JAMES McBRIDE
2024-05-16 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Elliot University Center Auditorium, UNCG, 507 Stirling Street, Greensboro, NC, 27412
This event is FREE and open to the public; however, registration is required.

We are pleased to announce our 2024 Greensboro Bound Literary Festival keynote author, award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter JAMES McBRIDE, Thursday, May 16 at the Elliot University Center on UNCG’s campus. This event is made possible through our continuing partnership with the UNCG University Libraries.
James McBride is an award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter. His landmark memoir, The Color of Water, published in 1996, has sold millions of copies and spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list. Considered an American classic, it is read in schools and universities across the United States.
His debut novel, Miracle at St. Anna, was turned into a 2008 film by Oscar-winning writer and director Spike Lee, with a script written by McBride.
His 2013 novel, The Good Lord Bird, about American abolitionist John Brown, won the National Book Award for Fiction and will be a Showtime limited series in fall 2020 starring Ethan Hawke.
McBride has been a staff writer for The Boston Globe, People Magazine, and The Washington Post, and his work has appeared in Essence, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. His 2007 National Geographic story “Hip Hop Planet” is considered an important examination of African American music and culture.
A noted musician and composer, McBride has toured as a saxophonist sideman with jazz legend Jimmy Scott, among other musicians. He has written songs for Anita Baker, Grover Washington Jr., Pura Fé, Gary Burton, and even for the PBS television character “Barney.” (He did not write the “I Love You” song for Barney, but he wishes he did.) He received the Stephen Sondheim Award and the Richard Rodgers Foundation Horizon Award for his musical Bobos, co-written with playwright Ed Shockley. His 2003 Riffin’ and Pontificatin’ musical tour was filmed for a nationally televised Comcast documentary. He has been featured on national radio and television in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. He often does his public readings accompanied by a band.
In addition to being an author and a musician, McBride has other attributes. He admits to being the worst dancer in the history of African Americana, bar none (he claims he should be legally barred from dancing at any event he attends). And when he takes off his hat, fleas fly out. Little things, little talents.
A native New Yorker and a graduate of New York City public schools, McBride studied composition at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and received his master’s degree at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. In 2015, he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama “for humanizing the complexities of discussing race in America.” He holds several honorary doctorates and is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.

ATTENTION BOOK CLUBS!
If you’re interested in reading The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store in preparation for James McBride’s event, the Greensboro Public Library can provide you with books!
Email Amanda Sanson the following info and she’ll hook up your book club!

your name, email address, and phone number
active library card number
book title
how many books you would like borrow (up to 15)
date range you would like to borrow the books
at which branch you would like to pick up your books
if you would also like audio books (not available for every title)

An Afternoon with Anne Byrn
2024-10-16 16:00 - 18:00 | Well-Spring Retirement Community – Virginia Somerville Sutton Theatre, 4100 Well Spring Drive, Greensboro, NC, 27410
Please join us as we welcome New York Times-bestselling author Anne Byrn, just as her latest book, Baking in the American South, hits shelves.
“My new cookbook is a love letter to Southern baking, a legacy built by grandmothers, modern chefs, and Black women and men who pioneered these flavors,” Byrn points out. “It’s more than recipes — it’s stories, traditions and the taste of home baked with love. Get ready to savor the South through the baking that made it famous.”
Think Thomasville Cheese Biscuits, Church Ladies’ Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Martha Nesbit’s Blueberry Muffins, Demopolis Turtleback Cookies and much, much more!
Byrn will speak in Well-Spring’s Virginia Somerville Sutton Theatre from 4-5 p.m., followed by a simple reception featuring treats from Byrn’s new book, prepared by Well-Spring’s renowned culinary team. Admission is free and open the public – we hope to see you!
We want to thank Scuppernong Books and Well-Spring for their support of this event.
NOTE: Garden & Gun magazine has just highlighted Byrn’s new book in its spread featuring “the year’s standout offerings” in cookbooks. CLICK HERE to read.

