COVID-19 and the 2020 Howard Zinn Book Fair

Dear Friends of the Howard Zinn Book Fair,

It is with a heavy heart that we have decided not to hold a Howard Zinn Book Fair in 2020. The uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have made it impossible to predict whether or not large gatherings will be advisable in December, when we would normally hold the book fair. Planning an event that potentially involves thousands of people coming from all over the bay area and country to pass through a relatively small space is simply not feasible under these circumstances.

In the meantime, we have every intention of keeping the legacy of people’s history flowing. Here are a few things you can still count on from the Howard Zinn Book Fair:

NEW PODCAST – We are excited to announce a new podcast: Books to The Barricades. The podcast is a new forum to showcase the many excellent authors that come through the Zinn Fair. We hope to highlight new titles that you might otherwise miss. We already have 9 author interviews, including Marke Bieschke (Into the Streets: A Young Person’s Visual History of Protest in the United States), Dina Gilio-Whitaker (As Long as Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock), Kazu Haga (Healing Resistance: A Radically Different Response to Harm), and several more on the way. Click here for all of these great interviews!

WEB FORUM – While there is no way to substitute for a vibrant in-person gathering like the Howard Zinn Book Fair, we are considering holding a web forum around the time that we would have scheduled the book fair. Keep an eye out for details next fall.

WEBSITE UPDATE – We are in the midst of a long-overdue website overhaul. Expect a new website to be live by the time we start planning for the 2021 book fair.

2021 BOOK FAIR – We have every intention of returning with an in-person Howard Zinn Book Fair in 2021.

We’ll miss seeing you all, and we hope you stay well.

Love and Solidarity,
Howard Zinn Book Fair Planning Committee

Donate

The Howard Zinn Book Fair is organized by an all-volunteer coordinating committee. Your donation ensures that we can do this again next year and pay for the space, childcare, travel stipends for authors, the poster artist, printing, and more. Click here to make a solidarity donation.

 The Howard Zinn Book Fair is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, a 501(c)(3) charity. All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.