We’re thrilled to announce the amazing keynote speakers who will be joining us in Pittsburgh for Winter Institute 2026 (Wi2026)! Tuesday, February 24, Keynote Speakers LeVar Burton is an award-winning actor, director, producer, and podcaster whose decades-long body of work includes Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Reading Rainbow. As a lifelong literacy advocate, Burton has dedicated decades to encouraging children to read. Janet Webster Jones is the owner of Source Booksellers and a retired educator from the Detroit Public Schools, where she spent a 40-year career. She has been in the bookselling business since 1989. Wednesday, February 25, Keynote Speakers Xochitl Gonzalez is the New York Times bestselling author of Anita de Monte Laughs Last, a Reese's Book Club Pick longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize, and the award-winning Olga Dies Dreaming. Audrey I-Wei Huang (she/her) is a frontline bookseller at Belmont Books in Belmont, MA. She served on a number of awards and bookselling committees, and was honored to be named Handseller of the Year by the Book Publisher Reps of New England in 2024. Marlon James is the author of the Booker Prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings; and the award-winning and bestselling novels Black Leopard, Red Wolf; Moon Witch, Spider King; The Book of Night Women; and John Crow’s Devil. Min Jin Lee is the author of the novels Free Food for Millionaires and Pachinko, a finalist for the National Book Award, and a New York Times “100 Best Books of the Century.” Colson Whitehead is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve works of fiction and nonfiction, is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and a National Book Award winner. Thursday, February 26, Keynote Speakers Isaac Fitzgerald is the New York Times bestselling author of Dirtbag, Massachusetts; the bestselling children’s book How to Be a Pirate; and co-author of Pen & Ink and Knives & Ink. Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the New York Times bestselling author of two illustrated collections of essays (Bite by Bite and World of Wonders), four award-winning poetry collections, and has served as a poetry editor for environmental magazines. Thursday, February 26, Featured Speaker Brenna Connor, Industry Analyst, Circana Books, has been working with data and analytics for a decade in roles including marketing, research, and insights. She is a recognized thought leader on trends in the book industry. You can learn more about these keynote speakers, as well as the other exciting authors and speakers we have lined up for you on the Winter Institute website! |