An Evening with JEFF VANDERMEER
2025-04-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Carolina Theatre, 310 S Greene Street, Greensboro, NC, 27401, United States
Join acclaimed author Jeff VanderMeer for an unforgettable evening as he discusses Absolution, the surprise fourth installment of his bestselling Southern Reach Trilogy.
Taking place on Wednesday, April 9, at 7:00 PM at the Carolina Theatre, this exclusive Greensboro Bound Year-Round event offers readers the chance to delve into VanderMeer’s imaginative world and celebrate the release of his new novel. Following the presentation, stay for a special screening of Annihilation, the acclaimed film adaptation of his first Southern Reach novel.
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with one of the most visionary voices in contemporary fiction.
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Author Heath Lee Reveals ‘The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon’
2025-04-23 16:00 - 18:00 | Well-Spring Retirement Community – Virginia Somerville Sutton Theatre, 4100 Well Spring Drive, Greensboro, NC, 27410
In partnership with the Historical Book Club of North Carolina and Well-Spring, A Life Plan Community, please join us as we welcome award-winning historian and biographer Heath Hardage Lee, just as her latest book, The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: Washington’s Most Private First Lady, debuts.
Heath’s narrative nonfiction book entitled The League of Wives: The Untold Story of the Women Who Took on the U.S. Government to Bring Their Husbands Home from Vietnam was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2019. Heath’s museum exhibition entitled The League of Wives: Vietnam POW MIA Advocates & Allies about Vietnam POW MIA wives premiered at the Dole Institute of Politics in May of 2017 and travelled to venues all over the United States through 2023. The League of Wives is currently being developed as a television series. Heath also writes about women’s history and politics for publications such as Time, The Hill, The Atlantic and White House History Quarterly. She currently serves on the Boards of FLARE the First Ladies Association for Research and Education and BIO Biographers International Organization. Heath’s new book The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: Washington’s Most Private First Lady is the first commercial biography of First Lady Pat Nixon in almost 40 years.
She will speak from 4-5 p.m. at Well-Spring’s Virginia Somerville Sutton Theatre, followed by a reception and book signing.
Admission is free and open to the public… we do ask that you register so that we have enough food for everyone.

Percival Everett (FULL/SOLD OUT)
2025-05-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Elliott University Center Auditorium, 507 Stirling Street, Greensboro, NC, 27412, United States
Due to overwhelming response, registrations for this event are closed.
The Greensboro Bound Book Festival is thrilled to announce an exciting lead-up event featuring New York Times best-selling author Percival Everett on May 15 at 7 p.m. This highly anticipated evening, presented in partnership with UNCG University Libraries, will feature Everett discussing his acclaimed novel James and his distinguished literary career. This kickoff event sets the stage for the all-day Greensboro Bound Book Festival happening in downtown Greensboro on May 17.
Everett, a celebrated and award-winning author, has captivated audiences with his thought-provoking and genre-defying works. His latest novel, James, a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, has garnered widespread critical acclaim and cemented his reputation as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary literature. Everett’s 2020 novel Telephone was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and James won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2024.
The event will take place in the Elliott University Center Auditorium on the UNCG campus. This exciting evening offers attendees the opportunity to hear from Everett firsthand as he delves into the themes of James, his writing process and his other works. A book signing will follow the discussion.
Due to overwhelming response, registrations for this event are closed.
Complimentary parking for all event attendees will be available in the Walker Avenue Parking Deck (506 Stirling Street).

Speed Friending: Book Lovers Edition
2025-05-16 17:30 - 19:30 | LoFi Park Downtown Greenway, 500 N Eugene St, Greensboro, NC, 27401, United States
Friday, May 16
5:30-7:30 pm
Downtown Greenway | LoFi Park
JUST ONE DAY BEFORE OUR BOOK FESTIVAL!!! Make it a book-lovers WEEKEND!
Looking to make friends in town? Want a way to connect with fellow book lovers? Join the Downtown Greenway for Speed Friending: Book Lovers Edition to expand your social circle! Designed to spark creative conversations and reduce the anxiety of talking with strangers, come see how good conversations and possible friendships are just a simple “hey” – and a question away.
Participants will sign-up for a 30-minute time slot, and be given 5 minutes to chat with another person, with the help of fun and casual icebreaker questions provided to help get conversations flowing. After a few rounds of meeting people, you can then stay after to mingle some more, and enjoy live music and a food truck at Joymongers Brewing Co. next door.
Registration NOW OPEN! – Click Here.

