Tulane authors, presenters at the 2025 New Orleans Book Fest

When the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University officially opens on Thursday, March 27, the schedule will include a number of authors and presenters from Tulane. Faculty and staff, as well as alumni, from across the university will appear on panels discussing a variety of topics as the festival continues through Friday, March 28, and Saturday, March 29, 2025. The festival is free and open to the public. Seating at the sessions is first come, first served. For more information about the festival and to view the full schedule, visit the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University website. 

*Dates and times are subject to change. See the Book Fest schedule for the latest information. 

Faculty, staff and board members at Book Fest

Kate Baldwin 
Professor of English and Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
From First Draft to Hard Cover: The Life Cycle of a Book
Saturday at 11 a.m.

Carolyn Barber-Pierre 
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Multicultural Affairs, Tulane Trailblazer
Legacy in Action: Preserving Black History at Amistad
Saturday at 10 a.m.

Kim Boyle 
Board of Tulane member
Legacy in Action: Preserving Black History at Amistad
Saturday at 10 a.m.

Richard Campanella 
Associate Dean for Research, Mintz Professor in Architecture, Senior Professor of Practice in Architecture and Geography, School of Architecture
The Mississippi River: History, Geography and the Future of a Vital Lifeline
Friday at 10 a.m.
New Orleans History and Geography
Friday at 3 p.m.

Edgar “Dook” Chase, IV 
Chapter IV, 1834 Club, Alva Jean’s and Homage at Wave City Market
Gumbo to Gourmet: The Stories Behind New Orleans’ Greatest Kitchens
Friday at 12 p.m.

Scott Cowen 
President Emeritus
Lead and Succeed
Friday at 4 p.m.

Lindsay Cronk 
Dean of Libraries and Academic Information Resources
Mystery, Magic, Myth and the Power of Imagination
Saturday at 10 a.m.
United for Books: Defending the Right to Read
Saturday at 2 p.m.

Brian Edwards 
Dean of the School of Liberal Arts
Vanishing Coast: Stories of Place, Power and Preservation
Saturday at 10 a.m.

Gabe Feldman 
Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law and Paul and Abram B. Barron Professor of Law, Associate Provost of NCAA Compliance, Director of the Sports Law Program, Co-Director if the Tulane Center for Sport, Law School
Navigating the NIL Era: Opportunities and Challenges in College Sports
Saturday at 2 p.m.

Michael A. Fitts 
Tulane President
Together: The Power of Human Connection
Saturday at 12 p.m.

Robin Forman 
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
The Intelligence Revolution: How AI and Big Data are Changing the World
Saturday at 12 p.m.

Walter Isaacson 
Leonard Lauder Professor of American History and Values, School of Liberal Arts, Co-Chair, New Orleans Book Festival
On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service
Friday at 10 a.m.
The Code Breaker
Friday at 1 p.m.
An Unfinished Love Story
Saturday at 1 p.m.
Democracy and its Discontents: A Look at Why America Has Become Polarized
Saturday at 4 p.m.

Rob Lalka 
Professor of Practice in Management, Executive Director of the Albert Lepage Center, Albert R. Lepage Professor in Business, A. B. Freeman School of Business
Move Fast, Break Government? The Risks of Silicon Valley Thinking in Public Policy
Saturday at 3 p.m.

Dennis Lauscha 
Board of Tulane member
Superdome at 50: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Past and Future
Friday at 1 p.m.

Chris Lipp 
Professor of Practice, Director of MCOM Programs, A. B. Freeman School of Business
The Science of Personal Power: How to Build Confidence, Create Success and Obtain Freedom
Saturday at 2 p.m.

Bernice McFadden 
Assistant Professor of English, School of Liberal Arts
Living It, Writing It: Memoir and the Journey of Reflection
Friday at 1 p.m.
From ‘Sugar’ to ‘Firstborn Girls’
Friday at 4 p.m.

