Sat, May 6 @ 11:30am - Brower Center - Tamalpais Room
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Akil Kumarasamy, Josh Riedel, Allie Rowbottom, Nina Schuyler, Colin Winnette

“The sun was setting over the vast, sprawling city as the Book Festival kicked off its first session of the evening. A diverse group of authors had gathered to discuss their latest works, each bringing their own unique perspective and voice to the literary world.” If you like the sound of that session description, perhaps your friendly book festival staff should be worried—it was written by an AI-fueled chatbot in the style of Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001. Novelists’ jobs might be safe—for now—but the authors in this session aren’t afraid to use their fiction to contend with the looming future of tech. Akil Kumarasamy (Meet Us by the Roaring Sea), Josh Riedel (Please Report Your Bug Here), Nina Schuyler (Afterword), Allie Rowbottom (Aesthetica), and Colin Winnette (Users) explore virtual reality, aesthetic procedures, dating apps, and, yes, AI—but their new novels, like so much timeless fiction, are really about the pricelessness of human connection. Moderated by Noah Stern, this provocative discussion will equip attendees for a bold new future—or at least be prepared with a good book at the ready.

Book signing information: Bookshop West Portal, at the venue

With the support of SACHI

Moderator: Noah Stern

More info: https://www.baybookfest.org/session/fiction-and-tech/