2025 Greensboro Bound Book Festival
2025-05-17
OUR ALL DAY FESTIVAL IS SATURDAY, MAY 17.
We’ll be exploring themes of family, the many meanings of home, and the past as prologue. We’ll have some serious fun with Taylor Swift songs, flesh out the best obituary ever written, and take a look at how N.C. became a purple state.

What happens when a child of the Great Migration starts nosing around Alabama for his roots?
How can I get published as successfully as a certain local legend and sportswriter?
What does poetry have to tell us about today’s anxious existence?

Again, we’ll showcases our High School Poet Laureates, and welcome children’s authors who have supported our Authors Engaging Students program.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SCHEDULE OF AUTHOR EVENTS!

Reshaping the Divide: An Evening with Cristina Henríquez
2025-05-28 19:00 - 21:00 | Van Dyke Performance Space, Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N Davie Street, Greensboro, NC, 27401, United States
Join us for a compelling evening with New York Times best-selling author Cristina Henríquez as we close out this year’s Greensboro Bound Book Festival with a powerful, thought-provoking discussion. While the festival takes place May 17, this culminating event on May 28 offers one final opportunity to gather in celebration of literature and storytelling.
Henríquez will discuss her latest novel, The Great Divide, a moving exploration of the people who lived, loved, and labored during the construction of the Panama Canal. She will also share her personal experience of “the divide within,” reflecting on her identity as both American and Panamanian and how her sense of self has evolved over time.
In conversation with Jodie Stanley, City of Greensboro’s International Support and Language Access Coordinator, Henríquez will delve into themes of culture, identity, community, and belonging.
Van Dyke Performance SpaceMay 28 at 7 PMFree & Open to the Public
This program is sponsored by Greensboro Public Library and the Greensboro Public Library Foundation, with community partners including Greensboro Bound and Creative Greensboro.

Mac Barnett: National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
2025-10-25 10:00 - 12:00 | Harrison Auditorium, NC A&T, 1009 Bluford Street, Greenbsoro, NC, 27401
Mac Barnett: National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
Saturday, October 25 | 10:00 a.m.
Harrison Auditorium, N.C. A&T State University (1009 Bluford St., Greensboro)
Free Admission; Registration required (see below)
Award-winning author Mac Barnett is excited to share his passion for picture books with children and adults. The tradition of the picture book is a tradition of experimentation, just like childhood itself. Every page turn contains infinite possibilities – a journey of discovery and connections. On his nationwide tour as national ambassador, Mac invites readers of all ages to join him in celebrating what’s vibrant, joyful and inspiring about this quintessential American art form.
“What excites me is the living, thinking, feeling kid who exists right now and needs a good story. Magic is what happens at that moment in childhood.”
— Mac Barnett, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
Each child in attendance will receive a free Mac Barnett book. Additional books will be available to purchase on site, and a signing will follow the event.
Presented in partnership with N.C. A&T State University, Greensboro Public Library, Scuppernong Books, the Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, and Ready for School, Ready for Life.

