Queen Noor, Al and Tipper Gore Are Breakfast Speakers at BookExpo America; Christopher Reeve to Keynote Luncheon

Queen Noor

BookExpo America (BEA) has announced speakers for its special events at the annual book convention, which will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, May 2 - 5. Appearing at the Saturday Book & Author Breakfast on May 4 are Queen Noor of Jordan, Reynolds Price, and Stephen Carter. The speakers at the Sunday Book & Author Breakfast are Al and Tipper Gore, Jean Auel, and Pat Conroy.

Tipper and Al Gore

This year's Saturday Book & Author Luncheon will feature Christopher Reeve, Pete Hamill, and Roone Arledge. At the luncheon, the Association of American Publishers will present its Curtis Benjamin Award. Oscar Hijuelos, Paul Auster, Tim O'Brien, and Francine Prose will read passages from their upcoming works at the Sunday Literary Luncheon, on May 5. On Friday, May 3, the AudioBook Tea will feature Brad Meltzer, Walter Mosley, and Janet Evanovich.

Christopher Reeve

The Children's Book & Author Breakfast on Friday, May 3, will feature Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner, Kate DiCamillo, and John Lithgow. At the breakfast, the Lucile Micheels Pannell Awards, which recognize excellence in children's bookselling, will be awarded. (To read related story, click here.)

And there will be a particularly appropriate author at BEA/NYC, when former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani provides remarks at the convention's Opening Night Ceremony on Thursday, May 2, at 6:00 p.m.

"This year's speaker program is fantastic, and I am grateful to all the publishers who submitted such fine authors as candidates," said Greg Topalian, vice president and show director for BookExpo America. "Our special events provide quality entertainment, and they are an important part of the overall BEA experience. This is an extraordinary mix of authors and celebrities, and I am sure that there will be many people who will want to attend these stimulating events."

The lineup of BEA/NYC's special events includes:

Friday, May 3

Children's Book & Author Breakfast, 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., Special Events Hall, $25
Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner, Brundibar, Hyperion Books for Children
Kate DiCamillo, Tiger Rising and Because of Winn-Dixie, Candlewick Press
John Lithgow, Micawber and The Remarkable Farkle McBride, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

AudioBook Tea, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Special Events Hall, $15
Brad Meltzer, The Millionaires, Time Warner AudioBooks
Walter Mosley, Bad Boy Brawly Brown, Audio Renaissance
Janet Evanovich, Hard Eight, Audio Renaissance

Saturday, May 4

Book & Author Breakfast, 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., Special Events Hall, $25
Queen Noor, To the Kingdom: A Memoir (working title), Talk Miramax Books
Reynolds Price, Noble Norfleet, Scribner
Stephen Carter, The Emperor of Ocean Park, Alfred A. Knopf

Saturday Book & Author Lunch, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., Special Events Hall, $40
Christopher Reeve, Nothing Is Impossible, Random House
Pete Hamill, Forever, Little Brown & Company
Roone Arledge, Roone, HarperCollins

Sunday, May 5

Book & Author Breakfast, 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m., Special Events Hall, $25
Pat Conroy, My Losing Season, Doubleday Broadway
Jean Auel, The Shelters of Stone, Crown Publishers
Al Gore and Tipper Gore, Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family and Between Us: The Spirit of Family

Sunday Literary Luncheon, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., Special Events Hall, $40
Tim O'Brien, July July, Houghton Mifflin
Francine Prose, The Lives of the Muses, HarperCollins
Paul Auster, The Book of Illusions, Henry Holt & Company
Oscar Hijuelos, A Simple Habana Melody, HarperCollins