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Authors and panelists representing the School of Liberal Arts — as faculty, alumni, and partners — participated in today's most important conversations.

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The complete 2026 Bookfest schedule can be fount on the Bookfest website.

George Saunders — author of Liberation Day, Tenth of December, and the Booker Prize–winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo — will visit Tulane on Thursday, April 9, as this year’s featured writer in the Carole Barnette Boudreaux ’65 Great Writers Series.

The acclaimed fiction writer has been in the spotlight recently with the release of his new novel, Vigil, written in the satirical, otherworldly style that makes him one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary literature. As news circulates about a forthcoming film adaptation of Lincoln in the Bardo starring Tom Hanks as Abraham Lincoln, Saunders has been making the rounds discussing Vigil in interviews and on podcasts, including appearances on The Late Show Book Club and The New York Times’ The Interview.

A recipient of both the Booker Prize and a MacArthur Fellowship, Saunders is known for fiction that blends dark humor and surreal imagination with deeper reflections on the human condition. His latest novel unfolds at the bedside of a powerful oil executive facing the end of his life. As a series of visitors — both earthly and supernatural — force the dying man to reckon with the consequences of his actions, the novel explores themes of accountability, forgiveness, and the long shadow of environmental harm.

Saunders — whom the National Book Foundation once dubbed “the ultimate teacher of kindness and craft” — teaches in the Creative Writing Program at Syracuse University, and publishes a popular Substack newsletter called Story Club, an ongoing exploration of how stories work and why they matter. His thoughtful reflections on writing, often delivered in a soft, conversational speaking style, have made him a favorite guest at literary festivals and universities.

His visit is part of the Carole Barnette Boudreaux ’65 Great Writers Series, which brings leading contemporary authors to Tulane to share their work with students and the broader community — work that often engages with some of the most pressing social and cultural issues of our times. Saunders’ talk will center around his new novel, whose themes of power, accountability, and climate responsibility will resonate with students and readers considering ethical challenges of the present moment.

The event will take place in Kendall Cram at the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life, followed by a book signing. 
Register for the April 9 Event.