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"The Eyes of Bach" a novel by musician and author Marc Moskovitz
2025-11-02 15:00 - 17:00 | GreenHill Center for NC Art, 200 N DAVIE STREET, Greensboro, NC, 27401, United States
Greensboro Bound, in partnership with Music for a Great Space and GreenHill Center for NC Art, presents cellist and author Marc Moskovitz.
Join us for an afternoon exploring “The Eyes of Bach” a novel by musician and author Marc Moskovitz. In this gripping novel, Moskovitz transports the reader into the milieu of 18th-century Europe-its cobblestone streets and music-filled churches. Based on true events and rich in musical and historical detail, The Eyes of Bach is a sweeping tale of one man’s unrelenting search for truth.
This event will feature a live performance of Bach’s music and a Q&A with the author.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2 | 3:00-5:00 pm
at GreenHill Center for NC Art (2nd floor, Greensboro Cultural Center in downtown Greensboro)

Jason Mott: People Like Us
2025-11-13 18:00 - 19:30 | Scuppernong Books, 304 S Elm Street, Greensboro, NC, 27401
Jason Mott: People Like UsThursday, November 13 | 6 PMScuppernong Books
Join National Book Award–winning author Jason Mott for an evening celebrating his latest novel, People Like Us.
In this bold follow-up to Hell of a Book, Mott continues to blur the lines between reality and imagination, crafting a story that’s equal parts gripping, funny, and profoundly human. People Like Us follows two Black writers grappling with a world mired in gun violence, one on a global book tour and the other speaking at a school after a shooting. Their paths cross and “truths and antics abound in equal measure.”
Don’t miss this chance to hear one of North Carolina’s most celebrated writers.
Presented in partnership with Scuppernong Books.

Book Festival Kickoff: Casey McQuiston
2026-04-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Elliott University Center Auditorium, 507 Stirling Street, Greensboro, NC, 27412, United States
DAY 1: Casey McQuiston
Thursday, April 9, 2026
7:00 PM
Elliott University Center
Free and open to all
Regisration is required. Please click here to register.
Casey McQuiston will appear at the 2026 Greensboro Bound Book Festival, April 9–11, as part of American Kaleidoscope, a celebration of diverse voices and stories.
The main festival takes place April 11, and we are thrilled to kick it off with a special event featuring #1 New York Times bestselling author Casey McQuiston, presented in partnership with UNCG University Libraries. McQuiston will appear at the Elliott University Center on Thursday, April 9, 2026.
McQuiston is the author of Red, White & Royal Blue, One Last Stop, I Kissed Shara Wheeler, and The Pairing. Their sharp, funny, and heartfelt stories explore love, identity, and contemporary life, an essential piece of our American mosaic.
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please click here to register.

Day 2: Alice Martin
2026-04-10 17:30 - 19:30 | Scuppernong Books, 304 S Elm Street, Greensboro, NC, 27401
DAY 2: Alice Martin
Friday, April 10, 2026
5:30 PM
Scuppernong Books
Free and open to all
Alice Martin will appear at the 2026 Greensboro Bound Book Festival as part of American Kaleidoscope, a celebration of diverse voices and stories taking place April 9–11 in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Westward Women, Martin’s debut novel, weaves together the stories of women seeking freedom and selfhood in an unsettled America, capturing a portrait of a nation defined not by one story, but by many. An assistant professor of English studies at Western Carolina University, she received her PhD in American Literature from Rutgers University. Her writing has appeared in the Carolina Quarterly, Appalachian Heritage, Triangle House Review, and elsewhere.
Presented in partnership with Scuppernong Books.

2026 Book Festival
2026-04-11 | Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N DAVIE STREET, Greensboro, NC, 27401, United States
The 2026 Greensboro Bound Book Festival returns April 9–11 with American Kaleidoscope, a celebration of diverse voices, ideas, and stories across our community.
As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we will spotlight authors and conversations that reflect the strength of our diversity. Like the shifting patterns inside a kaleidoscope, countless individual perspectives will come together to create something new and compelling with every turn. In true Greensboro Bound fashion, we will explore complex issues through respectful dialogue and thoughtful reflection.
The Full Day Festival will be held on April 11 at the Greensboro Cultural Center.
FEATURED AUTHORS INCLUDE:
IMANI PERRY
SILAS HOUSE
BETH MACY
+ MORE
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE DETAILS.

