Boston Book Festival draws 25,000 to Copley Square with Emily Wilson

The 18th annual Boston Book Festival drew an expected 25,000 readers to Copley Square on Saturday, October 17, 2026, for a free, outdoor single-day programme of more than 80 events featuring over 200 authors. The headline draw was classicist Emily Wilson — the first woman to translate Homer's 'Odyssey' from ancient Greek into English — who appeared with translator Daniel Hahn at Old South Church's Main Sanctuary from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm EDT to discuss her new book 'Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature'. Other high-profile sessions featured Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Geraldine Brooks. Programming covered fiction, poetry, non-fiction, children's books, and a dedicated BookTok-focused strand aimed at younger readers, alongside book-focused activities, an outdoor fair of independent presses and local writers' groups, and panels broadcast by WBUR and WGBH's Culture Show. Coverage from Boston.com and WBUR led the US local-culture reading lists on the day, and the festival ranked among the most-shared North American books stories.