Nicholas Mattei 
Associate Professor of Computer Science, Co-Director of the Tulane Center for Community Engaged AI, School of Science & Engineering
The Intelligence Revolution: How AI and Big Data are Changing the World
Saturday at 12 p.m.

Corey Miles 
Assistant Professor of Sociology, School of Liberal Arts
Singing the Truth: Fiction, Identity and Community in Isaac’s Song
Friday at 3 p.m.

Alexandra Navarre-Davis 
Adjunct professor, Law School
Clyde the Giant Crawfish
Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Kara Oldige 
Executive Director of the Amistad Research Center
Curating the Catalogue: Post-Katrina Documentation of Chandra McCormick and Keith Calhoun
Saturday at 12 p.m.

Maurita N. Poole 
Director and Chief Curator of Newcomb Art Museum
The Complex Terrain of Contemporary African Art
Saturday at 1 p.m.

Lawrence Powell 
Professor Emeritus of History, School of Liberal Arts
New Orleans History and Geography
Friday at 3 p.m.

Nathaniel Rich 
Visiting Assistant Professor, School of Liberal Arts
Writing the Apocalypse and After
Friday at 12 p.m.

Anneliese Singh 
Associate Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development/Chief Diversity Officer, Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work
Reimagining the Future: Feminist Visions for a More Just World
Saturday at 11 a.m.
Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution
Saturday at 3 p.m.

Michael Strecker 
Assistant Vice President for News and Media Relations
Bayous, Backroads and Beyond: Fiction Set in Louisiana
Friday at 3 p.m.
Jokes for Crescent City Kids
Saturday at 11:20 a.m.

Jon Sumrall 
Head Coach, Football
Navigating the NIL Era: Opportunities and Challenges in College Sports
Saturday at 2 p.m.

Michael Wallace 
Senior Professor of Practice, Program Director of Emergency & Security Studies, School of Professional Advancement
Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of Warfare
Saturday at 4 p.m.

Melissa A. Weber 
Curator, Hogan Archive of New Orleans Music and New Orleans Jazz
My Black Country: Country Music’s Black Past, Present and Future
Saturday at 12 p.m.

Alumni at Book Fest

Rich Cohen 
School of Liberal Arts
The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror and the Rise of the Modern Detective
Friday at 4 p.m.
Whodunnit: True Crime and Crime Fiction
Saturday at 1 p.m.

Danielle Del Sol 
School of Architecture
Painting the Town: The Importance of Color in Historic New Orleans Architecture
Saturday at 12 p.m.

Tripp Friedler 
Law School
Mind Matters: Mental Health, Stigma and Solutions
Friday at 10 a.m.

Megan Holt 
School of Liberal Arts
United for Books: Defending the Right to Read
Saturday at 2 p.m.

Meredith Jao 
School of Liberal Arts
The Hesitant Hedgehog
Saturday at 12:20 p.m.

Sarah Jaffe 
Newcomb College
Reimagining the Future: Feminist Visions for a More Just World
Saturday at 11 a.m.
Work, Power and Purpose: Women Changing the Leadership Playbook
Saturday at 1 p.m.

Yvette Jones 
College of Arts & Sciences, A. B. Freeman School of Business
Lead and Succeed
Friday at 4 p.m.

Rachel Marsh 
School of Liberal Arts
Mystery, Magic, Myth and the Power of Imagination
Saturday at 10 a.m.

Echo Olander 
Newcomb College
Documenting New Orleans Street Culture: Just Because You Can, Should You?
Friday at 10 a.m.

Marie Quintana 
School of Social Work
The Last Flight from Havana
Friday at 11 a.m.

Mike Sacks 
School of Liberal Arts
Dirty Nerdy
Friday at 1 p.m.
So You Want to Get Your Comedy Published
Saturday at 1 p.m.

Dr. David Weill
College of Arts & Sciences, School of Medicine
Bayou, Backroads and Beyond: Fiction Set in Louisiana
Friday at 3 p.m.

Dr. Michael White 
Graduate School, Tulane Trailblazer
20 Years Later: Post-Katrina Music in New Orleans
Saturday at 1 p.m.