Ep 497: The magic of bringing book lovers together

What Should I Read Next?

Anne Bogel

Books, Arts, Leisure

4.8 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2025

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Book events and festivals are always a favorite around here. Today's conversation dives deep into the art and craft of creating an engaging literary festival as Anne welcomes Sarah Moriarty, the Executive Director of the Charleston Literary Festival, to the show. They talk about what goes into curating such a festival, what you may be glad to know before attending a literary festival yourself, and what makes a particularly satisfying in-person gathering. Especially when it comes to a good conversation about the books we love, or the books we didn't even know about before but are so glad we discovered. Sarah also shares her three-point recommendation for getting the most out of your festival experience. She tells us more about how she came to be in this position and shares details about this November's event, which is welcoming more than 70 writers and thinkers from around the globe, including more than a few names you have heard on this show before. Whether you've got this specific festival or a future one on your wish list, you'll hear great tips in today's conversation. Please share your suggestions or favorite festival moments by leaving a comment over on our show notes page, where you'll also find the list of titles discussed today. That's at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/497. As we get ready to mark our 500th episode, we want to take a moment to thank our Patreon community and the members there that help support the show's creation each week. If you're not yet a member of this community, it's a wonderful time to consider joining us. Each month we share bonus episodes on a rotating theme, including Industry Insights deep-dives, One Great Book episodes, Mini-Matchmaking sessions, Dear Book Therapist responses, and team member features like our Starter Guides. On top of all of the bonus episodes, our community members also enjoy full access to all our Summer Reading Guides and seasonal book previews, as well as our upcoming Team Best Books of the Year feature. Get the details and join us at patreon.com/whatshouldireadnext. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	That's a lot. That's a lot of books from one conversation. This wasn't long enough. You're welcome.
0:11.5	Hey readers. I'm Ann Bogle, and this is What Should I Read Next? Welcome to the show that's
0:18.0	dedicated to answering the question that plagues every reader.
0:21.4	What should I read next?
0:23.2	We don't get bossy on this show.
0:24.9	What we will do here is give you the information you need to choose your next read.
0:55.4	Readers, as we get ready to mark the 500th episode of What Should I Read Next, I want to take a moment to thank our Patreon community and the members there that help support the show's creation each week. If you're already a part of that community, then you know how much bookish goodness happens over there every week. And if you're not,
1:00.6	this is a wonderful time to consider joining us. We have a great lineup of bonus episodes planned this month for our patrons. Next week, I'm diving deep on all things Libby and the latest episode in our
1:05.3	industry insights series, where I share behind-the-scenes details on publishing topics that impact
1:10.3	your reading life,
1:11.3	sometimes directly, and sometimes in a more roundabout way.
1:14.5	Past episodes have focused on things like special editions, bestseller lists, book tours,
1:19.1	and pre-order campaigns.
1:20.6	We are also bringing you the next in our starter guide series soon.
1:23.8	This next one is focused on the science fiction and fantasy genres.
1:27.1	And I'll be sharing another
1:28.4	great book from my book shelf in a new One Great Book episode. These are just a few of the types
1:33.3	of bonuses we share weekly in Patreon. We also regularly invite our community to submit three
1:38.7	books they love and one book they don't. And I do a lightning round of mini matchmaking for a bunch
1:43.9	of readers each time. I also
1:45.8	explore reader dilemmas and our dear book therapist episodes, and our team members regularly
1:50.2	share insights into their own reading lives in team-focused episodes. And last, but a top
	...

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