The festival included Family Day and other activities, with book lovers of all ages gathering to hear their favorite writers in venues across campus, including the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, the Berger Family Lawn, the Marshall Family Commons at the A. B. Freeman School of Business and Dixon Hall.

At the opening sessions were John Grisham and Jenna Bush Hager as well as Eddie S. Glaude Jr. and Imani Perry. Other highlights were panel discussions by Michael Lewis and Malcolm Gladwell; Walter Isaacson, David Rubenstein, Jon Meacham and John Barry; and Sarah M. Broom with Bernice McFadden.President Michael Fitts appeared with Darren Walker, Ford Foundation president. 

“The twice-delayed inaugural New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University was a resounding success on every level — from the number of attendees, to the quality of its programming, to the caliber of its authors and the promise it holds to become one of the nation’s premier literary events,” Fitts said. “With New Orleans and Tulane’s rich literary history, our city and campus is a natural home for this Mardi Gras of the mind.”

The New Orleans Book Festival is making plans for its second annual event: March 9–11, 2023.

Visit tulane.it/book-festival-success-2022 for more information