Speculative fiction superstar Rebecca F. Kuang is the author behind the #1 New York Times bestselling The Poppy War trilogy. Described by Publishers Weekly as “an ambitious fantasy reimagining of Asian history populated by martial artists, philosopher-generals, and gods,” Kuang’s early masterwork spans three installments: The Poppy War, The Dragon Republic, and The Burning God. Kuang’s first standalone, Babel, debuted to a warm reception in 2022. Set in an alternate universe version of Victorian England, Babel envisions a British Empire fueled by a unique form of alchemy. A specially trained corps of linguists harnesses the innate magic of language and translation to power everything from medicine to transportation. According to the Oxford Review of Books, “the true magic of Kuang’s novel lies in its ability to be both rigorously academic and consistently welcoming to the reader.” In addition to her skyrocketing fiction career, Kuang is an accomplished translator and scholar pursuing a Ph.D. from Yale University.

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Joshua Bennett, PhD, is a prize-winning poet and spoken word artist. He gained critical acclaim in 2016 with The Sobbing School, winner of the National Poetry Series and a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. Bennett’s follow-ups, Owed (2020) and The Study of Human Life (2022), solidified his standing as one of his generation’s most resonant and needed poetic voices. In a starred review for Owed, Publisher’s Weekly raves “these powerful, crisp poems celebrate the complexity, joy, and heartbreak of the Black experience in America.” Bennett’s newest release is Spoken Word: A Cultural History. In it, he tracks the origins and broad impact of a resilient art form that has long centered voices and experiences outside the dominant cultural narrative. In addition to his writing, Bennett is a professor at Dartmouth College and founding editor of Minor Notes, a Penguin Classics book series dedicated to the rediscovery of underappreciated Black poets from the 19th and 20th centuries.

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Alka Joshi moved to the United States at age nine, but the author’s native Rajasthan, India looms large in her chart-topping historical fiction. Many readers know her best for The Henna Artist (2020), the first entry in The Jaipur Trilogy. It follows dye artisan and herbal healer Lakshmi Shastri, who flees an abusive marriage and attempts to earn a livelihood in the vibrant city of Jaipur. Set in the unsettled decade after the country’s independence, “The Henna Artist is a fabulous glimpse into Indian culture of the 1950s… rich in detail and bright with tastes and textures” (Bookpage). Reese Witherspoon selected Joshi’s debut for her Hello Sunshine Book Club, and the book will soon have a second life as a Netflix original series. The Perfumist of Paris, Joshi’s much-anticipated conclusion to The Jaipur Trilogy, hit shelves in March. In an early review, historical fiction mainstay Kate Quinn raves: “Evoking India and France with equal beauty, this is Alka Joshi’s best book yet!”

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Ali Hazelwood holds a doctorate in neuroscience and a faculty position at a prestigious university. She also moonlights as one of the most popular romance authors writing today. Hazelwood’s distinctive brand centers on women in STEM fields and academia. She burst onto the literary scene in 2021 with The Love Hypothesis. Fellow romance writer Christina Lauren calls Hazelwood’s debut “contemporary romance’s unicorn – the elusive marriage of deeply brainy and delightfully escapist.” The Love Hypothesis has already been optioned for a screen treatment. Hazelwood’s next release, Love on the Brain (2022), became an instant New York Times bestseller, Indie Next Pick, and #1 LibraryReads selection. In a starred review, Booklist praised: “Snappy dialogue with witty zingers makes this tender enemies-to-lovers story, set at NASA, an unforgettable follow-up.” Hazelwood’s latest book, Loathe to Love You, collects three ‘STEMinist’ novellas released separately in 2022: Under One Roof, Stuck with You, and Below Zero.

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Oscar Hokeah is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. He also proudly claims Mexican ancestry on his father’s side. Hokeah’s award-winning fiction explores intertribal identity and multicultural heritage. He honed his craft at the prestigious Institute of American Indian Arts, and his prose can be found in American Short Fiction, World Literature Today, and Literary Hub. Algonquin Books released Hokeah’s first novel, Calling For a Blanket Dance, to wide acclaim in July 2022. Like the author himself, intrepid protagonist Ever Geimausaddle comes from a family that is part Native American, part Mexican. “Drawing on a wealth of Indigenous tradition, Calling For a Blanket Dance underscores the quiet strength that arises when a family is true to its identity – and the too-common tragedy that results when identity is suppressed” (The Millions). In addition to his burgeoning literary career, Hokeah works with Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare in his hometown of Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

