JK Fowler to Host Bay Area Book Festival

September 20, 2024

JK Fowler has been named the new executive director of the Bay Area Book Festival. Fowler founded and directed Nomadic Press and brings experience in literary and arts nonprofits, community organizing, and event production, including recent work with Oakland Poet Laureate Ayodele Nzinga. “As a passionate believer in the democratic principles of free speech and rigorous, respectful debate, I look forward to using our platform to further BABF’s tradition of uplifting and celebrating literature,” Fowler said in the BABF announcement.

BABF board chair Brooke Warner, publisher of SheWrites Press and SparkPress, said Fowler’s “understanding of our goals and mission, combined with his connections and ties to the community, make him an exceptionally well-suited candidate for this role.”

BABF Interim Program Director Aya de León, a BABF board member and Berkeley poet laureate, added, “People sometimes mistakenly associate the festival with Berkeley, but it is for the entire Bay Area, and especially the East Bay. JK has so much experience elevating Oakland’s voices. I’m excited to dispel the myth and expand our reach, both in perception and in fact.”

Fowler replaces Cherilyn Parsons, who founded BABF in 2015 and stepped down as executive director in June 2023.

Now entering its 11th year, BABF has brought more than 800 literary events and some 125,000 visitors to Berkeley. Its next festival will take place May 31–June 1, 2025.