented at every festival, will present again.

Fans of the TV series “Bridgerton” will surely be happy to hear that the author of the novels from which the series is based, Julia Quinn, will also speak. If you want to hear from a man whose books may give you nightmares, put Dean Koontz on your schedule.

Lisa See, who would have received the festival’s Founders Award in 2020, will be the recipient this year.

The virtual Tucson Festival of Books may not be exactly what readers are accustomed to, but it will be engaging and educational.


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Contact Johanna Eubank at jeubank@tucson.com