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Cost: FREE
Categories: **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, Community, Downtown San Francisco, Fairs & Festivals, In Person, Kids & Families, Lectures & Workshops, Literature
Filipino American Int’l Book Festival 2026 at SF Main Library (Oct. 17-18)
Saturday, October 17, 2026 - 11:00 am to 5:15 pm | Cost: FREE
San Francisco Main Public Library | 100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
San Francisco Main Public Library | 100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Event Details
Filipino American Int’l Book Festival 2026 at SF Main Library (Oct. 17-18)
The Filipino American International Book Festival (FilBookFest), presented in partnership with San Francisco Public Library, returns SFPL’s Main Library for its 8th iteration, continuing its legacy as the largest Filipino American literary festival in the U.S. This year’s theme, “SANGGALAN: Stories that propel us, stories that protect us,” centers stories that carry us forward and hold us together: stories as refuge, stories as resistance, stories as action.
Held during Filipino American History Month, FilBookFest brings together writers, scholars, and creatives from across the globe, including the U.S., Canada, and the Philippines, to the iconic San Francisco Public Library. Over two days, attendees can enjoy panel discussions, book signings, and readings featuring a vibrant mix of established and emerging voices. The festival celebrates storytelling, culture, and the diverse experiences of the Filipino diaspora.
FESTIVAL MARKETPLACE
📍 Latino Room
11:00 AM – 5:15 PM
Saturday
12:15 PM – 5:00 PM
Sunday
Saturday, October 17, 2026
10:30 AM
OPENING KEYNOTE
Randy Ribay
📍 Koret Auditorium
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Then, Here and Now: Celebrating Publications Over a Decade Old
Barbara Jane Reyes, Mia Alvar Noel Alumit, Shirley Ancheta; moderator: Edwin Lozada
📍 Koret Auditorium
Love at the Fiesta: Romance Fiction and Filipino American Joy
Celeste Dador, Maan Gabriel, Maida Malby, Mia Hopkins
Celeste Dador, Maan Gabriel, Maida Malby, Mia Hopkins
📍 Hormel LGBTQI+ Center, 3rd floor
Books to Teach Children to Feel and Heal
Niña Mata, Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young, Dr. Jeannie Celestial, Cleodia Martinez,
Moderator: Celina Tirona
Moderator: Celina Tirona
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
12:00 – 12:30 PM
Lunch Break
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Building Literary Communities
An informal rountable with Carlos Bulosan Book Club
An informal rountable with Carlos Bulosan Book Club
Jaime Geaga, Mila de Guzman, Cindy Domingo, Michael Magnaye
📍 Chinese Center, 3rd Floor (Bring your lunch!)
12:30 – 1:30 PM
From Prey to Slay: Women, Horror, and Filipino Myth
Daphne Fama, Jet Tagasa, Teresa Aguinaldo, Yvette Tan, Moderator: Dina Klarisse Dugar
📍Koret Auditorium
To Write You The Poem I Owe You: A Panel of Filipino Poets Wandering & Writing Today
Isabel Cristina Legarda, Michelle Peñaloza, Rhoni Blankenhorn, Tony Robles, Moderator: Janice Lobo Sapigao
📍 Hormel LGBTQI+ Center, 3rd floor
Children’s Storytime
Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
1:45 – 2:45 PM
INKSTORM 1 (Authors read from their recent collections)
Celeste Dador, Daphne Fama, Isabel Legarda, Jet Tagasa, Nathan Cayanan, Randy Ribay, Tony Robles, Victor Barnuevo Velasco, Vyxz Vasquez
📍Koret Auditorium
Multiverse of Filipinx Identities: Writing and Publishing for Young Adult Readers
David Flores, Marie Cruz, Candy Gourlay, Tracy Badua; Moderator: Carolyn Sideco
📍 Hormel LGBTQI+ Center, 3rd floor
Children’s Storytime
Niña Mata + Cleodia Martinez
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
2:45 – 3:45 PM
Pinoy Komiks Through the Years: An Interactive Show and Tell
Angelo Mendez, Eric Ignacio, Nathan Cayanan, Jay Kalagayan; moderator: Jaena Rae Cabrera
📍Koret Auditorium
Pilipinx Playwright Power
Amanda L. Andrei, Conrad Panganiban, Erica Miguel, Giovanni Ortega; moderator: Aureen Almario
📍 Hormel LGBTQI+ Center, 3rd floor
Children’s Storytime
Kumusta Pusa & Marlon Rimando – A Presentation
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
3:15 – 4:15 PM
A Fogside Chat: M. Evelina Galang and Lysley Tenorio in Conversation
M. Evelina Galang & Lysley Tenorio
📍 Chinese Center, 3rd Floor (Bring your lunch!)