An Evening with Morgan Radford
2026-05-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Greensboro History Museum, 130 Summit Avenue, GREENSBORO, NC, 27401, United States
A BONUS BOOK FESTIVAL EVENT!
Friday, May 8 | 6:00 PM
Greensboro History Museum
Free and open to all
Greensboro native and NBC News anchor Morgan Radford returns home to celebrate her debut novel, Now Then. Presented by Greensboro Bound in partnership with the Greensboro Public Library, the Greensboro Public Library Foundation, and Scuppernong Books, this special evening highlights Radford’s transition from award-winning journalist to fiction author.
Now Then interweaves the lives of a mother and daughter. One comes of age at Harvard in the 1990s, while the other confronts revolution and resilience in 1950s Havana. As secrets unfold through a series of letters, Radford crafts a powerful narrative about hidden histories, second chances, and the choices and loves that shape our lives.
Radford’s compelling fiction debut draws from elements of her personal life, professional background, and the history of her family’s migration from Jamaica and Cuba. An award-winning journalist whose reporting has spanned foreign policy, U.S. political movements, and major national news, Radford calls this novel “one of the richest, most rewarding endeavors of my lifetime.”
Radford is an anchor for NBC News and co-host of NBC News Daily. A graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Journalism School, and a former Fulbright Scholar, she has received multiple awards for her reporting featured on TODAY, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, and Telemundo. With Now Then, she brings emotional depth and journalistic rigor to a moving work of literary fiction that is already being celebrated for its power, tenderness, and resonance.

This event will be moderated by Portia Mount, Founder + CEO Advisor, Mount Creative. An accomplished keynote and 2x Tedx speaker, Portia frequently addresses topics around women and leadership, and the evolving demands on transformative leaders in the future of work. She is the co-author of the best-selling career advice book, “Kick Some Glass: Ten Ways Women Succeed at Work on Their Own Terms” (McGraw Hill Education, 2019), and hosts the “Ungovernable Women” podcast.

Janet Echelman
2026-05-14 13:30 - 15:00 | Steven Tanger Center for Performing Arts, 300 N. Elm Street, Greensboro, 27401, United States
Janet Echelman Meet & Greet + Book Signing
Founder’s Lounge, 2nd floor of the Tanger Center
May 14 at 1:30 PM
Join internationally acclaimed artist Janet Echelman for a special meet & greet and signing of her new book, Radical Softness: The Responsive Art of Janet Echelman. This richly illustrated volume offers a deep dive into her groundbreaking work, featuring project documentation, archival materials, and the stories behind her monumental, wind-responsive sculptures.
Echelman is in Greensboro to mark 10 years of Where We Met, her iconic aerial sculpture suspended above LeBauer Park. The piece is based on an 1896 map of railroad lines connecting Greensboro to the region’s textile mills, grounding the work in the history that shaped the city.
Known for sculpting at the scale of buildings and city blocks, Echelman blends art, architecture, and engineering to create immersive environments across five continents. Her work invites connection rather than observation, turning public space into shared experience.
Meet the artist overlooking one of her most beloved installations, hear the story behind the work, and have your copy of Radical Softness signed.

Christina Baker Kline
2026-06-04 14:00 - 15:30 | Well-Spring Retirement Community – Virginia Somerville Sutton Theatre, 4100 Well Spring Drive, Greensboro, NC, 27410
© Beowulf Sheehan
Christina Baker Kline: The Foursome
Thursday, June 4
2:00 PM
The Virginia Somerville Sutton Theatre | Well-Spring, A Life Plan Community
Free and open to all
Meet New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline, as she discusses her new novel, The Foursome, a sweeping work of historical fiction inspired by the true story of Chang and Eng Bunker, the world-famous conjoined twins who settled in North Carolina and married sisters Adelaide and Sarah Yates. Set in the Blue Ridge foothills during the turbulent years surrounding the Civil War, the novel explores love, identity, family, and the complicated bonds that tie people together in extraordinary circumstances.
Presented in partnership with Well-Spring, A Life Plan Community.