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Janie Chang’s bestselling historical fiction is inspired by her Chinese ancestry, as well as that culture’s rich folkloric traditions. She gained a loyal following with Three Souls (2013) and Dragon Springs Road (2017), and reached a still wider audience with the 2020 release of The Library of Legends. Set against the Japanese invasion of China during World War II, this book club favorite centers on a group of student refugees who flee Nanjing with a priceless treasure: a 500-year-old compendium of ancient myths known as The Library of Legends. Chang’s newest novel, The Porcelain Moon, is set in France in the waning days of World War I. It spotlights the untold story of 140,000 Chinese workers brought to Europe as non-combatant labor during The Great War. Fellow historical fiction writer Kate Quinn lauds: “The Porcelain Moon exhibits Chang’s signature trademarks – lyrical prose, deftly-drawn characters, and skillful excavation of little-known history – to give us a rare jewel in a sea of wartime fiction.”

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Will Schwalbe is an acclaimed memoirist and entrepreneur. Amateur chefs may know him best as the mind behind Cookstr, the world’s largest free recipe database. Cookstr is owned today by Macmillan Publishing, where Schwalbe is now executive vice president of editorial development and content innovation. Schwalbe’s authorial debut, Send: Why People Email So Badly and How To Do It Better, first hit shelves in 2007 and is considered a modern classic among business professionals. However, most fans first encountered Schwalbe through The End of Your Life Book Club. In this intensely personal but widely relatable memoir, Schwalbe chronicles his mother’s cancer diagnosis, treatment, and death – and how shared reading experiences allowed them to enjoy a deep connection in dark times. Schwalbe’s new book is We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship. As the name suggests, this latest memoir tracks an improbable but life-changing “geek and jock” college friendship over the course of four decades.

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According to a poll conducted by the BCC, novelist and screenwriter Nick Hornby ranks as one of most influential people in British culture. Hornby is best known to American readers for his chart-topping novels High Fidelity (1995), About a Boy (1998), and Juliet, Naked (2009) – each of which has been adapted for the screen. Hornby’s beloved memoir Fever Pitch (1992), centered around the author’s sports fanaticism, likewise spawned two feature films of the same name. Hornby’s equally impressive screenplay credits include recent Oscar contenders An Education (2009), Wild (2014), and Brooklyn (2015). In addition to Best Picture nominations, An Education and Brooklyn put Hornby in contention for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. His latest book offers fans something of a departure. Dickens and Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius explores the creative styles and unlikely similarities between a world-famous Victorian novelist and Minnesota’s homegrown music superstar, Prince.

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Marie Myung-Ok Lee is a treasured voice in Korean American literature. Her latest novel, The Evening Hero, follows the trials and travails of Korean obstetrician Dr. Yungman Kwak. In the wake of the Korean War, Kwak left his family and village to pursue the American Dream in rural Minnesota. Lee’s poignant, time-jumping narrative encompasses “rural hospital closures, anti-Asian racism, and how war trauma seeps into everyday life for an immigrant – themes that have become suddenly more urgent and topical” (Simon & Schuster). Lee is also an accomplished YA writer. Her groundbreaking Finding My Voice, first published in 1992, is thought to be the first contemporary-set young adult novel written by an Asian American author and featuring Asian American protagonists. It was rereleased in 2021. In addition to her own writing, Lee is co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop and director of the Asian American Diasporic Writers series at Columbia University.

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Leila Mottley is the pen behind Nightcrawling, one of the most-anticipated and best-reviewed fiction releases of 2022. Set in the author’s native Oakland, California, this searing debut welcomes readers into the world of 17-year-old Kiara Johnson. After her rent skyrockets, Kiara turns to sex work to stave off homelessness. She soon finds herself in the crosshairs of a far-reaching scandal and active investigation into the conduct of the Oakland Police Department. In a rave review, The New Yorker lauds: “Careful not to portray Kiara as a victim, Mottley shows us the pleasures of family, friendship, and love. The result is an intimate portrait of a young Black woman searching for autonomy and fulfillment in a society designed to deny her both.” Oprah Winfrey named Nightcrawling the latest pick for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0, and the instant New York Times bestseller has also been nominated for the 2022 Booker Prize. Mottley accomplished all this as a debut author who published her first novel before the age of 20.

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