Miami Book Fair 2025 Announces Star-studded Lineup Including Daniel Silva, Kenny Chesney, and Padma Lakshmi
- wgclients01
- Oct 9
- 5 min read
The Miami Book Fair will return to Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus from November 16–23, 2025, bringing more than 550 authors from 35 countries to the 42nd edition of the festival.
Headliners include bestselling novelist Daniel Silva, country star Kenny Chesney, author and television host Padma Lakshmi, writer-director Larry Charles, Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Art Spiegelman, and MacArthur Fellow Edwidge Danticat. Other notable authors include Carl Hiaasen, Susan Choi, Nnedi Okorafor, and Karen Russell, covering genres from fiction and nonfiction to comics, culinary arts, photography, and young adult literature. “Miami Book Fair is one of the most internationally diverse literary gatherings in the country, bringing together voices from every corner of the globe,” said Lissette Mendez, executive director of Miami Book Fair. “This year’s lineup is extraordinary, featuring Pulitzer Prize winners, MacArthur Fellows, National Book Award recipients, and literary stars. It’s one of the most ambitious programs we’ve ever assembled, highlighting literature’s power to connect readers with the world’s most compelling storytellers.”
For the complete lineup and programming, visit MiamiBookFair.com.
Festival Highlights
Opening Day Block Party – Sunday, November 16
The festival opens with a high-energy street party under the stars, bringing old-school Miami style to downtown. The free event offers live music, food from local vendors, and hundreds of books for sale.
Evenings With Series – November 16-23
The Fair’s signature nighttime program presents intimate conversations with cultural icons and literary powerhouses. This year’s slate includes Daniel Silva, #1 bestselling novelist; Kenny Chesney, musician; Dr. Theodore Schwartz, neurosurgeon; media visionary Barry Diller; acclaimed photographer and memoirist Sally Mann; climate activist and author Bill McKibben; Arthur Sze, 25th U.S. poet laureate; Spanish literary star Mercedes Ron and Israeli author and columnist Lihi Lapid.
Lost Chapter Rooftop Lounge – November 17–21
A nightly rooftop experience featuring Miami DJs with different grooves each evening, cocktails and mocktails, plus bites from Smorgasburg Miami pop-ups. Guests take in downtown views while connecting with fellow readers and discovering their next book.
The Next Page Dinner – Friday, November 21
The Fair's signature benefit dinner takes place at the JW Marriott Marquis, where each table hosts a featured author. Guests dine with notable writers including Dave Barry, Edwidge Danticat, Imani Perry, Gretchen Rubin and Gary Shteyngart, among others. Among this year's honorees are Maika and Maritza Moulite, Miami-born sisters and YA authors who will share how their early Book Fair experiences shaped their literary path. Proceeds support literacy initiatives and educational programs.
Street Fair – November 21–23
The three-day Street Fair transforms downtown Miami with over 250 booksellers and publishers, author presentations, live music and food vendors. Highlights include the Off the Shelf live music stage with high-energy performances throughout the weekend. Friday admission is free; tickets required for Saturday and Sunday (children 12 and under are always free).
Children's Alley – November 21–23Children's Alley transforms into a lively wonderland during Street Fair weekend, with beloved mascots Wembly Wordsmith, Rita Readsmuch and Stanza the monkey leading families through storytelling, crafts, puppetry, theater and roving performers. In addition, the Fair’s programming for kids and teens showcases authors including E. Lockhart, Mercedes Ron, Trang Thanh Tran, Amy Timberlake and cartoonist George O’Connor.
Programming Highlights
Fiction
Miami Book Fair’s fiction program boasts some of today’s most celebrated storytellers, including Daniel Silva, #1 bestselling master of international thrillers; Carl Hiaasen, Florida’s own satirical novelist; Maggie Stiefvater, YA fantasy favorite; Nnedi Okorafor, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning sci-fi writer; Susan Choi, Pulitzer Prize winner and Karen Russell, Pulitzer finalist and Miami native. They join renowned storytellers such as Gary Shteyngart, Elliot Ackerman, Jaquira Díaz, Patricia Lockwood, Lauren Grodstein, Brandon Hobson and Ada Calhoun, offering readers a dynamic mix of bestselling power, literary prestige, and global perspective.
