Events to Be Held in New York, Boston, Seattle, Montreal, Barcelona, London and more
In her famous novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen wrote: “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!”
This year, which marks the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth, the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) encourages all those who enjoy reading to check out some of the newest works — both fiction and non-fiction — published by university presses.
Every year, during University Press Week, the Association celebrates the important work that university presses do. University Press Week will be held this year from Nov. 10-14 and will include a robust calendar of events across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and beyond.
Events will feature authors speaking about their works, including everything from novels, memoirs and collections of poetry to books about politics, history, social sciences, and more. Some events will be held at much-anticipated book festivals in Minneapolis, Austin, and Montreal. Many will be hosted by prominent bookstores, including Book Culture in New York, Harvard Book Store in Boston, Women & Children First in Chicago, and Third Place Books in Seattle.
Among the exciting events happening during this year’s University Press Week is a panel on Nov. 13 at the British Library in London that will celebrate Jane Austen. The event will include panelists Devoney Looser, author of Wild for Austen (Manchester University Press/MacMillan); Bee Rowlatt, one of the lead presenters on the BBC’s “Austen: Rise of a Genius” docuseries; and a star of the screen who will bring Austen’s words to life.
In addition, two Boston events will examine the challenges and opportunities posed by AI. On Nov. 12, renowned computer scientist Alex “Sandy” Pentland will discuss his new book Shared Wisdom: Cultural Evolution in the Age of AI (MIT Press), in which he argues that we can use AI to aid, rather than replace, our human capacity for deliberation to help society improve. Then on Nov. 13, Hamid Ismailov will discuss his novel We Computers (Yale University Press) with translator Shelley Fairweather-Vega at Brookline Booksmith, as part of the Transnational Literature series. We Computers has been named a finalist for the National Book Award for translated literature; it joins another university press book honored by the National Book Foundation this year: Death Does Not End at the Sea (University of Nebraska Press), by Gbenga Adesina, was longlisted in the NBA’s poetry category.
“Whether you are interested in creative works such as poetry, fiction, or memoir, or want to read about history, current events, or other scholarly explorations of the most important topics of our time, there’s at least one fascinating and well-written book for you from a university press,” said AUPresses president Dennis Lloyd, director of University of Wisconsin Press. “And attending an in-person event with a university press author, either live or via Zoom, is a wonderful way to dive even deeper into the topics that fascinate you, and gain knowledge from our accomplished authors.”
Here are some of the events happening during University Press Week; check with the venues for additional details:
SATURDAY, NOV. 8
Minneapolis, MN
Kathleen Rooney and Beth Rooney, author of Leaf Town Forever (University of Minnesota Press)
The Rain Taxi Twin Cities Book Festival
Austin, TX
Rick Bass, author of Wrecking Ball: Race, Friendship, God, and Football (University of New Mexico Press)
Texas Book Festival
TUESDAY, NOV. 11
Brooklyn, NY
Barbara Wansbrough, author of Wild Things: A Geography of Grief (Eris/Columbia University Press), in conversation with Paul Holdengraber
Greenlight Bookstore
Virtual
Dan Sinykin and Johanna Winant, editors of Close Reading for the Twenty-First Century (Princeton University Press) and Yael Segalovitz, author of How Close Reading Made Us (SUNY Press), in conversation with Samantha Rose Hill
(Pre-recorded, hosted by City Light Bookstore)
Edwards, CO
Kathyn Wilder, author of Women on Wildlife (University of Nebraska Press), in conversation with Christina Rivera Cogswell
Bookworm of Edwards
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 12
Virtual
Enrique Vila-Matas, author of Montevideo (Yale University Press), in conversation with Xita Rubert
Hosted by Third Place Books, Point Reyes Books, and Brookline Booksmith
Cambridge, MA
Alex “Sandy” Pentland, author of Shared Wisdom: Cultural Evolution in the Age of AI (MIT Press)
MIT Museum
Chicago, IL
Janet Burroway, author of Simone in Pieces (University of Wisconsin Press), in conversation with Rosellen Brown
Women & Children First
Cambridge, MA
Poetry reading with Marcella Durand, author of A Winter Triangle (Fordham University Press) and Anselm Berrigan, with an introduction by David Blair
Grolier Book Shop
THURSDAY, NOV. 13
Barcelona, Spain
Josh Denslow, author of Magic Can’t Save Us (University of New Orleans Press) in conversation with Ethan Rutherford, author of North Sun or The Voyage of the Whaleship Esther (Deep Vellum), finalist for the National Book Award for fiction
Backstory Bookshop
London, UK
Wild About Jane Austen: The Woman Behind The Novels
In celebration of Austen’s 250th anniversary, this evening brings together bold new interpretations and studies of her work with a panel of experts, including Devoney Looser, author of Wild for Austen (Manchester University Press).
British Library
New York, NY
Aaron J. Leonard, author of The Menace Of Our Time: The Long War Against American Communism (Rutgers University Press)
Bobst Library, New York University
Brookline, MA
Hamid Ismailov, author of We Computers (Yale University Press), finalist for the National Book Award in translated literature, in conversation with translator Shelley Fairweather-Vega
Brookline Booksmith
Philadelphia, PA
Charlene Mires and Howard Gillette, editors of Greater Philadelphia: A New History for the Twenty-First Century (University of Pennsylvania Press)
Independence Visitors Center
FRIDAY, NOV. 14
Cambridge, MA
John Samuel Harpham, author of The Intellectual Origins of Slavery (Harvard University Press)
Harvard Book Store
Seattle, WA
Lance Garland, author of Out There: Dispatches From My Personal Wilderness (Trinity University Press)
Third Place Books
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
Montreal, Canada
Montreal Expozine 2025 – North America’s largest bilingual festival and fair dedicated to self-publishing, print media, and the zine. The fair features more than 300 authors, artists and publishers, including Concordia University Press.
Los Angeles, CA
Volker M. Welter, author of Exiled in L.A.: The Untold Story of Leopold Fischer’s Domestic Architecture (Getty Research Institute)
Neutra Office Building
To see the most up-to-date list of events, click here.
Now in its 14th year, the Association of University Presses also celebrates University Press Week by releasing an annual list of university press publications and projects that embody the theme of the year.
This year’s reading list features 69 books and other publications as well as 13 projects that embody this year’s theme of #TeamUP, presenting thought-provoking concepts, inspiring ideas, and cutting-edge scholarship — all of which would not have been published without the dedicated teams of authors, publishers, and the universities or other host institutions of which they are part. See the complete list here.
“University presses everywhere are united in the goal of publishing authors who offer unique insights and fresh voices,” says AUPresses executive director Peter Berkery. “University Press Week 2025 affords us the opportunity to celebrate all of the ways that university presses, scholars, booksellers, librarians, and so many others work together towards this goal, and continue to produce and promote books that spark thought, inform debate, and ultimately advance knowledge.”