NEW YORK — Oprah Winfrey will be the opening keynote speaker, and actor Keanu Reeves will be speaking about his new graphic novel, at the U.S. Book Show, the virtual book publishing trade show presented by Publishers Weekly. The news was announced yesterday in the New York Times.
Oprah Winfrey will give the opening keynote speech on May 25, 2021 at 10:45 a.m. EDT. She will discuss her newest book, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing, co-written with Bruce D. Perry, a child psychiatrist and neuroscientist. The book, released by Flatiron on April 27, discusses how people’s earliest personal experiences shape their entire lives. The book offers a new way to understand the way people behave. Winfrey, one of the biggest supporters of all members of the book industry, will also offer comments on her love for books and authors and offer her appreciation and encouragement for all those who support them.
In a spotlight author/illustrator discussion, actor Keanu Reeves (creator, co-writer) and Matt Kindt (co-writer), with Ron Garney (illustrator), of BRZRKR, vol. 1 (Boom! Studios), will be interviewed by Calvin Reid, senior news editor of Publishers Weekly. The discussion is to be held on May 25, 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. EDT.
The latest celebrity speakers join a slate of luminaries, including Elizabeth Warren, the senior Senator from Massachusetts and 2020 Presidential contender; New York Times bestselling author Ijeoma Oluo (So You Want to Talk About Race and Mediocre); Padma Lakshmi, host and executive producer of Bravo’s Emmy® Award-winning Top Chef and host and executive producer of Hulu’s Taste the Nation; Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Doerr (All the Light We Cannot See); musician and actor Stevie Van Zandt; and Brian Selznick, Caldecott Medal-winning creator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was adapted into the Oscar®-winning film Hugo.
The inaugural U.S. Book Show is a three-day virtual conference conceived and crafted by Publishers Weekly to build buzz about Fall 2021 books and to serve the bookselling, library, media and book publishing industry. The event is live-streaming and available on-demand through August 31, 2021.
Publishers Weekly will donate a portion of the proceeds of the U.S. Book Show to Boys & Girls Clubs of America in support of its literacy programming, including Summer Brain Gain.
The show runs May 25 – 27, 2021, and features a wide array of editor, book and author panels; livestreaming Q&A sessions with editors; topical library panels; programming geared to publishing professionals; networking opportunities and awards celebrations; and robust exhibit halls featuring 200+ publishers.
To view the show schedule and registration information, go to https://www.usbookshow.com.
