Omar El Akkad & Sonja Livingston 
Rochester Reads 25th Anniversary Keynote Address

Tuesday, November 10, 7PM 
St. John Fisher University, Cleary Family Auditorium
3690 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14618
Accessible venue | ASL-interpreted 

Authors Omar El Akkad and Sonja Livingston will share the stage to deliver speeches about the power of reading, writing, and community. The authors will then take part in a moderated conversation and audience Q&A.  

Join us for the pre-event reception with food and drinks, and an opportunity to mingle and meet the visiting authors, Omar El Akkad and Sonja Livingston.

Rochester Reads will spotlight El Akkad’s One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This (2025) and Livingston’s Ghostbread (2009), a powerful pairing that underscores literature’s capacity to bear witness to the lives, places, and issues that are often left in the margins. To learn more about these titles, authors, and the 25-year history of our citywide reading program, click here. 

Thank you to our sponsors.