American Program Bureau is proud to present many of the most celebrated fiction authors from the past 40 years. As perennial bestsellers who have won literature's top prizes and had their work adapted into hit feature films, these writers' keynote presentations will captivate audiences through the spoken word as much as they have on the printed page.
Luis Alberto Urrea
An award-winning poet and essayist, Urrea authored the epic novel The Hummingbird’s Daughter, as well as the The Devil’s Highway, a best-selling nonfiction account of Mexican immigrants crossing over the US border. His latest book, Into the Beautiful North, is lauded for having Urrea’s ...
Terry McMillan
Since McMillan's breakout novel Waiting to Exhale surged onto The New York Times bestseller list, critics and readers alike have been captivated by her irreverent, often-hilarious take on the issues faced by contemporary African American women. With several of her bestsellers, including Waiting to ...
Sara Paretsky
One of the most influential female crime writers, the award-winning Paretsky changed the world of detective fiction with her groundbreaking popular female sleuth, "V.I. Warshawski." An activist, she explores the political and literary dissent that informed her life and work in her acclaimed book, Writing in an Age of ...
Audrey Niffenegger
Known for her imaginative plots and brilliant prose, Niffenegger is the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife, the inspired, best-selling novel behind the new film starring Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana. She offers audiences an inside look at the creative process, the relationship between art and writing, and ...
James McBride
An award-winning jazz musician, McBride is the author of The New York Times bestseller, The Color of Water, a memoir that has become a modern classic. Spike Lee directed the film adaptation of McBride's book, Miracle at St. Anna, paying tribute to African American soldiers who fought in WWII.
Tess Gerritsen
Internationally best-selling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Gerritsen went on to attend medical school and become a physician. While on maternity leave, she began to write fiction. Eight suspense novels later, she has never looked back.
Colson Whitehead
A critically lauded, award-winning voice, Whitehead has been heralded as a promising young author to watch by Publishers Weekly. Recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for John Henry Days, his brilliant collection provides an articulate view of race, culture, and class today. ...
Lisa Scottoline
Scottoline is a New York Times best-selling author of legal thrillers, set in Philadelphia and featuring gutsy and resilient female characters. She has thrilled and entertained readers while succeeding in the near impossible... adding humor to the legal system. USA Today hails her writing as "sharp, ...
Gary Shteyngart
Celebrated by Publishers Weekly as an up and coming young author, and recently recognized as one of today's top fiction writers on The New Yorker's prestigious "20 Under 40" list, Russian immigrant Shteyngart penned the bestsellers The Russian Debutante's Handbook, Absurdistan, and his latest, ...
Matthew Pearl
The New York Times best-selling author of such acclaimed works as The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow, and his latest, The Last Dickens, Pearl is known for successfully meshing history, literature, and mystery. A gifted author loved for his intricate plots and cultured characters, his books have ...
Lisa See
The New York Times best-selling author of the extraordinary Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love, See crafts highly praised works resplendent with fluid language, engrossing portrayals, and rich universal themes. Her newest book is Shanghai Girls, an unforgettable journey of two ...
Scott Turow
Known for their alluring plotlines and brilliant twists, Attorney Scott Turow's law-inspired best-selling thrillers have sold more than 25 million copies. A master of legal mystery, his popular works include Presumed Innocent, Ordinary Heroes, and Pleading Guilty. He recently released a sequel to his ...
Geraldine Brooks
Displaying a wide range of talent in her best-selling books March, Year of Wonders and Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Brooks consistently crafts fascinating, meticulously researched fiction and non-fiction, effortlessly bringing her subjects to ...
E.L. Doctorow
One of the most brilliant novelists of our time, Pulitzer Prize winner Doctorow traditionally explores the historical, cultural, and social dynamics in American life, often through the prism of the Jewish experience in his celebrated body of work, which includes The Book of Daniel – A Novel, and Ragtime.
Toni Morrison
One of the most prominent authors in world literature, the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning Morrison has authored such celebrated books as The Bluest Eye, Beloved, and Song of Solomon. A National Book Critics Award recipient, her writings are notable for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly ...
Jodi Picoult
The best-selling author of Nineteen Minutes, Picoult's prolific body of work effortlessly explores the tangle of relationships that profoundly impact our lives. A literary voice brimming with emotion, she creates thought-provoking prose about families and situations that often challenge topic issues.
Daniel Silva
A multiple New York Times best-selling author of international spy thrillers that include The Kill Artist and The Messenger, Silva provides intriguing insight into the covert world of Israeli intelligence and the past, present, and future of the Middle East through his main character, art restorer and ...
Brad Meltzer
One of America's literary sensations, Meltzer is the author of four best-selling legal thrillers: The Tenth Justice, The First Counsel, Dead Even, The Millionaires, and The Zero Game. With wit and humor, Meltzer offers audiences myriad anecdotes, from his first 24 rejection letters to his ...
Linda Fairstein
An accomplished public speaker and best-selling crime novelist, Fairstein’s writing is influenced by her experiences as a former prosecutor. An expert on crimes of violence against women and children, her work draws on today’s most pressing societal issues.
Dennis Lehane
Dennis Lehane is a best-selling author from Dorchester, Boston whose novels Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, and Shutter Island have been made into hit movies garnering numerous awards.
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