Bristol BookFest 2027: Shakespeare Takes the Stage

Active

Oct 1

Drum roll, please.

Bristol BookFest is delighted to announce the book selection for 2027: “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare. You or your fellow BBF participants can take a healthy dollop of credit for the pick.

True, Shakespeare has made our short list in the past, but audience interest was trending upward in our annual surveys. We heard you loud and clear: For our seventh season, it was time for the Bard.

Our past BookFest selections offered another reason to turn to Shakespeare. In Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway,” Clarissa invokes “Cymbeline” while window-shopping. Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451” quotes the tragedy of “Hamlet.” The preface to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” points to “The Tempest” as a model, praising its “exquisite combinations of human feeling” and the supernatural. This 17th-century play brings together much of what we have explored in past seasons and still speaks to readers today.

“The Tempest,” one of Shakespeare’s shortest plays, is replete with themes to explore: colonialism, art and illusion, power, forgiveness, freedom and control.

Join us for our annual humanities program, which is designed to inspire readers, deepen understanding of significant works of literature and enrich community life.

Mark your calendar

Jan. 12, 2027: Winter sessions begin
Steve Calvert returns to lead five free sessions on “The Tempest” at Rogers Free Library.

April 2-3, 2027: BookFest weekend
Join fellow readers and leading scholars for a weekend exploring Shakespeare’s play.

Look for more programming throughout the season!

Come read and discuss the play at these events, which BBF presents with the support of our sponsors and partners: the Friends of the Rogers Free Library, the Rogers Free Library, Roger Williams University, Linden Place, the Bristol Art Museum and the Bristol Warren Regional School District.