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The 2026 Writers & Readers Festival opened on Wednesday evening, April 15, with a keynote conversation featuring Susan Lucci, who discussed her new bestselling memoir, La Lucci, with bestselling author Adriana Trigiani.

Bestselling authors Susan Lucci (right) and Adriana Trigiani onstage at the ³ÉÈ˶¯ÂþÍøÕ¾ Performing Arts Center

Bestselling authors Jodi Picoult (left) and Alice Hoffman ’73, ’02 (Hon.), headlined the festival’s first full day of events in a keynote conversation about writing, reading and the power of storytelling in a time of book bans.

Jodi Picoult signs a copy of her 2024 novel, By Any Other Name, for one of her many readers.

This year’s festival was the largest ever, attracting more than 600 Adelphi students and faculty members, alumni, high school students and teachers, and members of the larger community.

Musical director Tim Weil and theater historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper discuss the landmark musical by Adelphi alum Jonathan Larson ’82, the subject of Weil’s new book, Making Rent: The Story Behind the Music That Changed Broadway.

Novelist and memoirist Darcey Steinke and science writer Michael Rossi, PhD, talked about their new books, which explore the impact of fake science and superstition. Craig Carson, PhD (right), associate dean of Adelphi’s Honors College, moderated the conversation.

Novelist Ed Park, who appeared in the panel discussion on the art of time in fiction, signs a copy of his book of short stories, An Oral History of Atlantis, for a festivalgoer.

Puja Shah ’03, DMD (with mic), an alumna and current student in Adelphi’s MFA in Creative Writing program, discusses her novel, For My Sister, in a panel discussion devoted to first books by MFA students.