Bestsellers, Pulitzer winners and 'The Mooch' on tap for 10th Morristown Festival of Books

An all-star lineup of bestselling authors − and some very high-profile event moderators − await visitors to the 10th annual Morristown Festival of Books in October.

The two-day festival, which announced its author list this week, lures thousands of bookworms to Morristown every fall. It traditionally kicks off with an address by prominent authors, who typically sell out the 1,300-seat Mayo Performing Arts Center.

This year's keynote on Friday, Oct. 6, will feature two Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams, who will discuss their New York Times bestseller, "Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy," about the inside fight for control of the Paramount Global entertainment empire.

"It's going to be a fantastic night," said Festival Director Wendy Supron. "A night to remember."

Their headline appearance at MPAC will be moderated by former CNN and New York Times media reporter, Brian Stelter. The next day, another Pulitzer winner, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, will moderate a talk by CNN anchor Jake Tapper for a discussion of his latest novel, "All the Demons Are Here."

Another well-known political figure, former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, will moderate a talk by business writer William Cohen. Cohen headlined the first Morristown festival in 2014 on the heels of his book, "The Price of Silence: The Duke Lacrosse Scandal, the Power of the Elite, and the Corruption of Our Great Universities."

Tapper and Cohen are among more than 100 bestselling and award-winning fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children’s authors who will be speaking to audiences and signing their books on Saturday, Oct. 7. Many will appear under a large event tent set up downtown on the lawn of the historic Vail Mansion, where fans can purchase books and get autographs.

"We have fantastic authors who we have never had before," said Supron. "We have some repeat performers including Fiona Davis ("The Spectaculars"), who are stars themselves and want to come back."

Other writers will appear at event venues around town, including St. Peter's Episcopal Church, where Cohen will speak at 12:10 and Tapper will hold court at 2:30 p.m. The Church of the Redeemer, and the Morristown-Morris Township Library will host additional author talks.

'Creative aging:' Morris artist, seniors collaborate on mural as part of Mayo PAC program

Supron said that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival had gradually increased attendance to more than 8,000, with an undetermined number of casual visitors above that figure. The large crowds lure authors to Morristown to promote their books without charging appearance fees.

"There are so many people here," "Goosebumps" author R.L. Stine said of the event during his 2016 appearance. "I love getting out and meeting my readers, and this is a great book festival."

COVID forced organizers to downsize to a virtual Zoom conference in 2020, with only four authors. The in-person festival resumed but was scaled-back in 2021. But by last year, the crowds had returned, with an estimated 7,500 attendees.

Previous festival keynote speakers include former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Colson Whitehead, author of the Pulitzer-winning "The Underground Railroad."

Tickets for this year's Friday keynote are $60-$100 and are available through the MPAC box office. Admission to all other festival events is free. That includes the popular "KidFest" event, featuring more than 50 children’s authors and illustrators from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. who will personally sell and sign their books. KidFest authors for 2023 include Peter Lerangis ("Throwback"), Wendy Mass ("Lo & Behold") and Dan Gutman ("My Weird School" chapter book series).

Fiction authors scheduled to appear include novelists Tapper, Megan Abbott ("Beware the Woman"), Liv Constantine ("The Senator’s Wife"), historical fiction writers such as Davis and Pam Jenoff ("Code Name Sapphire"); and debut novelists Yomi Adegoke ("The List") and Laura Spence-Ash ("Beyond That, the Sea").

Nonfiction authors at the festival will include historians Stacy Schiff ("The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams") and Ilyon Woo ("Master Slave Husband Wife"); wellness writer Cyndie Spiegel ("Microjoys: Finding Hope (Especially) When Life Is Not Okay"); and popular "Great British Baking Show" contestant and debut cookbook author Jürgen Krauss ("The German Baking Book").

More information is available at the festival website, morristownbooks.org.

William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com Twitter: @wwesthoven

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Morristown Festival of Books releases 2023 authors lineup