Nonfiction
The Fair’s nonfiction program spotlights compelling perspectives including Padma Lakshmi, bestselling author and host of Taste the Nation; Gretchen Rubin, bestselling happiness expert; Imani Perry, National Book Award winner; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Tim Weiner and Gilbert King; humorist Dave Barry; cultural critic Thomas Chatterton Williams; political commentator Molly Jong-Fast; New Yorker staff writer and author Evan Osnos and legal scholar Jeffrey Rosen.
Poetry
The poetry program includes Arthur Sze, along with Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate; Richard Blanco, Presidential Inaugural Poet and Miami favorite; Denise Duhamel, acclaimed South Florida poet; Cuban literary icon Reina María Rodríguez and Venezuelan poet María Auxiliadora Álvarez.
Specialized Programming
IberoAmerican Program: One of the largest Spanish-language literary showcases in the U.S., featuring Julia Navarro, María Dueñas, Zoé Valdés, Iván Acosta and Wendy Guerra
ReadCaribbean: The nation's most significant platform for Haitian and Caribbean authors, featuring Edwidge Danticat, Marlene L. Daut, Diana McCaulay, Judite Blanc and Olive Senior
ReadingCuban: Showcasing Cuban and Cuban American literature with Elena Sheppard, Alberto Muller, Alejandro Ríos and María Elena Hernández Caballero
ReadingEast: Voices from the Middle East and South Asia, featuring Padma Lakshmi, Megha Majumdar and Meenakshi Ahamed
Jewish Life & Culture: Including Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Art Spiegelman, Ruth Behar, Pamela Nadell, Steven Ujifusa, Stuart Nadler, Lihi Lapid, Mary Morris, Heather Clark, Maggie Stiefvater, Laney Katz Becker, Jason Diamond, Esther Chehebar, Kitty Zeldis, Tehila Hakimi, Rochelle Weinstein and Iddo Gefen
Here in South Florida: Celebrating local and regional authors and stories that capture the unique spirit of South Florida, featuring Mirta Ojito and Asha Elias among others
Tech + Biz: Highlighting innovation and entrepreneurship with Amanda Goetz, Bill McKibben, Richard Fain, Laysha Ward, Stephen Witt, Adam Becker and Gary Rivlin
Founded in 1984 by MDC and partners, Miami Book Fair draws more than 200,000 visitors annually to downtown Miami. What began as a neighborhood gathering has become a cultural cornerstone and global model for celebrating books, authors and ideas across languages and cultures.
"After more than four decades, the Fair continues to serve as a literary crossroads where hundreds of thousands of readers and writers from around the world converge each year," said Mitchell Kaplan, founder of Miami Book Fair and Books & Books. "Miami's unique position as a gateway between the Americas has shaped this festival into something truly special, a place where diverse voices and stories find common ground, and where literature becomes a bridge between cultures."
The Fair’s year-round programing extends its mission of promoting literacy, access to the arts, and diverse voices across South Florida, including The Little Haiti Book Festival, creative writing workshops, author presentations, reading campaigns and Books for Free, a partnership with The Children’s Trust that distributes more than 150,000 free books annually to Miami-Dade County children.
Tickets and Access
Tickets for Miami Book Fair 2025 are available at MiamiBookFair.com/tickets. Street Fair admission is free on Friday; Saturday and Sunday tickets are $8 in advance online ($10 at the door), with discounted admission of $5 for ages 13-18 and seniors 62+. Children 12 and under are always free. Two-day weekend passes are available online for $15. Evenings With tickets include admission and often a copy of the featured book.
Next Page Dinner packages are available online, while Friends of the Fair members receive early access to ticketing. Select sessions will be available virtually through MiamiBookFairOnline.com, with programming in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
All festival venues and events are fully accessible, with ADA-compliant facilities and services available.