4:00 – 5:15 PM
INKSTORM 2 (Authors read from their recent collections)
Conrad Panganiban, Dani Putney, David Flores, Giovanni Ortega, Justine Ramos, Lauren Lola, Marie Cruz, Michelle Peñaloza, Rhoni Blankenhorn, Tracy Badua, Yvette Tan
📍Koret Auditorium
Fil-Am Creatives in Food, Design & Entrepreneurship
Cheska Torres Ibasan, Henry Awayan, LeRoid David, Woldy Reyes; Moderator: JJ Jumoc-Casas
📍 Hormel LGBTQI+ Center, 3rd floor
Packed with Love: The Balikbayan Box in Picture Books (Storytime + Conversation)
Christine Alemshah, Faith Kazmi, Carren Jao
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
Sunday, October 18, 2026
12:15 PM
SUNDAY KEYNOTE
Dr. Robyn Rodriguez
📍Koret Auditorium
12:45 – 2:00 PM
LINTIK: Poetry Performed Becomes a Living Word
Aimee Suzara, Arlene Biala, Jason Bayani, nawa angel a.h., Zosimo Quibilan; Moderator: Irene Faye Duller
📍Koret Auditorium
Writing in the Gaps: Silence and Inherited Trauma in Fiction and Memoir
Nita Noveno, Patrick Joseph Caoile, Sheilah Jane, Glenda Macatangay, Adrian de Leon; Moderator: Beverly Parayno
📍 Hormel LGBTQI+ Center, 3rd floor
Connections, Culture, and Community Through Picture Books
Analene Go, Michelle Sterling, Cristina Oxtra, Stephanie Vivit Lehmann; Moderator: Celina Tirona
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
2:00 – 3:00 PM
INKSTORM 3 (Authors read from their recent collections)
Aimee Suzara, Arlene Biala, Dom Magwili, Jaya Jacobo, Lorenz Mazon Dumuk, Marivi Soliven, Mia Manansala, nawa angel a.h., Sheilah Jane
📍Koret Auditorium
Critical Filipinx Studies: Building Knowledge with and for our Communities
Michael Schulze-Oechtering Castañeda, Valerie Francisco-Menchavez, Bernard James Remollino; Moderator: Dr. Robyn Rodriguez
📍 Hormel LGBTQI+ Center, 3rd floor
Children’s Storytime
Michelle Sterling + Cristina Oxtra
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
3:15 – 4:15 PM
Magic, Mystery, and the Surreal in Philippine Diasporic Fiction
Dom Magwili, Mia P. Manansala, Monica T. S. Flores, Marianne Villanueva; Moderator: Mia G. Rios
📍Koret Auditorium
Cross-Cultural Solidarities, Reimagining Belonging
Jaya Jacobo, Roland Tolentino, Aileen Cassinetto, Kathy Nguyễn; Moderator: Dr. Jody Blanco
📍 Hormel LGBTQI+ Center, 3rd floor
Children’s Storytime
Analene Go + Candy Gourlay
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
4:15 – 5:00 PM
INKSTORM 4 (Authors read from their recent collections)
Adrian De Leon, Anthony Abulencia Santa Ana, Jason Bayani, Marianne Villanueva, Nita Noveno, Patrick Joseph Caoile, Zosimo Jr. Quibilan
📍Koret Auditorium
Children’s Storytime
Stephanie Vivit Lehmann + Dr. Jeannie Celestial & Art Bautista
📍Children’s Program @ The Children’s Center, 2nd floor
Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.
Cost: FREE
Categories: **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, Community, Downtown San Francisco, Fairs & Festivals, In Person, Kids & Families, Lectures & Workshops, Literature
Address: 100 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
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